Team Canada wins 5-4 over Russia in the Gold Medal game of the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship at Air Canada Center in Toronto. Buffalo Sabres 2014 top pick Sam Reinhart tipped a Max Domi shot for the eventual game-winner in the second period, but the Russians rallied late in the period with three goals in 3:16 to cut the lead to one goal.
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The Maple Leafs have a few days to rest and regroup after completing their unsuccessful five-game road trip with a 5-1 loss in Winnipeg on Saturday.
After a mandatory day away from the rink because of the new collective bargaining agreement, the Blue and White gathered for an outdoor practice at the Harry Gairey Rink in downtown Toronto to begin preparations for their match against the Washington Capitals at Air Canada Center on Wednesday.
A view from behind James Reimer for some shootout practice against Leo Komarov. #TMLtalk https://t.co/2KnpWjOVF9
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) January 5, 2015The week-long trip following the Christmas break resulted in four regulation losses to Florida, Tampa Bay, Minnesota and Winnipeg and a costly shootout victory in Boston on New Year’s Eve, where the Leafs lost forwards Joffrey Lupul, Nazem Kadri and Peter Holland to injury.
Lupul and Holland have been placed on injured reserve and Kadri is not expected to get back into the lineup until next week, when the Leafs begin a four-game road trip in Los Angeles.
Toronto will have to find a way to generate offense with a makeshift lineup that managed just one goal per game against the Wild and Jets on the weekend.
The Leafs recalled forward Troy Bodie on Sunday, which appeared to be aimed towards adding some physicality and energy to the fourth line, but the Globe and Mail’s James Mirtle tweeted on Monday that the move was strictly cap related and that the big forward has been sent back to the Toronto Marlies of the AHL.
Teams chasing the Leafs for an Eastern Conference playoff spot are actively looking to make changes, including the Bruins who are rumored to be talking with St. Louis Blues about forward T.J. Oshie and Arizona about pending UFA Antoine Vermette.
GM Dave Nonis is also looking for reinforcements or upgrades via trade, but there is nothing of an imminent nature according to TSN’s Darren Dreger. Circumstances could change depending on Toronto’s playoff positioning, but Nonis has never been one to dip into the costly rent-a-player market close to the trade deadline.
Holding out for an asset-for-asset deal is a more likely scenario.
The Leafs fan base has grown weary of the club's inconsistent, roller-coaster ways(as another jersey throwing incident in Winnipeg on Saturday would attest)and the heat for a dramatic change such as Randy Carlyle being fired or a trade of a core player (Dion Phaneuf or Phil Kessel) continues to rise.
Team President Brendan Shanahan traveled to Manitoba on Saturday, which could be a signal that Carlyle's time running out, but there is no indication that a coaching change would magically make the Leafs into a conscientious, defensively sound club. Shanahan should recognize by now that the problems with this flawed club are bigger than just a coach whose message is not getting through, but that changes to the core group are necessary as well.
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World Junior prediction:
Canada 6, Russia 2
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