ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?

For some reason the Maple Leafs love playing with fire and getting into 2-0 deficits. This time around, they were down to the number one team in the league, New York Rangers.

Just like the Leafs have done so often in the past 2-0 deficits, they came back to win the game when all the odds were stacked against them, and won the game 5-2. The Air Canada Centre crowd was louder than ever for the first time in 4 years. Even the corporate clad platinum seat crowd was on their feet and actually into the game.

To begin, the night was already special, with it being a Saturday night and all, versus an old school Original six team. It looked like the only way the Leafs were going to win this game was if they won on special teams. The Leafs went one for two, doing a good job of staying out of the penalty box, and only took two penalties and killed both. Meanwhile, their power play was once again ineffective, going 0/5.

Secondly, the Leafs were facing Etobicoke native Stephen Valiquette, who has had the Leafs number in his career, securing three wins in three games. The last win came two weeks ago in New York, with a 1-0 shutout victory. Thirdly, the Leafs were facing the league’s best team, which has a great defence. Their offence isn’t too bad either.

To begin the game, both teams traded chances and shots. The Rangers chances looked so much more dangerous than the Leafs did. Since the Rangers have one of the best defenses, it looked as if they didn’t care if they took penalties, and took three of them in the first period. The Leafs barely got any chances, as they fell into the Rangers’ trap over and over.

The Leafs played better even strength hockey then they did with the man advantage. That was a killer because the Rangers’ fourth line scored a goal with nine seconds left in the period, which came from Ryan Callahan. In the latter half of the period, the Rangers had the Leafs pinned in their own zone.

Being down by a goal wasn’t so bad, but the Leafs could’ve been up instead of down. The Leafs fore-check still maintained its strong cycle game, but still couldn’t answer Stephen Valiquette. With less than five minutes to go in the second, Rangers coach Tom Renney used the TV timeout to his advantage, and gave his players an earful. Man, did it work. The Rangers came out of that huddle, stopped whatever the Leafs tried to do, and scored a goal in return to go up two zip heading into the third.

The Rangers carried that momentum into the third period and pretty much had the Leafs on lock. Toronto did have good cycles going, but for brief stints, and that was it. When rookie John Mitchell took a sloppy holding penalty, the game looked to be over. You can only stop and contain a strong team for so long before they finally breakout and snap. Instead of the Rangers, the Leafs snapped, and how.

First they killed off the Mitchell penalty, which was highlighted by a game saving save from Vesa Toskala, where he just got a toe on a cross crease pass that looked destined for the back of the net.

As John Mitchell came out of the penalty box, the Leafs had a good fore-check going, and the ‘almost goat’ John Mitchell scored his first career NHL goal glove side on Valiquette. He just waited long enough for Valiquette to get out of position and beat him smartly with 7.24 left in the game.

The momentum was back on the Leafs side, and they tied the game 1.26 later on a Jason Blake deflection in front of the net, through the five-hole. The Rangers looked shook, and Tom Renney called a timeout, but this time to no avail. The Leafs came out of that break and scored 52 second later to go up 3-2, this time from Pavel Kubina who took a shot from the point through a screen. The Leafs weren’t done there, as John Mitchell scored his second of the game far side again, on a broken down defence from the Rangers. That goal came 1.12 after Kubina had scored.

The Rangers were shot, just in complete disarray after having played a good defensive game for 48 minutes. The Rangers couldn’t get back on track after that barrage from the Leafs.

To completely ice the game, the Leafs scored a fifth goal on a John Mitchell rush that had goalie Valiquette slide out of the net and knock the puck off his Mitchell’s stick for the hat-trick. The puck bounced to a trailing Dominic Moore and he scored into the empty net, and this goal came 1.51 after the fourth goal. In the third period, John Mitchell tallied two goals and an assist, and Dominic Moore had a goal and an assist. While five other Leafs had one point each.

The Leafs finally beat Stephen Valiquette for the first time in four games, and out-shot the Rangers 17-4 in the third period and 35-20 for the game. The five goals they scored came in a span of 5.21.

The Rangers defence was excellent in the first two periods and bits of the third, and made the Leafs’ fore-check look weak. The shots that got towards goal were easy saves, and only a few challenged Valiquette.

On the other hand, the Rangers offence wasn’t its high flying self as it has been in previous games. It was good, but not great, and the Leafs defence was up to the task and did a terrific job of limiting the Rangers’ chances. Vesa Toskala quietly put together a solid game with some key saves that could have put the Leafs out of the game.



The opinions and thoughts expressed in this or any other article written by 12nadnuk are of his thinking and what he thinks is correct or close to it in the sporting world. If there are any problems by anyone, 12nadnuk is open for rebuttal and what not, and honest criticism. There is also a comments section, so feel free to post what is on your mind about the article. Thank you for reading.