Flames Vs Leafs

It was back to old ways for the Toronto Maple Leafs this week. After a week where the Leafs left with 5 out of a possible 6 points they shut down for this week. This week the Leafs came away with 0 out of 6 points dropping all three of their games. In a week where Shane was talking about how the Leafs could get away with some good points he couldn’t have ended up more wrong in his life! Sorry Shane.

Here are this weeks results for the Toronto Maple Leafs:

• Minnesota Wild def. Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2
• Chicago Blackhawks def. Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2
• Calgary Flames def. Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2

In a game that had Leafs fans thinking it would be an easy win, we were all proven wrong. We were walked all over by the Wild. The scoring opened with Havlat of the Minnesota Wild getting a power play goal past Jonas Gustavsson. The Leafs answered quickly though with Ponikarovsky getting it back. The second period belonged to Minnesota. They scored 3 goals comnig from Zidlicky, Koivu and Zanon. After the second was done the score was 4-1 Minnesota. Something Leafs fans were displeased to hear. In the third Kessel cut the lead to two when he scored. Minnesota would add another one from there as they would take this game 5-2.

The next game was up against the Chicago Blackhawks. In a game that no one expected the Leafs to win(except Shane) that is exactly what happened. The Blackhawks tool command right away. They scored 2 in the first comnig from Kane and Keith. Then the Hawks added another quick one with Brouwer scoring. The Leafs were not about to give up though. Nearing the end of the second Phil Kessel netted one cutting it to 3-1. Then he added his second of the night and made it 3-2. That’s as close as we would come though as the Leafs dropped their second straight game.

Last game of the week was against the Calgary Flames. This was a game where Leafs fans could be expecting a win and a loss at the same time. On one hand the Flames hadn’t beaten the Leafs since 1994. On the other hand the Flames were a big team in the NHL this season. They looked strong and they were rising up the standings with force. Could the Leafs pick up the win? Not a chance. Less than 2 minutes into the hockey game and the Calgary Flames were already up by 2 goals(Iginla, Nystrom). The Leafs answered cutting it to 2-1(goal from Beauchemin), but what the Leafs could do the Flames did better and they took the 2 goal lead back after Boyd scored. In the second period Leafs cut it back to one with Matt Stajan scoring. In the third the Flames just took it away. Iginla and Bouwmeester scored one each to make it 5-2. The third period however was all Kiprusoff. The man looked strong all game long and when it counted he raised his level even higher so the Flames could keep the lead and finally win in Toronto. And that was the Leafs week for you.

Let’s take a look at the Maple Leafs next week opponents:

• Ottawa Senators (currently 11th in Eastern Confrence)
• Carolina Hurricanes (currently 15th in Eastern Confrence)
• Washington Capitals (currently 2nd in the Eastern Confrence)

The Senators game could go any way. They aren’t the best team in the NHL this season, but then again they are still better than the Leafs. After a week of only losing games for the Leafs look to see some passion from the Leafs in this one especially with Ottawa being a huge rival for Toronto. Another thing to watch out for is Phil Kessel. In 6 games for the Leafs he has managed to put up 7 points(4 G, 3 A). That is great play and I believe if he keeps it up the Leafs should have reasons to be pleased.

The game against the Hurricanes can be expected to be a win. The Leafs have already met the Hurricanes in the regular season and they came away with a win there. It was a battle of the two worst teams where the Leafs came out winning and climbing above the Hurricanes and pushing them back to last place. Today they are still in the very same spot with only one more point than they had before. The Leafs are up 3 points on the Hurricanes so even if they lose they are not the worst team just yet. The Hurricanes will be playing at home where they got their only two wins of the season, but the road is where the Leafs have gotten two of their three wins. I think this one should go to the Maple Leafs again and the losing streak for the Leafs wil finally be over.

Last, but not least the Washington Capitals. When I say not least I certainly mean it. The Washington Capitals and New Jersey Devils are currently tied for 1st place in the Eastern Confrence and the last time these two met the Capitals didn’t exactly have a tough game in front of them. The Capitals won that game 6-4 taking a commanding lead at first and then watching the Leafs desperately try to get back in it. The Leafs got some goals back, but the lead the Capitals established was too much. Expect the same thing again this time, except hopefully with less goals for the Capitals.

