Over the last 2 weeks or so, we’ve seen a Leafs team slowly, but surely, show us what they are capable of doing. This is a case of an overhauled defense core, struggling goaltending & penalty killing that has conspired to produce the start we’ve been witnessed to the past month. But there has been a sense of moving forward during the past two weeks.
Arguably, since the start of the 5 game road trip through the west coast, Buffalo and Montreal, the Leafs could have won every one of their games. However, the league standings aren’t based on who plays better, but rather who puts more pucks behind the opposition goalies. Thus, they came home with 1-1-3 record. The trend continued at home against Tampa Bay, losing in overtime. Regardless of the lack of wins until last night’s battle of the worst versus Carolina, Toronto has not played like a 30th place team during that stretch.
The defensive core started the season a dreadful group. From top to bottom, they struggled. Komisarek and Beauchemin tried too hard to earn their contracts. Schenn has not improved since last year, if anything he’s appeared to regress some. Exelby was frequently out of position and the attackers exploited his weak skating ability. Finger suffered from an injury and was squeezed out of playing time. Kaberle was the cause of several defensive zone breakdowns. The lone bright spot through 6 games was Ian White.
Since that dreadful start, Komisarek has settled down and started to play the way Brian Burke had hope he would. Kaberle went on a tear offensively, leading the NHL scoring race for defensemen, and he has seemed to have remembered how to play defense. Exelby has settled into the hard nosed 6-man role and played acceptable hockey. Beauchemin and Schenn are still battling, but small improvements coupled with Kaberle and Komisarek have made the defense a sum of their parts rather than a group of individuals. And what more can be said about Ian White’s great play?
In net, the Leafs seemed to hold onto the hope that Toskala could revert to the form he had in San Jose when Ferguson Jr. traded for him. All of last year it was an adventure in net with Toskala. Some nights he was great; most nights he gave you a heart attack. This season he continued the trend. It was painful watching weak shot after weak shot lighting the lamp. With Jonas Gustavsson on the sidelines, Joey MacDonald did the best he could to weather the storm. While he did a decent job, he just isn’t good enough to steal games for you. Gustavsson finally returns and the Leafs get their first win. The first step towards respectability. Over the next 4 games, Gustavsson has proven he’s a legitimate number 1 goalie in the NHL. Where he ranks in the hierarchy of NHL goaltenders remains to be seen, but it can’t be argued that he has proven he belongs. Gustavsson has shown on repeated occasions he can make the desperation saves, the must-have saves and he provides a level of confidence in the skaters that hasn’t been there since the Belfour days. Gustavsson, as far as I can tell, has 2 weaknesses. Puck handling and rebound control. Both of those can be solved with proper coaching and practice.
Special teams has seen a resurgence as well, specifically penalty killing. While the powerplay has performed steadily through the year, the Leafs were outright awful a man down for the first couple of weeks. Their PK percentage dropped to the 60% mark and below at times. This is simply not acceptable for a NHL team. The Leafs must have been doing some serious practice on off-days since their PK has been much better of late. In fact the last time they gave up a powerplay goal was over a week ago in Buffalo with Tim Connely scored on a 4 on 3 to win in overtime. Let’s be honest, defending a 4 on 3 is extremely difficult. Good quality teams will score in that situation more often than not. So let’s look at the last 5 on something goal given up. It happened, in the same game in Buffalo with 4:49 to go in the first with the Leafs two men down. Since that time, they haven’t let up in a 5 on 4 or 5 on 3 goal. That’s span of 193:14 minutes including 15 times shorthanded. If you want to just look at 5 on 4 goals, you have to go back to the game against Anaheim when Bobby Ryan scored at 15:16 mark of the second period. That’s what you call improved penalty killing. They are still operating at a 70% success rate for the season, but when you used to be sub-60%, that’s an improvement.
So what does all this mean? It means that the Leafs are improving and getting better. They are scratching, clawing and trying to find ways to win hockey games. They aren’t going away without a fight and most of all, for fans, they aren’t giving up. They are showing more and more fight since that dreadful start and will, at some point, find a way to go on a winning streak. Are the playoffs in the cards? It’s impossible for anyone to know. But one thing is certain, they have dug themselves a giant hole. Let’s remember that all teams go through rough patches throughout the year. The Leafs have had theirs already. If they want to find their way back into the playoffs mix, they have to find a way to string together a 4 or 5 game winning streak soon and avoid another dreadful slump like we’ve seen already.
brad.stowe@mapleleafshotstove.com
Follow me on twitter @mlhsbrad.
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November 7th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
@TT
Only caught the end of the game, but what little I saw, he seemed to be playing with a little more jam, less hesitation, more confidence… let’s hope that continues, because he has been brutal till now.
November 7th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
yes i was the one that orginal kinda threw it out there on this site tonite sorry fellas
November 7th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
From what I can see the fastest players in the league are:
Curtis Glencross, Mason Raymond, Matthew Lombardi.
Kessel and Gaborik are both very quick but I don’t think as fast just much more dangerous.
I think Stalberg could be up there too when he is up. He can straight out fly.
