The Toronto Maple Leafs look to win their second game in a row as they take on the Detroit Red Wings for the first time this season at Air Canada Center on Saturday. It is not only the final game of the Leafs three game homestand, it is their first regular season meeting between the two Atlantic Division rivals and serves as a preview for the much ballyhooed Winter Classic at the University of Michigan’s “Big House… in Ann Arbor, Michigan on January 1.
The greater focus offered by HBO’s 24/7 reveals that the two clubs are dealing with a number of similar challenges as they both fight for position in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
“I see a lot of similarities in where they’re at and where we are at.… Leafs coach Randy Carlyle observed in his Saturday morning press conference. “We’ve got inconsistency in our play, flooded with injuries and not the personnel I’m sure that they had on their white board through the summer months.…
Detroit star center Pavel Datsyuk returned in mid-December after missing nearly three weeks with a concussion, but the club lost center Henrik Zetterberg with a herniated disc early in the month. The Wings are also without forwards Johan Franzen and Justin Abdelkader due to concussion issues, goaltender Jimmy Howard due to a sprained knee, defenseman Danny DeKeyser with a separated shoulder and announced Saturday that center Stephen Weiss is out indefinitely with a sports hernia.
The Wings ended a six game losing streak with a 3-2 overtime victory over Calgary on Thursday and are expected to start Jonas Gustavsson on Saturday. The 29-year-old former Leaf has put up better numbers than Howard this season(9-3-2 record, 2.25 GAA, .920 save %) but is 1-2-1 with a GAA near 4 and sub .900 save percentage since Howard was injured on December 10.
Toronto is expected to stick with the same lineup that registered a 2-1 shootout victory over Phoenix on Thursday. James Reimer will make his third straight start in goal, after ending the Leafs two game losing streak with a 34 save effort against the Coyotes. Reimer seized on the opportunity to start consecutive games as Jonathan Bernier was hobbled by a lower body injury after colliding with Penguins forward Jayson Megna on Monday.
The Leafs may be getting a couple of their injured players back before the end of the year, as Carlyle indicated that winger Colton Orr will be available to return from a bursar sac issue “shortly…. Center Tyler Bozak participated in team workouts during the week and is looking at the December 29th contest against Carolina as the target date for his return from a strained oblique.
"It's still getting better every day. It feels pretty good now," Bozak said. "If there's a problem, maybe, but right now it looks like I'll be back right when IR ends."
Toronto’s offense has been hampered by their depleted numbers up the middle, as they have scored more than three goals just once in December. Bozak’s return to the lineup might be the spark needed to jump start wingers Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk, who have not produced with Nazem Kadri playing between them.
“You are asking a young player in Kadri to fill some shoes of a veteran player.… Carlyle said Saturday morning. “He’s a young player still cutting his teeth to become a higher level first line, second line center.…
The Leafs top unit has scored six points in the last seven games and does not possess the two-way abilities to be effective when they are not scoring consistently. In spite of the imperfections of plus/minus, the fact that the Kessel-Kadri-van Riemsdyk line is a collective -23 in those seven games (which Toronto has a 2-5 record) is indicative of their struggles.
“I think we’re asking a lot of a young player right now, where last year we were able to use (Kadri) more as a third line option and kind of protect him from having to play up against the top two lines of other hockey clubs.… Carlyle said.
With Bozak – Kessel : 16 GP, 9 G,7 A = 16 Pts van Riemsdyk : 14 GP, 8 G, 6 A = 14 Pts
With Others - Kessel : 21 GP, 8 G, 8 A = 16 Pts van Riemsdyk : 21 GP, 6 G, 6 A = 12 Pts
In spite of Bozak not being a prototypical first line center, his playmaking, defensive and faceoff abilities appear to be better suited to play between the Leafs top scorers than someone who is still trying to prove himself as top six NHL forward. With Bozak’s return and the chemistry that Peter Holland has shown with Joffrey Lupul and Mason Raymond, it is very possible that Carlyle will place Kadri back in a third line role that will more benefit his development and the club’s success overall.
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