The Toronto Maple Leafs’ winning streak over New York area teams continue. First they took two straight from the Rangers in a home and away series, then tonight they were able to hold two Islanders comebacks, and won the game 5-4 in a shootout. This game was the fifth straight game where the Leafs needed extra time to finish, and four of those games have been decided in a shootout.
With both teams having to travel to New York and having played the night before, you’d expect both teams to lag just a little bit. But the Leafs came out firing and found themselves up 1-0 1.27 into the game on Ian White’s ninth goal of the year. That was just the 26th time of the year that the Leafs scored the opening goal of a game.
He made a great play to elude one Islander defencemen on a stop and skate move, and just snapped one by a screened Joey MacDonald.
After that goal the Leafs continued their hot pursuit for another goal and came extremely close when MacDonald made a bone head move by coming way out of the goal to play the puck. Dominic Moore came inches away from putting the Leafs up 2-0, but shot just wide of the post. The Leafs team peppered MacDonald with plenty of shots on goal the rest of the way with 12.
The Islanders did show some fight on their first power play opportunity of the game, as they were getting plenty of shots through to Vesa Toskala, but turned them aside. In the first period the goalies for either side kept the score at 1-0 for the Leafs as they headed to the second.
Just like the first period the Leafs scored another goal, this time 57 seconds in and shorthanded as well. Dominic Moore and Jason Blake started the rush, and Moore put one over MacDonald’s shoulder. The Leafs were relentless after that goal and played with a high intensity, and their strong fore-check from the first period carried over.
On a Toronto power play, Ian White and Anton Stralman got mixed up, which allowed Sean Bergenheim to break away, but was hooked by Stralman, and that resulted in a penalty shot. Bergenheim’s shot looked good, but Toskala was up to it, and made the save look real easy.
Just a few plays later, Stralman again made another bad play, this time by not clearing the puck, and newly acquired Dean Mcammond snapped one by Toskala, a goal on which he was partially screened.
The Leafs still controlled the tempo of the game after that goal, and continued to drive hard to the net. Fresh from a call-up, Tim Stapleton got an opportunity to play in his first career NHL game and made the most of it, and showed off his great speed as he drove to the net, but MacDonald made just as nice a save.
The Islanders did come on a bit toward the end of the period, and the Leafs played laid back. And that pace was played in the third period, and the Isles were able to tie the game on a shorthanded goal by Sean Bergenheim. Unlike his penalty shot, Bergenheim made good on his second breakaway chance and completely fooled Toskala.
Before that, a stupid jackass named Brendan Witt thought he could do whatever he wanted and elbowed Nik Hagman on the head, and Hagman was out before he hit the ice. That horrible play gave the Leafs a five minute power play and Witt was tossed from the game.
New York tied the game on a stupid drop pass made by Mikhail Grabovski, which was easily picked off by the aforementioned Bergenheim and scored.
The Leafs did have an answer for Grabovski’s gaffe and Pavel Kubina scored off a blast from the point.
Right after that goal, Grabovski continued to play like an idiot and took a tripping penalty to negate the five minute power play which had about a minute left. Once again the Leafs had another answer for Grabovski’s mistake, and 1.30 after the third Toronto goal, the Leafs’ Matt Stajan and Nik Antropov had a two on one rush. Antropov snapped home his 21st goal of the year, off a nice feed from Stajan.
That rush started off on a heads up play by Ian White who made a nice outlet pass, after an Islander defencemen was caught pinching.
The Islanders weren’t done in this game, not just yet, and mounted their second two goal comeback, on a goal by Mark Streit, who made a nice fake at the point and was able to move in close and scored five hole on Toskala. A bad job clearing the puck by the Leafs resulted in bad rotations and that freed up space for Streit.
The game was tied on a weak goal let in by Toskala, a shot that he should’ve had, but completely fanned on a wrister by John Sim.
As the period wore on, the Leafs played more and more laid back, and Toskala’s play slowed down considerably.
For the fifth game in a row the Leafs needed extra time to decide the outcome of the game. This game could’ve been locked up if the Leafs had properly controlled and worked the puck on that five minute power play.
All this extra time the Leafs are playing will catch up to them, and could end up on another horrendous losing streak.
