My Toronto Maple Leafs Part 2

Toronto Maple Leafs Must Learn to Lock Down Leads, Put In Full Effort

By Derek Harmsworth | September 28, 2008

Quick question. What will happen more this NHL season:

A) The Maple Leafs blowing late leads.

B) Tyler Hill jumping off the Maple Leafs bandwagon.

Seriously Tyler—the preseason is a week old. Step back from the ledge dude.

All kidding aside, this year's Toronto Maple Leafs have impressed by being competitive so far in every preseason game played. However, it is easy to see that they still a lot to learn.

The growing process will likely continue all year long—and for all we know, into next year as well. There are things in the process that will take care of themselves. For the younger players who have been chosen to play larger roles, there will be no cure for the pains they may face throughout the season—other than time, and letting the maturation process run its course.

However, there is one problem, which after one week of preseason play is simply the most glaring with this year's squad. It was a weakness that showed up way too much last season—and if the preseason is any indication, it could loom large this year as well.

The late-game collapses.

Since it is only the preseason, and no one expects the Maple Leafs to do anything this year, the mere fact that the Leafs have been competitive, and have stuck in the thick of things in every game nearly down to the wire is encouraging.

But as the preseason rolls on, and with the regular season right around the corner, there will be a time when being close isn't going to be enough.

Is it something teachable? Is there something Ron Wilson can do to aid the Leafs in their quest to lock things down late? Or is it something that, just like the maturation process, will simply take time?

Whatever it is, the Maple Leafs have to figure it out fast. They need to learn to lock down their leads, and also play a full sixty minutes.

The Penguins were the better team on Wednesday—but with all due respect, the Maple Leafs were on autopilot for the first forty minutes.

Only in the third did they actually wake up and put in a solid effort, resulting in a two-goal period in which they outshot the Pens 17-3.

Friday night as well, both teams were competitive. But after Kaberle gave the Leafs a third period lead, they couldn't hold it.

Last night in Buffalo—well, do I really have to say it again? You guessed it. The Buds were up 2-0 going into the third, before falling apart and losing in overtime.

So what is the cure for what ails the Leafs? I'm not too sure, really. I'm not convinced they know either. After all, would they have coughed up back-to-back leads if they knew how to get it done?

No question, this is an area where they miss the likes of Mats Sundin, Darcy Tucker, and Bryan McCabe—who at the very least could have been a calming influence on the bench.

But surely this isn't a team completely devoid of a veteran leadership, and surely even the group they have are able to "dumb" the play down enough to simply play a dump and chase, four-back style to lock up victories as the season goes on.

After all, it's already figuring to be a long year. The least they could do is help themselves by playing smart, simple hockey in the late stages of the game.

If the Maple Leafs can figure that aspect of the game out, and combine it with the competitiveness they have shown through the first week of preseason action, they will help themselves out going forward.

It's looking like the Maple Leafs will struggle this year. The least they could do is help themselves by not giving their opponents anything.

Quick injury Update

Just a quick update about the injury news that was revealed earlier today. Jason Blake took a puck off the side of his knee in Buffalo last night, and will be held out of the game as a precautionary measure.

Dominic Moore, arguably Toronto's best forward, will also sit out Monday's game against the Blues with a bit of a groin injury.

Moore didn't play last night, and won't play Monday. At this time, it seems Ron Wilson feels there is no need to push it in September.

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Saturday Nights After the Buzzer, Preseason Edition: Part 1

By Lukas | September 28, 2008

Yes, it happened again—the Leafs lost in overtime. All last season, we heard "and the Maple Leafs give it away again, and now its a breakaway for the ___________, here he comes, in, kicks, shoots, SCORES! And the Maple Leafs have lost in OT again".

Nothing was different in Buffalo on Saturday night, as the Maple Leafs allowed a goal from Maxim Afinogenov at 1:03 in overtime. Here is a complete recap of the game.

First Period

It was the only regulation period in which the Sabres managed to outshoot the Toronto Maple Leafs (15 to 8). There wasn't many highlights in the first, other than the fight in which Ryan Hollweg took Craig Rivet to the ice. The fight was a good, long, and interesting.

The only other big moment from the first was the Anton Stralman hip check.

Second Period

The second period also went scoreless, with the shots at nine to seven for Toronto. The second period almost mirrored the first, except this time there was no fighting or amazing hits.

Toronto took three penalties in period number two, while Buffalo took four, including a five-minute major for cross-checking and a 10-minute game misconduct.

