image via maple leafs.com
The Maple Leafs look to extend their two game winning streak Tuesday night as they entertain the New Jersey Devils sans Martin Brodeur. Rookie Jeremy Williams looks to continue a streak of his own having scored in each of his first two appearances this season.
The Maple Leafs are by no means facing a wounded animal, however. After their future Hall of Fame goaltender fell to injury on November 1st, the Devils turned to Kevin Weekes as their replacement starter and dropped five of their next six contests. But the Devils have since learned how to succeed without Brodeur, winning nine of their last eleven with former Marlie Scott Clemmensen manning the posts. At least so far, Clemmensen has succeeded in filling the sizable void left by Brodeur’s absence, posting an 8-3-0 record with a .919 save percentage and a 2.43 goals against average. The Devils now sit in the East’s seventh seed with a 16-9-2 record.
Vesa Toskala has also been hot as of late, posting a 1.50 GAA and a .943 SV% in his team’s two consecutive victories. Toskala will look to continue that form against a team that hasn’t been overly kind to him in the past. The Finn is 1-3 with a 3.5 goals against average in four career starts against New Jersey.
The Leafs are looking to return to the .500 mark but must post their first three game winning streak of the season in order to do so. They face a much less predictable Devils team than what most hockey observers have become accustomed to. Historically a defense-first team known for flawlessly executing the soporific neutral zone trap, new head coach Brent Sutter has succeeded establishing balance in his team’s game. Sutter’s squad sits ninth in both the goals-for-per-game and goals-against-per-game categories. In their last ten games, the Devils have scored at a rate of 4.2 goals per game; a stretch that has included offensive upsurges of the six, seven and eight goal varieties.
The Leafs must be vigilant of Devils’ dangerous trio of Brian Gionta, Patrick Elias and Zach Parise. The threesome has recorded 13 points collectively in their last two outings. It should also be kept in mind that the Devils’ 16-9-2 record is in fact better than face value as the Devils have to compete in a division that includes the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers. The Devils’ 34 points are only good enough for fourth-place in the Atlantic division.
The Devils are coming off of their first loss in the month of December after falling 4-2 to Buffalo Saturday evening.
The Leafs have won two straight, against the NY Islanders (4-2) and Buffalo Sabres (2-1), on the back of much improved defensive play. Their penalty kill, once the league’s worst, has succeeded in 24 of the Leafs’ last 26 short-handed situations.
Jeremy Williams, Ian White and Jason Blake are the Leafs’ hottest hands at the moment. Williams has recorded three points (2G, 1A) in his last two contests, Blake has posted six points in his past four outings and White is currently on a two game goal-scoring streak.
Nik Hagman will remain out of the line-up due to concussion problems. The team hopes to have him back in the line-up by Saturday, according to Mike Ulmer at Maple Leafs.com.
Projected Leafs line-up:
Kulemin – Stajan – Antropov
Ponikarovsky – Grabovski – Stempniak
Blake – Moore – Williams
Deveaux – Mitchell – Hollweg
Sifers – Finger
White – Van Ryn
Kaberle – Kubina
Interesting… at first blush you might have thought those pairings were in reverse order. WIlson is continuing to reward his best defenders with increased ice-time while sending a message to his high-paid underperformers as he did in Buffalo on Friday (Ice-time went in that very same order).
By the way, worthwhile read over at Maple Leafs.com. Jaime Sifers writes about his first week in the NHL.
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December 15th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
Excellent pre-game blog Alec. Nice to see you posting very regularly.
Personally, I could care less about the result, I just hope Williams, Sifers and Kulemin play well, Kulemin’s got top line opportunity now
December 15th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
Go Leafs!
Good pre-game
December 15th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
By the way, why such gaps in our sched as of late?
December 15th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
Just a reminder:
Hope to get everyone into the Game Day thread tomorrow for some fun in-game chat!
December 15th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
Good post
Go Leafs Go! I hate the NJD since that series in ‘01
December 16th, 2008 at 10:54 am
Alec, nice to see you writing again. Lots to read this past week.
I know I am about to piss a lot of people off, but what the heck!!!
Sundin…
If I recall wasn’t his statement, I don’t want to waive my NTC (to help the maple leafs rebuild) (not that he was the only one, but he would have brought back huge!!!) because;
And I quote!
“”I have always believed I would finish my career as a Toronto Maple Leaf”
And
“It is my belief that winning the Stanley Cup is the greatest thing you can achieve in hockey but for me, in order to appreciate it you have to have been part of the entire journey and that means October through June.”
Then he claims he doesn’t want to be part of a media circus?? He has media following him all over the world and I never seen him smile so much for the cameras. When he signs with NY or Van. They will become the most watched team, to see the messiah in action…
I guess coming in mid season, finishing with TO and the avoidance of a media circus was just a big pile of bull @#$%. What an absolute joke. In the end, the best assets TO had, ended up becoming just another memory.
