Game In 10 – Game 82
I guess you could call this game a step towards the future. No bigger stage than battling the arch rivals on Hockey Night in Canada on CBC. The game itself wasn’t something we’ll be very proud of but the play of our youngsters made me smile.
1 – The Leafs end the season with a 37-34-11 record and this (85) is the highest number of points the Leafs collected since the 2006-2007 NHL season. Us being among the youngest teams in the league I’d call that progress.
2 – Mike Brown fought Ryan White fight early in the first. Brown ended up throwing punches like a windmill on speed and got a really good left in, a punch which rattled White and therefore got the decision.
3 – I guess Phil Kessel really wanted Joe Colborne to get his first assist tonight, driving through the neutral zone and finishing one five hole on Carey Price. 32 on the year for the Thrill – I’m thrilled about his performance after the all star break, he truly was the game breaker we needed. 6 points in his last 5 games and a 10 game point scoring streak. He was flying tonight, huge jump in his step.
4 – Matt Frattin has a good nose for the net and is willing to go to the dirty areas to score. He was buzzing from the get go and created something every time he hit the ice showing good speed in the process. Joe Colborne looked really good playing with Kessel and Lupul, what stood out about him was his hockey sense, vision and the simplicity of his plays. He also used his body to protect the puck well.
5 – Nothing new here but something has to be done about our special teams. Wilson isn’t going anywhere and while I’m still undecided on that being a good or bad thing (I’m slightly leaning towards good) I certainly think coaching staff changes are in order. Being this bad for this long in a very important aspect of winning hockey games is inexcusable.
6 – I really liked what the Kadri, Bozak, Frattin line brought to the table. Lots of energy, tenaciousness, good speed and skill for the KFB line tonight. I think I’m not jumping the gun here when I say this is a good bet for one of our lines in the future. By this I’m not necessarily thinking next year but it could happen.
7 – When not running/skating into the refs Dion Phaneuf played a solid game tonight. (minus that bounce at the end which created a SH breakaway for the Habs). The zebras probably deserved it for the lack of adequate performance tonight. Even the video review guys might have dropped the ball.
8 – James Reimer let in a somewhat soft goal (it was tipped) at the start of the hockey game but he made some stellar saves to make up for it. Frustrating Cammalleri on the breakaway on multiple occasions and keeping the game close.
9 – Matt Lashoff didn’t have the best of games tonight, but look on the bright side, he’s probably better than Lebda. I didn’t like how I had to say probably there. Also, CBC needs to get new color guys. Seriously, I don’t know how any Leafs fan out there could not be frustrated with the commentating tonight.
10 – A sad day for every Leafs fan, and I’m not talking about the loss to the Habs. The season is over and just the thought of another Leafs game being so far away makes me feel bad. I guess the upcoming couple of months will prove to be exciting for us, so that is a thing to look forward to. I’m really excited for the future of this team, it’s been a good year. Remember guys and girls, always and forever – GO LEAFS GO!