In overtime the Islanders had great chances to end the game, but Toskala came up big with timely saves, and MacDonald on the other end quietly had a solid game, even after letting in four goals on 33 shots. The same could be said for Toskala as he faced 44 shots, and the first period was really the difference for both goalies.
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.
In the shootout, Jason Blake came up big with another spin-o-rama deque, and the game ended with a nice touch as Tim Stapleton was called upon to win the game and he delivered on a simple, yet high percentage wrist shot.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
ANOTHER FINE GAME BY THE LEAFS
For the second time in three nights the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New York Rangers needed extra time to finish their games, and the Leafs came out on top for the second game in a row.
In the season series between these two clubs, the Leafs have won three of four games, and have earned 7 out of a possible eight points, which is very nice. Each team has at least won one game and has also lost at least one game in each others’ city. In the three previous games, the Leafs have not scored a goal in the first two periods of play against the Rangers, and their lone loss against them was a shutout.
That trend of not scoring in the first forty minutes continued tonight, but once again the Leafs prevailed and won the game 2-1 in a shootout. All four games this season were real good ones.
Coming into the game, the Rangers had gone through a lot, most notably the coaching change, as Tom Renney was fired, and John Tortorella was hired. You could also throw in the Rangers’ horrible losing streak on the road, as they have gone 0-7-1 in their past eight games, with just eight goals. That can be updated to 0-8-1, and nine goals now. This Rangers’ team is in real danger of missing the playoffs and came into this game two points up on ninth place Carolina. And tomorrow the Rangers face off against the Panthers in Florida, a team that was just one point behind the Rangers, but now two.
So you would think the Rangers wanted this game real bad, and they did with their strong fore-checking, and their star players actually played. Except for Scott Gomez who was floating around the ice and looked real lost.
The New York pursuit for the puck was very strong, and that translated into excellent scoring opportunities but Vesa Toskala put in another solid effort of goaltending for the second straight night and stopped 31 shots. Both he and Henrik Lundqvist kept their teams in the game, and came up with very timely saves. In the first period Toskala was the busier goalie of the two and had to stop 10 quality shots, compared to Lundqvist who easily turned aside three shots.
Lundqvist did looked shaky to start the game, as a weak shot on a bad angle beat him through his pad and the post, but the puck stopped short right before the goal line, and was promptly cleared.
The Rangers had a carousel running out of their bench, as you wouldn’t see line combinations repeated more than once in the first, and that didn’t stop throughout the night.
The second period continued with a strong pace just like the first and provided for some real energetic hockey. Too bad only the Rangers had that energy as their offense was clicking and had plenty of prolonged rushes in the Toronto zone. If the Leafs were to have some sort of a rush, it was quickly erased by the Rangers’ defense. The Toronto defense looked slow at times, especially when they tried to clear their own zone.
Midway through the period the Rangers scored on a power play, and Wade Redden blasted home a shot from the point, that was screened nicely by Chris Drury. That goal by Redden was just his third of the year, and first since October tenth of last year. Considering his salary, the Rangers have paid Redden about 1.75 million dollars a goal. And they say Glen Sather has done a terrific job with the Rangers.
Right after that, both teams picked up their level of play and the game got faster, and the Leafs’ Dominic Moore came real close to tying the game on a beautiful chip pass from Jason Blake, but the pad save by Lundqvist was even nicer.
But the Rangers came right back, and somehow Toskala kept the puck out on a mad scramble, and was just getting pieces of the puck as the Ranger players couldn’t get a real got shot off.
Going into the third period, the Leafs had to finish the game without Jeff Finger who injured his wrist or hand while blocking a shot, and were without John Mitchell since the first period also with an injury. Of the five career goals scored by Mitchell, three have come against the Rangers.
Both teams continued their play from the first two periods, but midway through, the Leafs tied the game up. On a dump in by the Leafs that could’ve been covered up by Lundqvist, two Rangers defencemen played Mikhail Grabovski who then passed to a wide open Nik Hagman, and he curled out in front of the net and snapped a wicked shot over Lundqvist’s shoulder.
Hagman is on pace to at least come close to matching his career high 27 goals from last year, and has 19 this year, and five in his last eight games.
Both teams played an offensive minded game the rest of the way, but with fewer shots on goal.
Overtime didn’t solve anything, but could’ve, as Nik Kulemin had a breakaway, but was stopped with no rebound. The rangers had their chances to, such as the two on one, but didn’t get a shot off as Jason Blake worked hard on the back check and prevented a shot from getting off.