Here are some things the Leafs will need to win the games:

• Whether it’s Vesa or Jonas we need strong goaltending from our goalies. Calgary fed on our goalies last night and other teams have done that before. This time we need them to be in top form.
• Great defense is also needed to back up the goalies in case an error is made by the goalie.
• If Kessel continues his strong play we should have a good chance of winning games. Kessel is looking like he could be a guy that the other teams should actually be afraid of. He is putting up great numbers that oposing teams need to be careful for.
• The rest if the offense has to contribute too for the team to win.
•  Keep up big physical play. Make teams fear the fact that if they are going to play you they are going to get hurt.

Leafs fans don’t panic yet, not all hope is lost. The schedule is going easy on us for now. We in the next two weeks half the teams we are facing are currently out of the playoffs. And two out of the three that are in the playoffs are sitting at 7th and 8th place. So if all goes wins can be picked up. Slumps can be broken. Hope can indeed be restored. Well I’m out Leafs fans remember to keep on cheering, even if you don’t have much to cheer for. Go Leafs go!

But in the NHL, that’s a whole different story. He looks undersized, unwilling to work and overmatched by bigger players. His speed is absent and he often tries to do too much with the puck with little effect.

Basically he is unable to do what his god given talents were made to do.

Score goals.

He showed a little promise playing on a line with the great Mats Sundin, but then quickly showed the traits I just spoke of.

But as I said before, I have a theory that could be crazy enough to work.

So far this season playing in the AHL, he is third in scoring on the Toronto Marlies with 6 goals and 4 assists equalling 10 points in 10 games. I assume that you readers out there can tell that equals a point a game pace.

So far this season in the NHL, he is sporting zero goals and zero points in two games with a stunning minus -2. Not really much to brag about. But let’s look a little closer at the stats.

During both games, Tlusty had played 13:58 and 10:28 respectively. Both games he was on the third line rather with struggling players or grinders who can’t score.

Now let’s think about this.

How can a potential elite level sniper score when he is on a line with players who are unable to produce?

Sure you can make the argument that if he was an elite level player that he would create plays for the struggling line mates, but you could also make the argument that teams didn’t have to concentrate on the other players on his line so they targeted him making sure he didn’t get a chance to score.

Either way, he didn’t produce or from what I remember, show much in the first place.

But I have an idea that could finally show if Jiri Tlusty is an NHL calibre sniper, or just a career AHLer that will eventually find his way back to the old country.

I know it probably seems like it is really obvious, but at least hear me out.

Instead of just calling him up for a few games and putting him on the third line hoping he can prove himself, I say we play him with Phil Kessel and see what he can do.

Now there is a theory behind my blatant madness.

Every time in Jiri Tlusty’s NHL career that he was in the NHL, one of two things happened. One would be he would be designated to a third line roll where he obviously does not belong and where he is not comfortable, or he would play on the first line with Mats Sundin.

But here is something that I am sure people might not have thought of. While playing on a line with Mats Sundin, Jiri Tlusty was always expected to be the sniper because the third player on that line was usually a third liner. So defences would cover the playmaker (Mats Sundin,) and the sniper (Jiri Tlusty,) leaving the third liner (whether it be the slumping Kyle Wellwood or the always reliable Alex Steen) knowing that they would probably not score.

Plus sometimes it just happens this way, some players have a hard time being great players unless they are around other at least skilled players.

Take David Krejci of Boston for example. His first year in the AHL (2006-2007), he scored 74 points in 69 games, a great year for any player. But for the Bruins that season, he got zero points in six games.

The next season (2007-2008), Krejci made the Bruins, but was only given third line duty and very rarely power play time and he only achieved 27 points in 56 games while having a minus-3, not very spectacular.

In the AHL, he was once again receiving top line duty with the best players on the team and got 28 points in 25 games while also being a plus-14. Great numbers for the AHL obviously.

Then came the 2008-2009 season. The Boston Bruins made a couple of moves by obtaining Blake Wheeler and Michael Ryder. They also put Chuck Kobasew, a previously two time twenty goal scorer on the line with Krejci.

