The Toronto Maple Leafs have to rely heavily on the team the club that eliminated them in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarter-Final last May to keep their slim chances of qualifying for the post-season alive.
The Boston Bruins will have some input on who they face in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs two weeks from today, as they take on the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena Wednesday night and Toronto in the second of back-to-back games on Thursday.
The only thing that the Bruins have to accomplish over the remaining seven games of the regular season is winning the President’s Trophy, as they are nine points in front of Pittsburgh for top spot in the Eastern Conference. The St. Louis Blues trail by one point and have the same amount of games remaining, but the pursuit of the most points in the NHL will not have Boston burdening their core players before an expected lengthy playoff run.
Former Leaf draft pick Tuukka Rask will start against the Red Wings, which makes it likely that backup Chad Johnson will be between the pipes for the Bruins in Toronto, who are the hottest team in the league with a 15-1-1 record in March.
“If there is one thing you can look to Boston, they don’t really change.… head coach Randy Carlyle indicated at the MasterCard Center on Wednesday. “They do what they do, and they do it as good as anybody in the league. They’re a top team and they don’t change their template.…
The Leafs held an optional skate at their practice facility in Etobicoke, ON after ending a season-long eight-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over Calgary.
“We’ve got some banged up bodies.… Carlyle said “We’re dwindling down to the last week coming up and we want to make sure that we’ve got as much energy as we possibly can for tomorrow.…
Leading scorer Phil Kessel was in the lineup on Tuesday in spite of not skating for two days due to a bruised foot, but was in noticeable discomfort near the end of the first period after taking two shots off the same foot. *******
Speculation and pressure on the club has increased over the last two weeks that changes will be made if Toronto does not make the post-season and that Carlyle could be the first victim of reorganization at 40 Bay Street.
“You think??… Carlyle quipped when asked if he has felt the pressure during the recent slide. “You look back on it and you try to reflect and you try to find ways and there’s sometimes you just feel helpless.…
The only thing that most hockey observers can agree on regarding the Leafs is that there will be a careful review of the entire organization after the season, but opinions differ if the axe will fall more on Carlyle, the players or both.
The Star’s Damien Cox, who has not been leading the charge to oust the Stanley Cup winning coach after two years in Toronto, indicated in his blog Wednesday that the Leafs recent slide has “included such bad hockey that one has to question either the coach's game-plan or his inability to get his players to perform a certain way.…
It could be possible that assistant coaches Greg Cronin and Scott Gordon, who were hired in 2011 after a reorganization of Ron Wilson's coaching staff, could fall victim to a similar purge, but those changes might not be enough for the disenchanted masses in Toronto.
TSN Insiders Bob McKenzie and Darren Dreger reported Tuesday that Carlyle is most vulnerable if the Leafs do not defy the odds and qualify for the post-season, that the club would yield to the pressure of offering up a sacrificial lamb.
GM Dave Nonis, who signed a new five-year contract last July does not appear to be in any danger of losing his job, as he indicated to the MLSE board before the season that the Leafs were a borderline club to make the playoffs.
MLSE Chairman Tim Leiweke is expected to have significant input in any decision, as he continues to be fully apprised of Nonis’s long term plans for the club and has maintained contact with many on the Leaf roster throughout the season.
The concern here is that Leiweke will be an agent of change for a group of players who have shown resistance to change to a more responsible defensive system and a propensity to fold their tents three seasons in a row.
*******
The Maple Leafs announced on Wednesday that defenseman Paul Ranger has been selected by the Toronto chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association as the nominee for the 2014 Bill Masterton Trophy.
Per a press release on the Maple Leafs webslte:
Ranger returned to the National Hockey League following almost three full seasons away for personal reasons, spending the 2012-13 season with the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies. A return to high-paced hockey after such a long absence is very rare in pro sports and Ranger was able to play 51 games for the Marlies and record 25 points last season.Ranger, 29, made the decision to resume his career at the NHL level last summer and made the Leaf roster at training camp. In 49 games this season, he has four goals and eight assists. Recent Masterton nominees from Toronto include James Reimer and Joffrey Lupul. Each NHL city’s PWHA chapter nominates a Masterton candidate and the winner is chosen from a vote of the entire PHWA at the end of the season. The Masterton is part of the league’s televised awards ceremonies, June 24 from Las Vegas.
*******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact… button at the top of the page.*******
For Those on Twitter: Follow @mikeinbuffalo
KINDLE USERS: Please sign up for Maple Leafs Buzz, which includes a free-of-charge 14-day trial and is just 99 cents per month afterwards. For more information click here.