For those of you who watched tonight’s game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators, I’m sure we share similar thoughts; good play by the Leafs, poor play by the Sens.
I’ve found myself complaining about the lackluster effort which the Leafs have offered of late and tonight, thankfully, I don’t have much to complain about! I liked their first and second effort on the puck, they won puck battles down low, finished their checks, got in the shooting lanes, had very active sticks and weren’t puck watching.
Thank the lord - for once in a solid number of games these guys didn’t stand still and puck-watch in their end own, it was a nice change! All things considered, it would appear to me that the Ottawa Senators may not have had a great game, but I have been watching certain parts of Toronto’s game very closely and what I saw tonight I liked.
Where the Leafs have suffered throughout most of last year and toward the beginning of this young season was in terms of their “indecisiveness… or being unsteady with the puck. It would appear, in many cases, that in their own end they were scared to cough up the puck or make a mistake. I couldn’t really put it to words throughout many blogs, but I can only imagine that it has to do with a confidence issue.
It is no secret that Toronto is heavily scrutinized by their fans and the media alike (in most cases for good reasons), and it would almost seem as though each and every player is constantly trying to avoid the “poor play of the night… star. It’s not exactly something that can be measured or, in this case, defined, but I argue that over the past season or so the Leafs have seemed to be playing on egg shells.
All that being said, I felt that the team seemingly played with a level of cohesiveness and confidence tonight which lacked throughout many contests. As I mentioned previously, there’s something to be said about how Bob Hartley and the Calgary Flames have been playing of late, and many argue that it’s due to the lack of “pressure or expectations…. After so many years of disappointment, could we argue that the same may now be a reality for the Toronto Maple Leafs?
Let’s be honest here; how many people expect the Leafs to make the playoffs or be considered playoff contenders? Not a whole lot. In fact, it would seem that most fans simply accept that their team is likely to miss the playoffs again as they try and avoid being disappointed.
And the media? Well it’s a hell of a lot easier for guys like me (okay maybe not me) to say that this group isn’t likely to make the playoffs again given the odds and their historical conference finishes.
So I ask - do the Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs perhaps share a little more than icing Matt Stajan and Dion Phaneuf at one point in time? Is it likely that this team could in fact emerge as an “underdog… and turn some heads as many seemingly wrote them off before the year even really began?
I don’t mean to go from one extreme to the other either, as I’d like to open this up for discussion if I may. Watching tonight’s game following a victory against the New York Rangers last night where much of the media and I’m sure a lot of their fan base expected the worst, I was pleasantly surprised to see what this team can actually do when they decide to show up.
We were offered some solid hockey from more than the team’s top six. The goaltending wasn’t fantastic but was very much steady. The defensive play showed a remarkable improvement in terms of assignments and being responsible, and what I liked most was the hustle. Guys knowing their roles, and playing to their abilities rather than trying to do too much.
I discussed the importance of guys like David Clarkson needing to step up this year and do “his… thing rather than trying to be “the guy…. Tonight he and his line were very productive on the body, were able to get a good strong cycle going, were defensively responsible, created several chances, and Clarkson would be rewarded for a “David Clarkson… type goal with his butt facing the goalie as he redirected a puck between Robin Lehner’s legs.
What are your thoughts after these two back to back victories? Were they bound to get a win or two? Was tonight’s game perhaps a poor sample due to Ottawa’s play? Or could we not give credit to the Leafs who seemingly controlled the play of the game and out chanced their opponents?