Last season, David Krejci exploded, scoring 22 goals and getting 73 points in 82 games while achieving a league leading plus/minus of plus-37.

Other examples of this include Martin St. Louis, Mikael Samuelsson, Brooks Laich, Loui Eriksson, and even one of the best playmakers in the league Marc Savard had a slow start to their career, but all became exceptional players by playing around good players themselves.

If you put Jiri Tlusty on the same line as Phil Kessel, people are forced to try and stop Phil Kessel’s scoring ability, giving Jiri Tlusty the space to finally score some goals and regain the confidence he lost so early in his NHL career.

At worst if it doesn’t happen after a couple games, send him back down to the AHL. At least you will know what you have in him and at least you know that he will never be that elite scorer that Leafs fans have long hoped him to be.

Click here to view the embedded video.

So what was the cause for this recent turn around?

I will admit that some of the cause for the turnaround is the additions of Phil Kessel and Jonas Gustavsson back into the line-up. But there are other reasons as well.

One of the biggest reasons for the team’s turnaround in my opinion is the better play coming from the special teams. From this time two weeks ago, the Power Play has gotten better, rising from 16^th two weeks ago to leading the league as of today with a 26.6 success rate.

The biggest change that has happened that has made this team successful is the dramatic improvement of the Penalty Kill.

Two weeks ago it was dead last in the league with a 56.3 success rate, over 11 percent below the Florida Panthers for 29^th place. Two weeks later, the Leafs are still in last place but have increased to a much more respectable 73.0 percent. Only one percent away from the 29^th place Anaheim.

One thing that has turned around both sides of Special Teams is the additions of Phil Kessel and Jonas Gustavsson as mentioned before.

Phil Kessel has not only gotten three points in his first two games, but has also meshed well with two formerly struggling Maple Leafs in Jason Blake and John Mitchell to form a respectable first line.

Although it is early, Jonas Gustavsson has given the Maple Leafs something that they have not had since the early days of Eddie Belfour, a starting goaltender.

For the longest time, the goaltending position has been a place of mediocrity and inconsistency. Somewhere where big plays rarely happened and soft goals were a normality. But if Gustavsson can keep up his good play, we can finally have a chance to steal a game from the opposing team on any given night.

But under all the limelight of Gustavsson and Kessel, another players great play has gone a little unnoticed. Tomas Kaberle in the past couple weeks has been a force in the back end, playing very positional hockey and making amazing first passes that I have not seen from him since before Cam Janssen knocked him out early last year.

But what is the most astounding part of Kaberle’s turnaround is not the great passes or defensive play, but the fact that he is now shooting on the power play. Since the Leafs started there 7 game point streak, Kaberle has scored 2 goals and collected a total of 14 points. That is an average of two points a game which has put him in the lead for points among defensemen in the NHL and has him leading the team in points by five over second place Mikael Grabovski.

But overall, with these three contributions, the Maple Leafs have rallied and are starting to become a respectable team and a team that resembles what Brian Burke was talking about over the summer.

One thing that I can say is that as of now, we are only 6 points out of a playoff spot. If we can keep fighting and playing like we are, then we can easily make that ground up.

Toronto Maple Leafs Power Rankings for the month of October

Top 3

1. Tomas Kaberle

Kaberle is putting up great numbers for the Maple Leafs. He is leading the team in points and that is incredible because he is a defenseman. He has been a great help to the Leafs and despite any trade talk that may surround him he is still a Maple Leaf. Let’s just see how long he’ll stay one. For now though, he is No. 1.

2. Niklas Hagman

Niklas Hagman is putting up great numbers as well. He is tied with Alexei Ponikarovsk for the team’s most goals and is a true offensive threat to look out for. He will definately be a producer for games to come and is one of our biggest offensive threats on the team.

3. Jonas Gustavsson

Despite the fact that the Leafs haven’t won much this season Jonas has stood tall through all of that. He has all of the Leafs 3 wins under his name and is doing a great job of establishing himself as the top Toronto Maple Leafs goalie. He has a .918 Save percentage and a GAA of 2.60. Those are the best on the team.