November 7th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
pierre Lebrun and ricky gervais
they have got to be related some how no?
November 7th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
leafs_17
That’s true, I remember Lombardi (Matthew?) when he was with the Flames, he has very good wheels, but I guess those third-fourth line speedsters don’t get much recognition because they don’t have the skill set to go with that blazing speed, à la Bure, Gaborik, Kessel, etc.
Stalberg has a great set of wheels, but he never seemed to get back to the gear he showed in the preseason… probably because some of the stiffs he was playing against were so slow he looked like a blur… LOL.
November 7th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
It doesn’t bother me, but I know it really bothers a lot of people. I was just trying to head it off at the pass and stave off a mini-war. lol
.
Come to think of it, shouldn’t we be predicting shut outs for all the goalies for the teams we play against the rest of the season…
November 7th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
Does this mean that when the Leafs win the Standiddleydoodley Cup I won’t have anyone to enjoy it with, unless I can find Charlie down there? I know he’s still got that ticket.
November 7th, 2009 at 10:25 pm
Looks like those flu shots worked well for the Flames.
November 7th, 2009 at 10:25 pm
@ leafs_17
Well I guess I can forgive you but don’t expect to be having any little geese anytime soon.
November 7th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
Am I the only person on here who doesn’t want to mock reproduce with gustavsson?
November 7th, 2009 at 10:27 pm
@ Gary
ya its ok i said it no body put a gun to my head i take responasiblity for my words
but in the end we did win 4-1 over Detriot so its all good right?
well other then Komi going down with a broken ass
hope its no to serious
November 7th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
nah i don’t either i just wanna seem him keeing that puck out like he has been
November 7th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
@ moimoi
Yeah, Mason Raymond , that was the kid from Vancouver I was referring to, couldn’t remember his name… shouldn’t it be Raymond Mason… LOL.
How about defencemen? Niedermayer? I guess not anymore, he’s probably lost a step. Doughty? Hal Gill… LOL.
November 7th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
I was cheering for him, but I couldn’t see him keeping all the pucks out the way he was getting pelted out there. I figured it was only just a function of time before something found a way in.
.
He’s a great goalie, and I feel sorry for him out there some times.
November 7th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
I wish somebody would tell me to shut up.
November 7th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
shut up
wish granted
November 7th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
@ Gary
Actually, I think it might be the opposite, Cherry having to listen to him might be making him senile… No, you are not the only one, I second the motion…
@ leafs_17
Actually we beat them 5-1, it might seem like a moot point, but hey, we’ve got to savour every goal… we might not see too many beat downs like that this year!
November 7th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
ya i realized that as soon as i posted it my bad again lol
i’m in a very good mood tonite
November 7th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
Everybody now. “SHUUUUUUUUUUT. UPP!!!!!!!”.
November 7th, 2009 at 10:39 pm
@ Gary
Well, one thing is for sure, Gus won’t ever die from boredom out there… he’s always going to be kept in the game. I hope he starts every game from now until Christmas… please Santa!
November 7th, 2009 at 10:40 pm
is anybody else TRYIN to watch the flames v Rangers game?
November 7th, 2009 at 10:42 pm
Assuming Gus stays healthy (and I know with the luck this team has that’s a big assumption), he will get a nice two week rest during the Olympics, which will help him recharge his batteries, so that’s a bonus… and no, he will not play for the Swedes.
November 7th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
Hmmm. Maybe I should go check out that, “teens first animal sex” site I saw on here.
November 7th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
is it really a for sur thing that he wont play for the swedes?
i ask cause they have used him before correct?
November 7th, 2009 at 10:50 pm
I think aliens or CSIS have taken over my computer. I’ll try to plea bargain for a Cup.
November 7th, 2009 at 10:55 pm
@ leafs_17
I have it on, but have only glanced at it a couple of times… Calgary usually bores the hell out of me…
I thought Backstrom with Minnesota was a Swede… the guy is Finnish… there are too many Finn goalies in the NHL… they must have a goalie factory over there. I propose that Finland lends one of its excess goalies to Sweden, thus dispensing Gus from having to attend/play at the Olympics and risk crushing Leafs Nation’s hopes.
Backstrom has a Swedish name, maybe they can get him a Swedish passport… ?!
November 7th, 2009 at 10:57 pm
Besides, can you imagine if Lundqvist gets hurt and Gus has to start and stands on his head and beats Canada in the gold medal game… yikes…our worst nightmare!
November 7th, 2009 at 11:01 pm
Milbury priceless: “Who wants to take nasty away from the game.”
November 7th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
ya i only through that out there casue my single for CBC was really bad and i was wondering if it was only me or was it happening for everyone
but its clear now
as for Gus the only othe goalie that is swedish that i have seen play is Hedberg, Johan aka THE MOOSE so IMO i think they take THE GOOSE over THE MOOSE along with THE KING
November 7th, 2009 at 11:17 pm
unless there some other swedish goalies any body knows about it looks like thats the case
November 7th, 2009 at 11:22 pm
well i forgot about one time leaf Mikael Tellqvist but still as i said before they stick with Jonas
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