After going 3-2 during their recent five-game home stand, the Toronto Maple Leafs take to the road for three straight, beginning with a contest against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins at Consol Energy Center Wednesday night.
The Leafs earned a 4-1 home victory on October 26 in their previous meeting with the Metropolitan Division leader, as Dave Bolland scored two goals and shut down Crosby, who currently leads the NHL with 31 points, but Toronto’s performance has dramatically declined in the month of November, as they are currently 4-5-1 and face difficult matches tonight in Pittsburgh, in Buffalo on Friday(where they traditionally struggle and lost 3-1 just two weeks ago) and at the Bell Centre in Montreal on Saturday.
"We're going into Pittsburgh and there's no secret who's there, so we've got to be at the top of our game." head coach Randy Carlyle said on Tuesday. "What we're looking for from our group is a response, because the response we had from last night(a pitiful 6-0 loss to Columbus on Monday) has to be positive. That’s all about looking back and saying we are not going to forget what happened last night.…
Not only have inconsistency and defensive problems plagued Randy Carlyle’s club, but the lack of offensive output has reached a point of critical mass where it may necessitate GM Dave Nonis to make a trade before the December 19th NHL holiday roster freeze. The Leafs have only scored 16 goals this month and only 10 of those were at even strength. Leading scorer Phil Kessel and line mate James van Riemsdyk are in the midst of long dry spells, as both have scored just three points in the last 10 games.
Making matters worse, the Leafs is out Joffrey Lupul with a Grade 2 groin strain. Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that the 30-year-old winger will miss the next two weeks. The type of groin strain Lupul suffered is the same grade as LA goaltender Jonathan Quick, who will be out until after Christmas. This is the third injury this season for Lupul, who was out more than a week during the pre-season with back spasms and missed two games in October with a bruised foot.
In the wake of a woeful performance on Monday and due to Lupul’s absence, Carlyle shook up his line combos and defensive pairings on Tuesday, as Mason Raymond moved up to the second line with Nazem Kadri and David Clarkson, Peter Holland centered Jay McClement and Nikolai Kulemin, Mark Fraser was re-teamed with former defensive partner Cody Franson and Jake Gardiner was matched with rookie Morgan Rielly.
Reports from Pittsburgh Wednesday afternoon indicate that Gardiner will be a healthy scratch in favor of veteran Paul Ranger.
Jonathan Bernier, who replaced James Reimer midway through the third period after allowing six goals on 21 shots Monday, will get the start for Toronto, while Marc-Andre Fleury is expected to get his 22nd start of the season for Pittsburgh.
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One aspect of the 12 year, $5.2 Billion deal between the NHL and Rogers/Sportsnet that may affect the Toronto Maple Leafs starting next season is their regular spot as the early game on Saturday night’s Hockey Night In Canada broadcasts.
According to reports yesterday, Rogers national broadcast package will be games on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday nights and have complete editorial and production control of HNIC for the next four years. With the hope of establishing Sunday night window, it is highly possible that Rogers could move some or most Leafs weekend games from Saturday to Sunday nights in order to draw the 1 Million viewers who tune in to HNIC when Toronto is playing.
While it is unlikely that Rogers will move the bulk of Leafs games to Sunday night for fear of messing with tradition and creating fan backlash, the length and amount of the deal with the NHL gives them carte blanche to craft a schedule that maximizes their audience as they see fit.
How do Sunday night games at the ACC strike you???
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