Worst 3

1. Vesa Toskala

Ever since Gustavsson has arrived in Toronto Toskala has just disappeared. He has had 5 stars and lost in all of them. He is trying to stay the No. 1 goalie in Toronto, but is doing a very bad job of it. He’s got an .836 save percentage, which is a Leafs worst and a 5.13 GAA. 5.13? We don’t need him giving up that many goals in one game. Just trade him already.

2. Mike Komisarek

In 15 games as a Toronto Maple Leafs Mike Komisarek hasn’t even put one point on the score sheet. No assists, no goals, just penalty minutes. Komisarek has spent 31 minutes in the box which is second only to Colton Orr, but at least has put a point on the board. This FA signing is turning out to be a bad one.

3. Garnet Exelby

In 9 games he hasn’t put up a point either. He isn’t sitting in the box as much as Mike or Orr, but he’s got his fare share with 13. Exelby’s +/- is -5 which is tied for 4th lowest on the team. Things are not looking good for this defenseman at all.

Well that’s it for this month. Remember to come back on December 1st when the new edition will be out.

Gustavsson makes the monster save on Red Wings, Leafs win 5-1

Let the bounce back begin. This week the Leafs did exceptionally well picking up 5 out of a possible 6 points. They picked up two wins and one overtime loss and finally climbed out of that last place in the Eastern Confrence. This week looked like the turn around week for the Leafs. They really showed what this team could do. You had great goaltending, you had an awesome offense, the defense was in it too, Kessel was debuting in Toronto, and on. Is this a miracle week or is it a sign of things to come for the Toronto Maple Leafs? Only time will tell, but let’s take a look at what went down last week when the Maple Leafs found themselves.

Maple Leafs results:

• Tamp Bay Lightning def. Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 (OT)
• Toronto Maple Leafs def. Carolina Hurricanes 3-2
• Toronto Maple Leafs def. Detroit Red Wings 5-1

Let’s take a look at the first game. It was a beautiful game for Leafs fans. It was time for the Phil Kessel era to start in Toronto. That’s right Kessel was finally here. Although Kessel has been hyped up as our saving grace and what not, it did not show in the game. However the Leafs still managed to put on a strong effort. The two teams went scoreless through one. In the second period Tampa Bay broke the deadlock when Lecavalier scored. In the third period Leafs answered when Ian White scored to tie the game at 1 a piece. So they went to overtime yet again and once more Leafs lost in OT when Ryan Malone scored and won it for Tampa. Once again Toronto had lost, but it was one step closer to getting out of last place. The Hurricanes and Leafs were tied with seven points for last place. The amazing thing is the Leafs next game was against the Hurricanes! Weird, but awesome.

So Friday was the big day. A chance to get out of last place. It was time to prove something to themselves. It started out badly for the Toronto Maple Leafs. In the first period Toronto gave up two goals at the hands of the Hurricanes. One from Sergei Samsonov and one from Sutter. The Leafs hopes of getting out of last place looked bad, but then came the rest of the game! In the second period the Leafs responded with two goals of their own. One from Mitchell and one from Kulemin. Just like that it was a whole new hockey game! In the third period the Leafs prayers were answered. Jason Blake scored a goal from Toronto making the game 3-2 for the Maple Leafs and that is exactly how it would end. When it came to the last spot, the Leafs were out, the Canes were in!

Next up for the Leafs were the Detroit Red Wings. It was a test for the Leafs. The Red Wings are still a top team besides a slow start this year. If the Leafs could beat them they would know they are capable of great things. It was Hall of Fame night in Toronto so there was something to take inspiration off of. Well, let’s put it like this, the Red Wings had no chance. Leafs scored three goals before the Red Wings could answer. One from Primeau, one from Finger, and one from Phil Kessel. In the third the Wings got one on the board when Cleary scored. The Leafs gave two back when Mitchell and Ponikarovsky. The Leafs got the big win and a definate confidence builder.

