Leafs Lineup vs. Penguins
The following are the Leafs lines for tonight’s game. Ron Wilson has shuffled the lines quite a bit and has looked to find some chemistry for a shooter to play with John Mitchell. He’s hoping Jason Blake will fill the role while Jamal Mayers can provide some grit on the right side.
“I’m trying different things in practice just as I would in a game,” Wilson said of the changes, “getting guys ready for the potential line shuffling that happens in a game. Some guys’ strengths work with other guys’ weaknesses. I’m not knocking Jamal, but we don’t really have anyone else to put up there. It’s not a reward, it’s an opportunity more than anything else.”
The Penguins have also put Malkin and Staal together to look for the necessary 1-2 punch they had last season and feel Staal is better suited on the 2nd line than on the third.
“It’s self-explanatory, another good player on the wing with Gino,” Bylsma said. “It’s something I’ve done in the past, based on how they’re playing, to make the line look a little different and based on match-ups. I’d anticipate doing that again.”
The Pens are not underestimating the Leafs, despite their lack of statistics in the win column. They believe every game against the Maple Leafs, especially at the ACC, are difficult games to play and tonight will not be an exception. They are going to come out strong.
Leafs Lines:
Hagman – Stajan – Stempniak
Ponikarovsky – Grabovski – Kulemin
Blake – Mitchell – Mayers
Orr – Wallin – Rosehill
Kaberle – Beauchemin
Schenn – Komisarek
White – Finger
Toskala
MacDonald
A reminder to all that Checking From Behind will be hosting another Pre-Game Discussion Tonight at 6:00 to discuss everything around the league, but most importantly Toronto’s game tonight and their plan to not only find their identity, but also to help Toskala find his way to a win.
Micheal A. Aldred
michealaldred@mapleleafshotstove.com
October 11th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
I really feel for the rest of the team right now. They are being shafted.
October 11th, 2009 at 10:07 pm
At least I’m making sense!!
October 11th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
Martin Gerber looked good at times, Just sayin.
October 11th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
Maybe we make the playoffs last year with a healthy goalie.
@ Ron Wilson
Try playing healthy players from now on.
October 11th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
I believe in Toskala for now, I’m just saying JSG would be my backup plan
October 11th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
Thought I was in the NHL today playing shinnie, dropped down to block a shot and it got me right on the top of the knee cap. Havent blocked a shot in about 4 yrs and you know what the pain actually feels kinda nice.
October 11th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
@ Jordan
For now? I guess your belief is conditional. LOL
October 11th, 2009 at 10:43 pm
Well he certainly needs a few more starts. You can make the argument that he just had 6 months off, was injured, ripped up by the media, had 3 major surgerys, only played a few games so far and had his third goalie coach now and only had him for a few months. Or you could say he just sucks lol
October 11th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
You could also argue he is doing something he’s been doing all his life but now forgets how.
Goaltenders in the NHL need to be head strong. Especially playing for the Leafs. Please, someone convince me he is head strong.
October 11th, 2009 at 10:54 pm
Leafs Tank Nation In Boston
http://hfboards.com/showthread.php?t=682241
~
Wow, are they ever having a ball at our expense.
But I guess we would do the same.
Its an interesting read for sure.
October 11th, 2009 at 10:54 pm
I have no idea why the Leafs would start an injured goalie. But, from what I can tell through his interviews, Toskala seems like a very quiet/shy person, so maybe he didn’t tell anybody that he was having hip/groin injuries last season until he realized the Leafs were out of it.
.
As for this year, perhaps he rushed himself back knowing that Gustavsson was brought in as the goalie of the future and was worried that “The Monster” would steal his job sooner than expected?
October 11th, 2009 at 11:07 pm
Toskala hid the injury from the team because he was committed to helping the team win. You’ll remember that he did go on a 14 game streak to close out the season where he didn’t go without collecting at least the overtime point. He was fantastic before he had to shut it down. He just starts seasons slow. That’s why he should just go work on his game with Francois Allaire in the minors. He will be better as the season rolls along and the team defense becomes more sound. I think it was unfair to Toskala to put him through what we have. In hindsight, we should have signed someone like Biron, and then put Gustavsson and McDonald in the minors to start the season, with the winner of that showdown eventually playing with the winner of the Toskala/Biron battle. Then there would have been no controversy. MacDonald should have been signed to a 1 year, 900k, two-way contract too.
October 11th, 2009 at 11:13 pm
There should be a clause in all contracts in which players are obligated to disclose all health issues. Actually I’ll be very surprised to find out there isn’t.
