Checking From Behind Pulling No Punches

The Maple Leafs have performed better than their record has shown. Since being embarrassed on home ice two weeks ago by the New York Rangers, the Leafs have gone on the road with some new found confidence in their game.

Many attribute this new sense of confidence to the spectacular performances from Jonas Gustavsson since returning from a groin injury. However, it started before his return. The Maple Leafs appeared to be turning things around one week ago in Vancouver, with Joey MacDonald in net. The Maple Leafs completely dominated the Canucks, but left with a frustrating 2-1 loss, due to Roberto Luongo’s ability to steal games for his team.

However it could have been viewed as a moral victory for the Leafs. They outperformed their opponent and it was the first time they looked like a real NHL hockey team all season long. They have since carried the momentum from that game into it’s last three performances, and despite only four points out of six in those three games, the Maple Leafs have been quite dominant.

It is frustrating for fans to watch a team dominant their opponents, and not have much to show for it. Teams like Vancouver, Anaheim, Dallas and Buffalo, who were all considered to be better teams than Toronto, have been made to look silly throughout the majority of their respective games. However with the exception of Anaheim, each of those teams had found a way to sneak out the victory.

Sure, the Maple Leafs have started to rack up the loser points, with two consecutive OT losses. But sooner or later, this team is going to have to start capitalizing on their opportunities, and cashing in on what have been very solid performances.

With all signs pointing to Vesa Toskala taking the reigns in net tonight versus the Montreal Canadiens, it will be interesting to see if the team plays with the same confident swagger it has in front of MacDonald or Gustavsson. I predict a win for the Maple Leafs tonight, finishing off the road trip with a 2-1-2 record. Enough to climb themselves out of the hole they dug early in the season? Not really. But a very respectable road trip record nonetheless.

The team finally looks like the one envisioned by Brian Burke and Ron Wilson in the offseason. Hopefully, that very slow start won’t come back to haunt them later in the season.

Random notes:
- Luke Schenn continues to improve on this road trip. He started the season slow, and after having his ice-time drop to only 10 minutes a game, he has battled through his struggles. His last three games have been much better, and last night Wilson had his ice time back to over 16 minutes.

- Thank God Burke didn’t trade Tomas Kaberle away this offseason. Him and Ian White have easily been the Leafs best defenders, with Kaberle posting 13 points in 11 games played. It is scary to think of where the Leafs would be without him right now. And if I were Brian Burke, I would start thinking contract extension instead of trade in regards to the Czech blueliner.

- Phil Kessel’s return cannot come quick enough. While the Leafs have played well, and been able to sustain an offensive fore-check, their lack of finishing ability is quite obvious. Stempniak has created a lot of chances for himself, but can rarely cash in. Ponikarovsky has missed out on multiple great scoring chances. Outside of Nik Hagman, who has been hot on the Power Play, the list of forwards who have missed quality scoring chances goes on and on. It’s not a huge stretch to say that if Kessel were in the lineup for this road trip the Leafs could very well be 4-6-1 right now.

Today, the Boston Bruins played host to the Edmonton Oilers in a matinee event. The Boston Bruins overcame the Oilers late in the game to secure a 2-0 victory, and get the shutout for goaltender Tuukka Rask.

Boston ranks 10th in the east and Edmonton 8th in the west. Both have battled injuries, lack of performance from the top lines and suspect goaltending throughout the season. Both have lost some nail biters and shown signs of being playoff performers. If anything, errors has been their down fall.

The NHL is extremely competitive and other than a few teams, the battle of the middle appears to be more based on luck than skill. One thing's for sure, these two teams can take it all the way when they have all cylinders firing. Both can play excellent defense and explode in offense. Both are currently under achieving and will give the top teams a run for their money.

Look forward to more tight games, hopefully the Oilers can start to prevail.

Stan VJ Lee

Tonight, the Calgary Flames will host the Detroit Red Wings in their last of a five game home stand. On Wednesday, the team broke out early against the Colorado Avalanche with 2 goals 15 seconds apart in the first minute and a half of the game, but fell 3-2 as the Avs clawed their way back into the game to secure the win.

"We had a great start last game, but we didn't keep it going," said Flames forward Fredrik Sjostrom. "Teams in the NHL are too good. They take advantage of it. You've got to make sure you keep the same momentum going all the time."

Both the Red Wings and the Flames are coming off a loss, and Calgary is looking to maintain pace with the Avalanche for the division lead.

"They're a team that went into Vancouver and won a big game there," said Sutter. "Last night, they battled hard to come back to get a point. They're going to be a very highly competitive team. More importantly for ourselves, it's making sure we're ready to play up to our standards and get that consistency that we want from every individual."

Calgary leads the league in goals for per game (3.82), and also have the top powerplay in the NHL (29.4%), but their faceoff percentage has been below average (47.8%). The Flames have had two days off and are looking come out hitting and skating to force the Red Wings on their heels early. We will now find out if this time they can maintain their early momentum.

Micheal A. Aldred

michealaldred@hotmail.com