Let’s take a look at next week’s opponents for the Maple Leafs:

• Minnesota Wild (Currently 15th in Western Confrence)
• Chicago Blackhawks (Currently 9th in Western Confrence)
• Calgary Flames (Currently 5th in Western Cofrence)

Two out of the three opponents are sitting outside the playoffs. However two of the three teams are consdiered quality teams. It will be a tough week for the Maple Leafs, but let’s hope our winning streak can continue. The Wild should be an easy win, but the Flames and Blackhawks are no joke. The Flames are a team built for success and with a great coach it will be a tough game. The Hawks are no easier. Great players, good coach, tough game.

Here are some things that the Leafs will need to win the games:

• Gustavsson has performed well so far, we need this play to continue.
• Phil Kessel needs to step up and show us why he was brought in.
• The Leafs need to put big bodies in front of the other teams goalie.
• A good defense would be a good help to Jonas.
• Offense needs to continue to contribute and not be afraid to use that hitting power.
• The Leafs need to have that strong first period or else the other team will overwelm them.

So Leafs fans can finally be somewhat happy. They are starting to play better and are hoping to turn around the season, if possible. It’s a re-building team so no one really expects a playoff birth from them, but don’t be surprised if they pull it off and crack the 8th spot. Things are good for the blue and white and we need to support them with this. So Leafs fans, buy those tickets and cheer your asses off or grab that popcorn and sit down at home and cheer your asses off ther. Remember to never lose hope in your team! Oh and go Leafs go!

Vesa Toskala

This would have been out earlier, but because of the Fatak Error it wasn’t so it’s here now.

Here are the results from the week:

• Toronto Maple Leafs def. Anaheim Ducks 6-3
• Dallas Stars def. Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 (OT)
• Buffalo Sabres def. Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 (OT)
• Montreal Canadiens def. Toronto Maple Leafs 5-4 (OT)

A thing to keep in mind is that they earned points in all of those games. No you are not reading the first result wrong the Leafs did indeed win. They beat Anaheim? Isn’t that interesting? They beat Brian Burke’s former team. I’m thinking they won this because Burke knows how that team works and functions so they were one step up on them and that allowed the Maple Leafs to pick up the win!

In another very promising game, the Maple Leafs were leading 3-2, late in the third period. Sadly they did not hold on to the lead and they let the Stars come back scoring two goals, one in the third and one in OT to take the game 4-3. Their overtime troubles would continue as they would drop two more games in overtime, one with the result of 3-2 to the Sabres and the other 5-4 to the Canadiens. On the plus side they picked up 5 out of a possible 8 points. For the Leafs that is a very good thing.

The Leafs are certainly starting to pick up when it comes to their play. They are taking teams right to the edge battling it out, they lose the battles, but they don’t give up. They are actually making teams bring what they got to the table. While the Leafs may still be the worst team in the NHL when it comes to points(actually tied with Carolina for worst) they are going in the right direction.

Let’s take a look at some of the upcoming games for the Maple Leafs:

• Tampa Bay Lightning (already played result was 2-1 Tampa Bay wins in OT)
• Carolina Hurricanes (a chance to get out of last place for Toronto)
• Detroit Red Wings (a huge test for the Maple Leafs)

As I mentioned above the game with Tampa Bay was already played. It was a very important game because it was the debut of our new superstar, Phil Kessel. That is definately a top 6 forward if you ask me and he is definately a great addition to the Maple Leafs when you look for an offensive threat. He’s fast, he can score, he can be a game changer. Is he gonna be our saving grace? Probably not, but he is a great start. In his debut the Leafs lost the game 2-1, once again going to OT. In this game Kessel took a huge hit from the Tampa Bay defense. He left the game for a bit, but would return with his lip cut.

Now next on the dock for the Leafs are the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canes are a struggling team this year. They have gotten off to a bad start and look to keep going that way. A thing that will be a big factor in this game is that Eric Staal has an upper body injury. This puts an ease on the Leafs defense. It let’s the relax a bit more that a big forward like that will not be a part of their troubles for the night. This game is definately a game they can win so maybe we will pick up our second win of the season and climb out of the dreaded 15th spot.

Last game of the next week is a game vs the Detroit Red Wings. Last year’s western confrence champions are going to be a big challenge for the Maple Leafs. Is it possible to escape this game with a win? Yes it is. If anyone remember last years season opener against the Red Wings, we did just that. We spoiled the party for Detroit. Are we capable of doing that again? We are, but we have to really work for it. Detroit is no joke, they never are. If we could get done with them then I feel pretty confident in our team. For now anyways.