October 11th, 2009 at 11:33 pm
All this talk of Kessel helping us in the shootout…..
He was 1/8 last year.
October 11th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
Marlies are 2 – 1 on the season. Tlusty has 4 points in three games (3 goals and 1 assist).
October 12th, 2009 at 2:39 am
Guys, honestly I was at Vesa’s last game before he went under the knife last year and it was against the devils. The guy stopped over 50 shots in that game and they lost in the 5 minute overtime period. can’t remember if they lost 2-1 or 3-2 but regardless the guy played amazing. Honestly I think going after and signing “the monster” has fucked with his head maybe, nobody likes to see there boss show low confidence in them by hiring a guy to take there spot. Then hiring a goalie coach who’s gonna try and strip what made this guy good and change him into something else because he wants to implement his style of tending when Vesa was decent enough without this guy. I seriously think Vesa would be fine if RW rode him through thick or thin and built his confidence back up again. The problem isn’t goal tending, Vancouver got off to a crap start and Luongo played BRUTAL but he still starts night in night out, same with Marty. Only here in Toronto we ask for a guy’s head and sure enough after a short while we get just that. We drove a calder winning Goalie who holds the record for most wins with the leafs (raycroft) out of town because “we” (fans,media) thought he was crap, the guy lost confidence played poorly after and was gone because of it. Nobody backed him up and said “hey our defense played absolutely brutal and hung him out to dry on alot of those goals” Instead they made Raycroft the escape goat. This guy has 37 wins, more then joseph potvin or belfour and those goalies had much better players infront of them. Raycroft had shit and he got 37 wins. The problem with Toronto isn’t goal tending. The problem is the lack of truly skilled players who are infront of Vesa. Not even Patrick Roy from the 93 cup year could make these guys respectable. The only benefit to bringing up Bozak and Hanson is that they’ll get NHL experience but they won’t get the leaf’s into the playoffs. Kadri, honestly I don’t know why he didn’t get sent to the marlies, putting him back in the OHL is just a waste of time, why send a guy back to a league where he already was dominant. Put him on the marlies, give him a nutrionist and a personal trainer if all he needs is muscle then hire the staff to help him gain the size he needs don’t send him down to play with teenagers again. The defense I believe will wake up eventually, yes its taking to long but really I don’t think burke or wilson thoughy the “D” would be playing like this. That leaves us with our under achieving forwards. In the last 30 years the leaf’s best Draft pick was Wendle Clark. Management has for the most part always been the achilies heel of this franchise and it will continue to do so paying the players we have today what they are. If I perform badly on my job and I’m not worth what I’m getting paid I either take a pay cut or get fired. Guys like Blake need to be dumped, put him on waivers, right now they should be looking at ways to free cap space, if they feel kessel bozak hanson and kadri are the future then dump the remaining large contracts, free up space for the big guns coming to free agency next season and the one after and lets start building our team. I like burke in a sense becuase you can tell he’s passionate about winning and I think the guy truly wants to win where ever he is, what I don’t understand is how he’s saying that he’s gonna build a competitive team and not just try and make a run when it seems like all he wants is to make the playoffs his first full year as a GM here? Build it right and to do that he has to blow it up first. Get on the phone with Atlanta trade Kaberle and stajan for Kovalchuck, Atlanta won’t wanna let this guy just walk without getting nothing in return for him. We can live without Kaberle at the point, stajan is a dime a dozen 3rd line grinder but Kovalchuck is a 50 goal scorer, we make that trade and then try and sign any of the remaining players, frolov, marleau, savard, bourque, and Thornton becomes a UFA not next season but the season after, not to mention RFA’s which are coming due in the next couple years, burke can always do to other GM’s what MacT did to him with Penner. All I’m trying to say is we need proven young talent, we can’t win a cup with who we have on the farm and we can’t do it with the bag of pucks who are playing now. We need to really make some changes and we have to trade guys along with sign free agents. Its not impossible but it will be if we don’t make the room financially for that transition. Even if it meant putting anyone making 3mill or more on waivers, its worth it. I consider myself a true fan and I don’t care if they don’t win a game this season because they decided to scrap who they have and start over again.
October 12th, 2009 at 7:37 am
@Tucker Thomas
I really like what I see in Gustavsson. When he goes down into his butterfly he takes up all of the lower part of the net. He is excellent positionally and his lateral movement is fantastic. I think he can be quite a goalie especially how its only been such a short time that he has worked with allaire and also gustavsson will get the most out of allaire since he specializes in the monster style.