In the shootout, Kulemin was the only scorer, and Toskala did the rest by stopping all three Rangers shooters, and capped off the win with a crowd pleasing glove save on New York’s leading scorer, Nikolai Zherdev.
This game also saw Markus Naslund get into his second career fight with Ian White, and Naslund put up a sad effort and knew he would’ve got smacked, and held onto White’s jersey.
The struggles continue for Mikhail Grabovski, who has scored just once in 23 games, and has zero goals in his last ten games before tonight’s game. He is trying to do too much offensively and defensively and that showed when he took a stupid hooking penalty in the third for no reason in the New York zone. Luckily for him, the Leafs killed that penalty.
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.
In the season series between these two clubs, the Leafs have won three of four games, and have earned 7 out of a possible eight points, which is very nice. Each team has at least won one game and has also lost at least one game in each others’ city. In the three previous games, the Leafs have not scored a goal in the first two periods of play against the Rangers, and their lone loss against them was a shutout.
That trend of not scoring in the first forty minutes continued tonight, but once again the Leafs prevailed and won the game 2-1 in a shootout. All four games this season were real good ones.
Coming into the game, the Rangers had gone through a lot, most notably the coaching change, as Tom Renney was fired, and John Tortorella was hired. You could also throw in the Rangers’ horrible losing streak on the road, as they have gone 0-7-1 in their past eight games, with just eight goals. That can be updated to 0-8-1, and nine goals now. This Rangers’ team is in real danger of missing the playoffs and came into this game two points up on ninth place Carolina. And tomorrow the Rangers face off against the Panthers in Florida, a team that was just one point behind the Rangers, but now two.
So you would think the Rangers wanted this game real bad, and they did with their strong fore-checking, and their star players actually played. Except for Scott Gomez who was floating around the ice and looked real lost.
The New York pursuit for the puck was very strong, and that translated into excellent scoring opportunities but Vesa Toskala put in another solid effort of goaltending for the second straight night and stopped 31 shots. Both he and Henrik Lundqvist kept their teams in the game, and came up with very timely saves. In the first period Toskala was the busier goalie of the two and had to stop 10 quality shots, compared to Lundqvist who easily turned aside three shots.
Lundqvist did looked shaky to start the game, as a weak shot on a bad angle beat him through his pad and the post, but the puck stopped short right before the goal line, and was promptly cleared.
The Rangers had a carousel running out of their bench, as you wouldn’t see line combinations repeated more than once in the first, and that didn’t stop throughout the night.
The second period continued with a strong pace just like the first and provided for some real energetic hockey. Too bad only the Rangers had that energy as their offense was clicking and had plenty of prolonged rushes in the Toronto zone. If the Leafs were to have some sort of a rush, it was quickly erased by the Rangers’ defense. The Toronto defense looked slow at times, especially when they tried to clear their own zone.
Midway through the period the Rangers scored on a power play, and Wade Redden blasted home a shot from the point, that was screened nicely by Chris Drury. That goal by Redden was just his third of the year, and first since October tenth of last year. Considering his salary, the Rangers have paid Redden about 1.75 million dollars a goal. And they say Glen Sather has done a terrific job with the Rangers.
Right after that, both teams picked up their level of play and the game got faster, and the Leafs’ Dominic Moore came real close to tying the game on a beautiful chip pass from Jason Blake, but the pad save by Lundqvist was even nicer.
But the Rangers came right back, and somehow Toskala kept the puck out on a mad scramble, and was just getting pieces of the puck as the Ranger players couldn’t get a real got shot off.
Going into the third period, the Leafs had to finish the game without Jeff Finger who injured his wrist or hand while blocking a shot, and were without John Mitchell since the first period also with an injury. Of the five career goals scored by Mitchell, three have come against the Rangers.
Both teams continued their play from the first two periods, but midway through, the Leafs tied the game up. On a dump in by the Leafs that could’ve been covered up by Lundqvist, two Rangers defencemen played Mikhail Grabovski who then passed to a wide open Nik Hagman, and he curled out in front of the net and snapped a wicked shot over Lundqvist’s shoulder.
Hagman is on pace to at least come close to matching his career high 27 goals from last year, and has 19 this year, and five in his last eight games.
Both teams played an offensive minded game the rest of the way, but with fewer shots on goal.