So Leafs fans keep tuning in for some action, even if we are going to drop most of the games, keep your chins up. Remember last place means a good draft pick and hopefully we’ll get a top of the line rookie. Keep cheering Leafs nation and keep believing. Go Leafs go!

Leafs/Nucks

 After a week of rest Toronto went back into action on Saturday when they geared up to face the Vancouver Canucks. Now Vancouver isn’t exactly playing at top form this season. Despite that it’s only the start they went into this game with only 7 points and sitting low in the standings.

Leafs fans were wondering could this be our first win? The thing is it could have, but it wasn’t. The Canucks came into the game with 7 points and left with 9 after beating the Leafs 3-1. This marks the beginnning of a 5 game road trip for Toronto and this wasn’t a great start.

The Vancouver Canucks got off to an early lead on Toronto getting two PPG. One came from Ryan Kesler and another from Mason Raymond. This was not good! Toronto would answer in the second getting a goal on the PP as well from Hagman. Despite that the Leafs gave a solid effort Vancouver would win the game with Mason Raymond adding an empty net goal. It was done.

The thing that was interesting here is the starting goalie for Toronto wasn’t Toskala or Gustavsson. It was Joey MacDonald who started for Toronto. And let me just say he did a good job, despite a losing effort from Toronto. Does this mean he is the better of the 3? Probably not, but he unlike the others he impressed.

To see if this kid is for real I suggest Toronto gives him a few more starts to prove himself. If he shows that he does have that playing ability you can move either Vesa or Jonas for a top 6 forward. Hopefully someone will be stupid enough to take Vesa. Not that he isn’t good, which he is it’s just with the other two goalies on the team he is worried about his starting job too much and it makes him suck.

Move him to a place with no legit good goalie and he’ll be fine. And get a guy that can score around 30 goals a year and it’s a win/win for everyone. Well now that this is out of the way let’s look at some of the upcoming opponents for the Maple Leafs:

• Anaheim Ducks (currently 13th in Western Confrence)
• Dallas Stars (currently 5th in Western Confrence)
• Buffalo Sabres (currently 3rd in Eastern Confrence)
• Montreal Canadiens (currently 9th in Eastern Confrence)
• Tampa Bay Lightning (currently 11th in Eastern Confrence)

Now while all of those teams are better than the Leafs with the Leafs being last in the NHL, I think Toronto has a legitament chance of beating at least one of those. 3 out of those 5 teams are not currently in playoff position. You have teams that are in 13th, 11th, etc. That can be an easy win if played right.

The only issue now is play right! Here are five things the Leafs absolutely must have to win that game:

• 1. Good goaltending, no matter who is in net!
• 2. A strong offense that can put the puck into the net when needed.
• 3. A good PK is always helpful when it comes to winning games, especially when you look at the Vancouver game.
• 4. Strong defense can be of great importance and will be key to Toronto finally winning a game.
• 5. Aggresiveness will help. Show that intensity that can help you win games, but don’t cross the line or I see a penalty box in your future.

If those five steps are followed(which they probably won’t be) the Leafs may be able to steal one. Even having two of those in play will help a lot. For example if you have a strong offense and good goaltending it will go a long way to getting them the win.

So Leafs fans, don’t break your Tomas Kaberle action figures yet. And remember to not rip that personally singed Vesa Toskala hockey card. If you feel really mad, sell it on ebay. I’m sure someone will give you a decent amount for it. Or maybe not considering we suck. Anyways just keep your hopes up, because even if we don’t exactly play well this year we are still rebuilding. Plus last place means a first pick from Toronto(well doesn’t guarantee it, but it gives you the best odds) in the draft.

Well I’m out guys all I have to say for now is this, go Leafs go!

But now there is no beating around the bush, the Maple Leafs are currently the worst team in the league. The offense has no chemistry, the defense is in shambles, and the goaltending is nowhere to be found.

Ron Wilson has pulled everything out of his bag of tricks to try and light a fire under this team. He has worked them to the bone, called players out, had team meetings and before facing the New York Rangers, even had a fun scrimmage which even included a hockey version of Dodge ball.