Third Period

Ian White opened the scoring in the third with 14:36 remaining. It was then Kubina with his first goal of the preseason, coming from John Mitchell and Alex Ponikarovsky,

And that's when they began falling.

Buffalo got their first goal from Roy, and then their second to tie it with just five seconds left in the third. The shots in the third favoured Toronto, 11 to eight.

Then overtime came.

Overtime

Shots: Two to one, Buffalo.

Ales Kotalik netted his first goal of the preseason.

Everything Else

Let's just hope not to see this same situation game after game, after game, all season long in Toronto—or us fans will look just like the guy in the picture above.

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BRHL: Would You Listen to This Show?

By Tyler Hill | September 28, 2008

This more like a question, rather than an article, so please bear with me for a moment of your time.

Greg Caggiano and I have been talking about a radio show that we might do on YouCastr, the same website that Greg's show "NHL 2Day" is done on, along with Alan Bass.

However, we are not sure if enough people will be interested, so please, if you would listen to the show I'm about to pitch to you, leave a comment telling us so.

The show will focus mainly on the BRHL (the fantasy hockey league), since other members of Bleacher Report cannot access the web page—because they are not part of the league—and see what the outcomes are, if they are interested. This show would bring them up to date on all the news around the league—trades, free-agency pickups, dropped players, and all the other news that happens throughout the week.

If you would be interested in the show, simply leave a comment saying: "I'll listen," or "Yup."

If you would listen, but would like to know something else about the show—even if you just have an idea—please feel free to ask and Greg or I will get back to you on it.

If you don't like this show idea, tell us why, so we will know what to improve upon.

Thank you for your time.

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Season Preview: Toronto Maple Leafs, Class of ‘08-’09 (Yahoo! Sports)

By Yahoo! Sports - NHL - Toronto Maple Leafs News | September 28, 2008

NHL previews are often superfluous collections of popular opinions that, in the end, usually have no relation...

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No cutting corners for Maple Leafs (Yahoo! Sports)

By Yahoo! Sports - NHL - Toronto Maple Leafs News | September 28, 2008

Toronto must stick with its plan to rebuild, regardless of how long it takes for positive results.

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Penguins Surge Back to Win

By Maple Leafs Editorial | September 28, 2008

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The 08-09 Toronto Maple Leafs Season Preview

By Jordan Vertone | September 28, 2008

The time has come to start the countdown to the opening night of the 08-09 NHL regular season. The preseason is already underway and we have already got a first look at the new faces in the Toronto Maple Leafs dressing room and front office. With that said, let's break down the new look Leafs.

New Faces:

FW Nicklas Hagman, Jamal Mayers, Nikolai Kulemin, Mikhail Grabovski, Ryan Hollweg

D Jeff Finger, Jonas Frogren, Mike van Ryn

G Curtis Joseph

Key Departures:

FW Mats Sundin, Kyle Wellwood, Darcy Tucker, John Pohl

D Bryan McCabe

G Andrew Raycroft

This offseason the Leafs sent a few recognizable faces packing and brought in some fresh faces to try and avoid being out of the playoff picture for the 4th year in a row. However, many of the moves made were for players with potential that may be reached in the future.

Forwards

Antropov--Grabovski--Ponikarovsky

Blake--Stajan--Steen

Hagman--Moore--Mayers

Kulemin--Hollweg--Tlusty

Other Noticeables: Bell, Devereaux, Williams, Newbury

Most of the forwards on this Leafs team would be fixtures on secondary scoring lines elsewhere in the league. They play very well and get an A for effort, but whether they have raw talent remains to be seen. Tlusty got a good feel for the NHL last season playing in 58 games, scoring 10 goals and 6 assists. He will be counted on to improve, as well as everyone else, and will most likely double his numbers this year.

Another young talent new to this team is Nikolai Kulemin. A forward most well known for being Evgeni Malkin's former linemate on Magnitorisk (in Russia), he scored 21 goals last year in the Russian league and should be ready for full time duty as well as increasing his numbers. Mikhail Grabovski is also looking to spike up his numbers, especially if he gets bumped up to the first line, as he is expected to be given every opportunity to excel inbetween Antropov and Ponikarovsky

Some of the returning veterans counted on to produce on scoring lines will be Nikolai Antropov, Jason Blake, and Alexi Ponakarovsky. Antropov had a career-high 56 points last year and GM Cliff Fletcher has previously stated that he is the main man up front for the blue and white this year. If the leafs expect any opportunity for the playoffs this year Antropov is going to need to put up another career year for the Leafs.

