LEAFS SHOW NO HEART AND NO GRIT

What a lack luster performance by the Maple Leafs on a night where expectations were high versus the hated rival Montreal Canadiens.

After a solid win in Detroit to open the season, the Leafs played nothing like that last night, not even close. The Leafs turned over the puck more than a children’s flip book and the Montreal snipers fired home easy goals.

Right off the opening face off the night belonged to the Habs. They had everything clicking and pinned the Leafs in their zone for prolonged periods and with ease. A strong cycle game then led to two quick goals in two minutes in the first. The second came fairly easily as the Leafs were caught running around in their own zone, and Tomas Plekanec slid a no look pass to Alex Kovalev and he spun around a frozen Jonas Frogren to score far side on Vesa Toskala. Jaroslav Halak was sharp as well, as he stopped Jason Blake on a 2-on-1, and covered up a loose puck in the blue ice after a shot went off the post. With those saves he kept the game scoreless, as the Leafs had their chances to open the scoring and change the result of the game.

To open the second period, the Canadiens scored four goals in the first twelve minutes to essentially put the game away. Of those four goals, 3 came on a power play, while two came on a double minor penalty to Matt Stajan after a high stick that caused Montreal defenceman Patrice Brisebois to bleed. Penalties were also a problem, as the Leafs took stupid penalties and then some more stupid penalties, and finished the night by taking 9 which totaled 21 minutes. Those four Montreal goals came very easy, and off of very simple plays to capitalize on scoring chances. Some were easy passes through the blue ice and another came from the high slot. The star of the second was Sergei Kostitsyn who had two goals and an assist. From then on it looked as if every Montreal rush was going to result in a goal. The Leafs did get a goal from Jason Blake on a power play, after the first real good cycle in the offensive zone. Right after Montreal answered on a rush to make it 6-1.

Vesa Toskala was hung out to dry by his defencemen, and Toskala tried his best, but go no help at all. It was a sad performance all around for the Leafs team, or Montreal was just that good.

To start the third Curtis Joseph relieved Vesa Toskala who stopped 17 out of 23 shots, and came in to face a 2-on-1 and a break-a-way and turned those opportunities aside to keep the final score at 6-1. It could’ve been more, because the Montreal attack was just too much and at times it looked as if they were on a power play but weren’t. Some tempers did boil over with Jamal Mayers and Tom Kostopolous who both got into a scrap, and as did rookie Luke Schenn. He got in a few shots on Andrei Kostitsyn after he took a cheap shot on Matt Stajan and ran him face first into the boards.

Overall, turnovers, no discipline and stupid penalties pretty much killed the Leafs. As well as some Montreal snipers, and the biggest of whom was Alex Tanguay and he finished with four points (1 goal, 3 assists). Saku Koivu and Sergei Kostitsyn each had three points a piece, and goalie Jaroslav Halak stopped 24 out of 25 shots.