But everybody knows the conclusion to that game. The Maple Leafs lost; handily I might add 4-1. Not only did the team continue to play a very boring style of play, they also continued to take some very foolish penalties that handicapped them from mounting any chance of a comeback.

Luke Schenn once again proved the term “sophomore slump” to be very true, being made to look foolish by Enver Lisin of New York.

Not to be outdone though is the very sloppy play coming from Francois Beauchemin. Not only does Beauchemin look very unconfident on the ice, but he also looks uncomfortable playing on a pairing with Schenn.

Sadly though, this is not the worst part of the team. You can mention offense, you can mention team chemistry, you can basically mention almost every aspect of this team and there will be a problem with it. But the biggest issue facing the Maple Leafs is there goaltending.

Vesa Toskala looks absolutely god awful in net. Jonas Gustavsson has barely been on the ice and Joey MacDonald is a career backup being thrusted into a starting role.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are dead last in goals, sporting 4.57 goals allowed per game. This beats the Florida Panthers for last place by a whopping .9 goals per game.

Not even the Pittsburgh Penguins can win with that type of goaltending.

So what do the Maple Leafs do now?

They have a week off. There next game is on Saturday when they go to take on the Vancouver Canucks, starting their five game western road trip.

The first thing they need to do is get a goaltender to play at least decently. Jonas Gustavsson is apparently practising now and is probable for Saturday’s game. Vesa Toskala has a possibility of being out for a considerable amount of time with a groin injury once again which means that we should be seeing much more of Joey McDonald in a Maple Leafs uniform.

The second thing that needs to be worked on is special teams. The penalty killing is an embarrassing 60.7% and the power play is a mediocre 20.8%. In order for the Maple Leafs to do well, they need to not only kill penalties better, but do a better job of staying out of the penalty box as well.

I mean the whole goal for the Maple Leafs was to get tougher in the off-season, but if you are going to be tougher, you have to have a penalty kill to back it up, which the Maple leafs do not have. So when they face Vancouver, they have to try and get fewer penalties to have a chance to win, instead of trying to start a fight with everybody.

Finally, the Maple Leafs need to get some proper defensive pairings in order to keep pucks from getting to the net. As stated before, Luke Schenn and Francois Beauchemin are just not clicking. Luke Schenn needs a new partner to help complement his play and allow him to get back to the level he was playing at last season.

As for Beauchemin, he looks scared and unconfident on the ice. He needs to sit out a game and see what the team is doing in order to improve his play.

Not to excuse the play of other players like Kaberle or Komisarek, who have both made an equal amount of mistakes on the ice.

If Ron Wilson is smart, he should shake things up and make new pairings for the defense. I mean, it is not like things are going to get a whole lot worse.

But most importantly than anything else listed in this article, this team needs heart. There is absolutely no leader on this team to direct the players in the right direction. On every team, there has to be that guy that makes his voice heard and challenges the players on that bench. On this team that is missing.

So to answer a question, what will it take to get this team back on track?

The answer all boils down to heart, and right now on this team, there is none to be found.

So the real question is, where will it come from?

Upset Fan

Hey it’s Svyato one of your co-writers for the Maple Leafs. Since the last time I wrote the Leafs were 0-2-1.  Now it’s still the same thing. The Leafs are yet without a win and still only have one point this season.

They currently sit last in the Eastern Confrence and NHL with only 1 point. They have dropped every game to this point and they have Leafs fan turning on them one by one. The attendance has dropped. For the team that has the highest ticket price in the NHL they do not live up to it. Their quality of play is terrible and they have shown that despite the talent you may have you can still suck as hell.

Here is a list of their results so far…

• Montreal Canadiens b. Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3(OT)
• Washington Capitals b. Toronto Maple Leafs 6-4
• Ottawa Senators b. Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1
• Pittsburgh Penguins b. Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2
• New York Rangers b. Toronto Maple Leafs 7-2
• Colorado Avalanche b. Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1
• New York Rangers b. Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1

So yes we are still winless and it is very sad. Let’s continue the break down of what the Maple Leafs have done wrong. Sadly looks like everything. The goaltending is crap. The offense ain’t working. And the defense is less than stellar.