Jason Blake went from 40 goals to 15 last season, but most fans didn't notice how much his 37 assists helped the team. However, Blake should still return to at least 20-30 goals and around 60-70 points in the coming year.

Ponikarovsky is now a fixture on the top two lines and scored 35 points in 66 games last year. Solid numbers, but not good enough for a 1st or even 2nd liner. He is one of the top forwards though, and he will be expected to have put up numbers that he has never put up before.

Alex Steen and Matt Stajan are going to take on higher-leverage roles this season with the departures of the older team leaders. They have made the jump from the young guns to the more experienced leaders in the dressing room. Both of them will be expected to excel as star players for the Leafs in the upcoming season.

There are many players on the Leafs who have been expected to have potential for the future, but this year the future looks to be now as these players are now the stars of their respective team.

Grade: C

Defense

Kaberle--Finger

Stralman--Kubina

Van Ryn--Frogren

Other Notables: Kronwall, White, Coliacovo, Schenn

The Leafs are crowded at defense this season with many new players being brought in during the offseason. Jeff Finger, the most notable of these players, looks to be a fixture on a top pairing. He can play solid shutdown defense, and while not that capable offensively, the Leafs do have Kaberle and Kubina for a reason. He should get better as the season progresses, much like last year.

Tomas Kaberle has had at least 50 points in each of the past 3 seasons, so repeating that effort shouldn't be difficult, while Pavel Kubina has got past early criticism to be a valuable offensive defenseman.

The rest of the Leafs' defensive core remains up in the air and it will be the story of training camp in the preseason. Many young and new faces are trying to make their mark in training camp to stand out above all the rest. Anton Stralman has been highly touted and should hold down a spot on the defense, but will recieve challenge from other defensemen such as Nicklas Kronwall, Ian White, Carlo Coliacovo, and perhaps even 18-year old Luke Schenn.

Kronwall played in the AHL for most of last year but has spent parts of his last 3 seasons with the Leafs. He remains a good defensive defenseman. Ian White has played 2 full seasons with the Leafs but is in danger of losing his job, despite 21 points in 81 games last year.

Coliacovo has had bad luck with injuries over the past few years and many has labelled him as injury-prone. He remains an enigma with enormous potential that he has failed to reach. As well, Luke Schenn plays a very complete game for an 18-year old, although he is not expected to make the team this year. He will probably spend another season in the WHL before making his Leafs debut. Even though the defense doesn't look that strong on paper, it is a big improvement defensively from last season.

Grade: B-

Goaltending:

Toskala

Joseph

Other Notable: Pogge

Vesa Toskala has been a stud goaltender as he has been one of the top players overall on the Leafs during his first year with the organization. If the leafs are going to make any noise this year, you can guarantee Vesa will be a big reason why. Backing him up is the legendary Curtis Joseph, who played well in Calgary during the stretch run last year. While losing a lot of leaders last year, bringing in Joseph will put him into a big leadership role with the younger players, even as a backup.

Justin Pogge had a good year in the AHL last season. However, he is not ready for the NHL just yet. He is expected to make the jump to the NHL either next season or the year after. The goaltending will need to be the focal point of the Leafs roster if they are expecting to be a playoff contender. On paper, the goaltending seems to be the strongest aspect of the team.

Grade: A-

Although the Leafs are not expected to do well this season, they are looking better towards the future to get the organization back on track. This season I believe many people will be surprised by the young look Leafs. However, do not set your sights on a playoff position this coming April.

Overall Grade: C

Prediction: 10th in East

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Kotalik’s OT goal lifts Sabres past Maple Leafs (AP)

By Yahoo! Sports - NHL - Toronto Maple Leafs News | September 27, 2008

Ales Kotalik scored 1:03 into overtime to cap a three-goal rally in helping the Buffalo Sabres to a 3-2 preseason victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night. Derek Roy and Paul Gaustad scored power-play goals in the final 2:21 of regulation to force overtime, and Maxim Afinogenov had three assists in Buffalo's preseason home-opener.

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Toronto Maple Leafs 2008-09 team preview (SportingNews.com)

By Yahoo! Sports - NHL - Toronto Maple Leafs News | September 27, 2008

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Watch Leafs vs. Sabres FREE Online

By Maple Leafs Editorial | September 27, 2008

When the Maple Leafs play their preseason game against the Sabres on Saturday, September 27 you can catch all the action for FREE and LIVE online with LeafsTV Interactive. Get extra angels and LIVE stats updates all throughout the game.

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