Other than just another player making money (plus 70 mil). I have to state, thanks for the memories and thanks for nothing (no cup)….. Too bad you will soon be forgotten, if only by me.
December 16th, 2008 at 11:18 am
Daddoo, I think you are dead right in saying this. I remember all too clearly when he said that he couldn’t imagine playing for anyone other than the Leafs. I felt that it was a crock then, and now he is showing it.
However, it was hie right to refuse a trade, and do what he thought was best for himself at the time. JFJ was the one to blame(if you have to blame someone) on this one for giving him the NTC.
In the end I guess that it would have been nice to see him speakinghonestly, instead of just saying what sounded best.
Mats is, or was a great player, and a terrific Leaf, and that is what I will remember. He seemed to give everything he had most nights and was the heart and soul of the team for some time. Please do not let that be forgotten because he had a change of heart as retirement closed in.
It may leave a bad taste, but I still wish him all the best, and I do hope that he wins the cup this year – preferably with Van., as I am partial to Canadian teams.
December 16th, 2008 at 11:35 am
Daddoo, I am with you 100% on this one.
Talk about being hypocritical eh? “I don’t believe in joining a team partway through the season. You have to be there for the battle from the beginning of training camp”.
Way to go and simply pick a contender join after missing training camp and the first 30 games.
Hypocritical.
December 16th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Happy to find this site today. Right on. Lets hope we see another strong effort and shut down that damn GEZ line tonight, they’ve been ridiculous of late.
Want to make a point for everybody to watch Blakes effort tonight. Last game I was stunned by him. He was on the ice to end the game and created good pressure on the forecheck in the last minutes. Got back, and blocked 2 shots from the point, then hustled to the sideboards to get the final clearing. That type of effort will absolutely get noticed by Wilson, and maybe, just maybe Blake gets what he has to do to play on Wilson’s team.
Go Leafs Go
Cheers
December 16th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
I understand that things change and people change and I’m pretty sure Mats didn’t envision this whole saga playing out as it did, but I have definitely lost respect for a man who I used to revere for the sheer hypocrisy of the whole thing… part of me thinks Mats did this just to spite the organization because he was so pissed off at the way he was treated last March.
I agree 100% daddo.
December 16th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
Largus… I agree about Blake. I think Wilson’s work so far with this team in terms of improving work rate and consistency is epitomized by his work with Blake. He still hasn’t done this consistently, but he appears to be busting his butt far more regularly than he did last year and passing a lot more to boot.
December 16th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Hey Largus, glad to have ya.
Nice first post, and welcome to MLHS!
December 16th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Defense pairings for tonight from TSN
I may be reading too far into the order, but Finger and Sifers are first pairing whereas Kaberle and Kubina are third… that sounds about right based on level of play as of late.
Sifers – Finger
White – Van Ryn
Kaberle – Kubina
December 16th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
Sifers really has been impressive so far, didnt know anything about him until he showed up on the roster. It does look like with Finger/Schenn/Sifers we may have the makings of 3 shutdown D-men to build the future around. And they’re all NA skaters. Thats been one of the most puzzling thing about the Leafs and their drafts over the years. Always take the reach on the Euro instead of the kid from Ontario. And looking at up-coming prospects until this last draft, they all seem to be European players. Now I may sound a little Cherryesque in these points but come on, whos going to give their heart and soul for the Buds? Some kid that grew up in Oshawa or a kid from Minsk? Im totally onboard with BB’s way to build a hockey team, and I think by years end Kaberle, Kubina, Antropov, Poni are all definately gone, replaced by NA skaters and draft picks.
December 16th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Admin. I agree. It pretty sad that a rookie like Sifers can come up and make top pairing in two games. I love watching him play. Nice to see some grit. I guess the pretty boys dont want to mark their faces?? “smiles”
December 16th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
God, I gotta start logging into my other account (It’s Alec)
December 16th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
I have always been a big defender of Sundin. He refused the trade – his right, I said. He didn’t want to committ to a team at season’s start – again, his right, he earned it.
But I think even an ardent supporter of big #13 like myself has to admit to a really sour taste in his mouth in light of the “should be there from the start” talk as justification of invoking his NTC and the current situation basically proving that it was just… hot air.
I thought Sundin had every right not to be traded. If he started a season with another team in October, I would still stand by – even though it would be hard to see him in another uniform – Mats’ decisions. But now… what is the difference between this and the rent-a-player approach he so admonished earlier?
Too bad – a real ugly end to a story of a player who could always be counted on to exemplify class and integrity in blue and white.