The Pittsburgh offense came in and walked right over Toronto when they arrived. They came in scored and left. Something the Leafs need to learn to do. Their offense is looking horrid. Their defense sleeps during games. The goalies give it their all, but it’s not enough.

The next losing game came at the hands of the Eastern Confrence leaders, the New York Rangers. They came in and destroyed them 7-1. Scores tha happen in video games happened in real life that night.

Next was the current Western Confrence leaders, the Colorado Avalanche. Now unlike the Leafs the Avalanche are shocking us all by performing in levels we thought we would never see. This was also Darcy Tucker’s return to Toronto. Tucker performed great in his return sadly the Leafs didn’t.  They lost 4-1 and stayed winless.

In the most recent game on Saturday the Leafs once again faced off with the NHL’s Eastern Confrence leaders, the New York Rangers. They say history repeats itself. Well this was the case with this game as the Rangers came in winning again. Except this time with a smaller score yet still pretty dominant, 4-1. Did you notice that’s back to back 4-1 loses?

Now in the preseason the Leafs were doing great. They had a pretty impressive record of 6-3. Even had one shutout against Philidelphia Flyers. It was a good preseason, sadly they didn’t carry it into the regular season.

Here are some problems with the Maple Leafs that I see…

• Komisarek is doing nothing, but sitting in the box. He is playing weak and has no chemistry with his line mate.
• Neither of the goalies are playing like true NHL goalies
• Vesa Toskala is shaky as ever. He is worrying about the status of him as the starter and his status of staying with the team. This is all resulting in bad play.
• On the other hand Jonas is doing anything to make himself look like a pro either. He has had problems in the NHL it is easily noted. He has not yet established himself and really needs to do so if he wants the starting job.
• No big offensive contributions from the team have really been given.
• The defense looks like it takes naps during games. Now not all the players on the defensive line are playing badly, but the majority is making the Leafs, their goalie, and themselves look bad.

So I suggest the Leafs smarten up and get the winning drive they need because so far they have disgusted me and their fans. Ron Wilson has to get control of his team and try and mold them into a playoff team. Now it may take some time, but we are running out of it. It might only be the start of the season, but Leafs fans are already having mental break downs when it comes to hockey.

So with that being said good bye and keep watching as your teams demolish us!

As I sat in front of my television watching Ian White stop more pucks than Vesa Toskala, I had a thought. The thought was how could a team that supposedly got better over the off-season be having such a bad start to this season?

I mean we did get tougher in getting players like Colton Orr and Mike Komisarek. We also got better offensively by signing college rookies Tyler Bozak and Christian Hanson while also trading for Phil Kessel (who must be petrified after watching this season unfold so far.)

So what is the issue than?

Well one of the biggest problems that the Leafs are facing is confidence issues.

The first game the Leafs played against Montreal was a great game even though they lost. They were all over Montreal and were fore-checking like crazy.

Then Alex Ovechkin came to town. He and Alexander Semin made Toronto’s defense look foolish and collectively the Washington Capitals destroyed Toronto 6-4. Since then, the Maple Leafs have looked slow, scared and ultimately a team in shambles.

This, combined with the fact that this newly assembled Leafs team was trying to find chemistry in the first place means that they are in a lot of trouble.

The final thing that is keeping this team from excelling is there lack of leadership. Nobody is stepping up to show this team the right direction.

I mean this team hasn’t even had a captain since Mats Sundin in the 2007-2008 season.

Some players do have the potential to wear the C. Players like Matt Stajan, Mike Komisarek and Alexei Ponikarovsky all show the tools, but don’t show the consistency to be a leader on the ice.

But to be honest, there are too many problems to be solved by that one act alone. The defense needs to be tightened up, the goaltending needs to show up once in a while, scorers need to come out of the crowd, and the coaching staff needs to do their jobs and get these guys playing tough, disciplined hockey.

But as of right now, changes need to be made soon, because whatever the Leafs are doing now is certainly not working and if it keeps up, people like Jason Blake, Vesa Toskala, and even the great Ron Wilson will be having to look for new jobs very soon.