In a season where the Toronto Maple Leafs have had success but maintained an air of unpredictability, the finale of their 10 day sojourn against the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena on Tuesday could be considered a watershed moment.
The Maple Leafs have shown an ability to step up their play against top end competition, with victories over Boston, Anaheim, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Los Angeles, but minimize those accomplishments with puzzlingly inadequate efforts against league lesser lights like Buffalo, the New York Islanders and Florida Panthers.
Another problem has been the Leafs inability to get off to a good start. Toronto allowed two goals in opening twenty minutes in San Jose, fell behind 2-0 in the first in Los Angeles and dug themselves a 3-0 hole before the 10 minute mark in Washington and were unable to recover in two of the three games.
“We weren’t happy with our game (Sunday) from a mental approach, we felt that we definitely have to improve on that.… Leafs head coach Randy Carlyle said at practice on Monday. “Front and center was our start. We cannot afford to spot any team in the league three goals and that is an indication of our (lack of)sharpness.…
The Red Wings are 2-4-1 in their last seven games and are decimated by injuries, with forwards Stephen Weiss, Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Darren Helm, Justin Abdelkader, Todd Bertuzzi and Tomas Jurco all unavailable. Detroit trails the final Eastern Conference wild card spot by three points and Toronto by seven points, but have two games in hand on the Maple Leafs and face Toronto twice before the end of the regular season.
“At this time of year, teams are extremely desperate and we’re no different. We want to get as many points as we possibly can and keep moving up.… Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf said on Monday.
A Toronto win would make the longest road trip of the season a success by earning six of a possible ten points, it would move the Leafs back ahead of idle Tampa Bay into the top three of the Atlantic Division before the two clubs meet on Wednesday and would significantly reduce the odds of the Red Wings catching them with a dozen games left on the schedule.
A loss would reduce the gap between the Wings and Leafs to just five points, would give the Lightning and Canadiens(who play Colorado at the Bell Centre on Tuesday) the advantage in the race for the second and third divisional spots and would entangle Toronto in wild card scramble with the Rangers, Columbus, Washington and Detroit.
Toronto’s top line of Phil Kessel, Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk has been missing in action for most the road trip. After combining for seven points and going +5 in the victory over Anaheim, the line has been shutout for three straight games and is a collective -14 in that span. The only points registered by the trio were assists from van Riemsdyk on short-handed tallies by Jake Gardiner and Mason Raymond.
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Goaltender Jonathan Bernier was diagnosed with a low grade groin strain after having an MRI on Monday, but there was no specific date provided by the club for his return.
“I would say that it is closer to day-to-day than it is week-to-week.… Carlyle said.
TSN's Jonas Siegel reports that Bernier did not take to the ice for the fifth straight day in Detroit on Tuesday, but did participate in an off-the-ice workout.
With James Reimer allowing three goals in 8:44 on Sunday, Carlyle considered going to backup Drew MacIntyre but opted to stick with his 2013 starter for the remainder of the game, which paid off as Reimer kept Toronto within striking distance.
“It’s not any different than any other player, that if you feel that you’re not getting the desired level of play or your team might not be playing that well in front of him, sometimes changing a goalie is a jolt.… Carlyle said.
With a pair of back-to-back games in the next six days, it is unknown whether Reimer will make all four starts or whether MacIntyre, who has seen NHL action with Vancouver(2007-08) and Buffalo(2011-12) during his 10 year professional career and saw action in the KHL, ECHL and AHL in 2013 will get a start.
“(MacIntyre) is a veteran American League guy, he’s played a lot of hockey. He’s played very well down there.… Carlyle said “We’d have no issue believe me, putting MacIntyre in the net.…
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