Overtime didn’t solve anything, but could’ve, as Nik Kulemin had a breakaway, but was stopped with no rebound. The rangers had their chances to, such as the two on one, but didn’t get a shot off as Jason Blake worked hard on the back check and prevented a shot from getting off.
In the shootout, Kulemin was the only scorer, and Toskala did the rest by stopping all three Rangers shooters, and capped off the win with a crowd pleasing glove save on New York’s leading scorer, Nikolai Zherdev.
This game also saw Markus Naslund get into his second career fight with Ian White, and Naslund put up a sad effort and knew he would’ve got smacked, and held onto White’s jersey.
The struggles continue for Mikhail Grabovski, who has scored just once in 23 games, and has zero goals in his last ten games before tonight’s game. He is trying to do too much offensively and defensively and that showed when he took a stupid hooking penalty in the third for no reason in the New York zone. Luckily for him, the Leafs killed that penalty.
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.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
SABRES STRIKE TWICE IN THRITEEN DAYS
For the second time in thirteen days, the Leafs and Buffalo Sabres squared off. Again, for the second time in thirteen days, the Leafs were outplayed by a better Buffalo team. This time around the Leafs actually scored a goal, instead of being shut out again, which looked like a possibility the way Ryan Miller was playing.
The score, and outcome of the game would’ve been totally different, even in the Leafs’ favor, had they solved Ryan Miller. The Leafs squad jumped out to an early attack, with great promise and energy, but just couldn’t put one past Ryan Miller, in the first ten minutes of the game, that were played to perfection by the Leafs.
With another solid outing by Miller, the rest of the Sabre team chipped in nicely offensively en route to a 4-1 victory in front of a very quiet, and zero energy crowd at the Air Canada Centre.
In the past couple of games the Sabres have really owned the Leafs, especially in the calendar year of 2009 where these two teams have faced off twice. Including tonight’s game, two of the three games have been played in Toronto, and the Sabres have won all three of those games with a combined score of 13-2. Adding to that, the Leafs have now lost their past five home games to the Sabres.
Coming into tonight’s game, Justin Pogge was given his first career start at home, and was appearing in just his fourth NHL game, and two of those have already come against the Sabres. In the two starts versus the Sabres including tonight’s start, nothing has changed. The team in front of Pogge played flat, with no scoring help, and no defense.
Tonight, Pogge wasn’t perfect, nor was he hung out to dry, totally, like in his past stars. The first goal the Sabres scored was on the power play, and was off a quick short side snap shot by Drew Stafford. On that goal, Pogge was too deep in net, and could’ve played more aggressively with his big body, but instead played small.
During the game, Pogge was razzed by the crowd for allowing three goals, which was unfair, if the team in front of him had played better. Pogge showed some holes in his game, but that was a real sad display by the Leafs fans in attendance, that kind of bullshit was uncalled for.
That goal really hurt the Leafs, who had gotten off to a good start, and after that played with no aggression. Whatever the Leafs had done to get off to a good start, Buffalo started to play that way. With that play came two more goals, to head into the second period up 3-0, even after being outshot 15-8.
The second Buffalo goal came off a questionable non call, as the puck was iced but the play still went on. The Sabres’ Tim Connolly sped down the wing and made an excellent pass to Dan Paille to score.
The third Buffalo goal was a weak one let in by Pogge, as it was jammed in at the side of the net. But the goal did come off of some solid work along the boards.
The Leafs did a lot in the first period, but were stunned to be down three zip. They even held the Sabres to record their first shot on goal at 6.45 into the game. The Leafs crashed the net, took smart shots, even hit a few posts, but Miller was too good and was the difference.
After a fifteen shot first period, the Leafs only managed 13 shots combined in the next two periods, and were outshot 30-28 for the game.
The Leafs did snap a shutout streak against the Sabres which dates back to their last meeting in Buffalo, and spanned over four and a half periods with a goal on the power play.
Pavel Kubina scored the goal which was created off of some good passing, that sucked in the Buffalo defenders to one side of the ice, and that allowed Kubina to pinch, and scored an easy tap in goal. That was Kubina’s first goal in twenty games, and Jason Blake continued his hot streak with an assist.
That was it for the Leafs, even though they showed some energy after that goal, but that was taken away just as they were coming on, and got called for a penalty.
One bright spot in the period was the play of Pogge, as he stopped all thirteen shots he faced, and looked real comfortable, and played to his strengths.
The third period was more defensive than anything for the Sabres, and pretty much stayed back. Toronto did get some chances to maneuver their offence, but again, Miller put up a wall. The Leafs had two real good scoring chances, as Alex Ponikarovsky had a partial break, but was stopped by a sprawling Miller with his left leg. And the second chance came when Miller was down on his stomach, and still managed to stop a Nik Antropov shot through a crowd with his forearm.
To seal the game, Buffalo’s Drew Stafford scored his second power play goal of the game, and has scored eight goals in his last twelve games. Pogge couldn’t control the puck on the initial shot, juggled the puck and let out a bad rebound. After that goal, the Leafs team was done, and looked deflated.
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.
The score, and outcome of the game would’ve been totally different, even in the Leafs’ favor, had they solved Ryan Miller. The Leafs squad jumped out to an early attack, with great promise and energy, but just couldn’t put one past Ryan Miller, in the first ten minutes of the game, that were played to perfection by the Leafs.
With another solid outing by Miller, the rest of the Sabre team chipped in nicely offensively en route to a 4-1 victory in front of a very quiet, and zero energy crowd at the Air Canada Centre.
In the past couple of games the Sabres have really owned the Leafs, especially in the calendar year of 2009 where these two teams have faced off twice. Including tonight’s game, two of the three games have been played in Toronto, and the Sabres have won all three of those games with a combined score of 13-2. Adding to that, the Leafs have now lost their past five home games to the Sabres.
Coming into tonight’s game, Justin Pogge was given his first career start at home, and was appearing in just his fourth NHL game, and two of those have already come against the Sabres. In the two starts versus the Sabres including tonight’s start, nothing has changed. The team in front of Pogge played flat, with no scoring help, and no defense.
Tonight, Pogge wasn’t perfect, nor was he hung out to dry, totally, like in his past stars. The first goal the Sabres scored was on the power play, and was off a quick short side snap shot by Drew Stafford. On that goal, Pogge was too deep in net, and could’ve played more aggressively with his big body, but instead played small.
During the game, Pogge was razzed by the crowd for allowing three goals, which was unfair, if the team in front of him had played better. Pogge showed some holes in his game, but that was a real sad display by the Leafs fans in attendance, that kind of bullshit was uncalled for.
That goal really hurt the Leafs, who had gotten off to a good start, and after that played with no aggression. Whatever the Leafs had done to get off to a good start, Buffalo started to play that way. With that play came two more goals, to head into the second period up 3-0, even after being outshot 15-8.
The second Buffalo goal came off a questionable non call, as the puck was iced but the play still went on. The Sabres’ Tim Connolly sped down the wing and made an excellent pass to Dan Paille to score.
The third Buffalo goal was a weak one let in by Pogge, as it was jammed in at the side of the net. But the goal did come off of some solid work along the boards.
The Leafs did a lot in the first period, but were stunned to be down three zip. They even held the Sabres to record their first shot on goal at 6.45 into the game. The Leafs crashed the net, took smart shots, even hit a few posts, but Miller was too good and was the difference.
After a fifteen shot first period, the Leafs only managed 13 shots combined in the next two periods, and were outshot 30-28 for the game.
The Leafs did snap a shutout streak against the Sabres which dates back to their last meeting in Buffalo, and spanned over four and a half periods with a goal on the power play.
Pavel Kubina scored the goal which was created off of some good passing, that sucked in the Buffalo defenders to one side of the ice, and that allowed Kubina to pinch, and scored an easy tap in goal. That was Kubina’s first goal in twenty games, and Jason Blake continued his hot streak with an assist.
That was it for the Leafs, even though they showed some energy after that goal, but that was taken away just as they were coming on, and got called for a penalty.
One bright spot in the period was the play of Pogge, as he stopped all thirteen shots he faced, and looked real comfortable, and played to his strengths.
The third period was more defensive than anything for the Sabres, and pretty much stayed back. Toronto did get some chances to maneuver their offence, but again, Miller put up a wall. The Leafs had two real good scoring chances, as Alex Ponikarovsky had a partial break, but was stopped by a sprawling Miller with his left leg. And the second chance came when Miller was down on his stomach, and still managed to stop a Nik Antropov shot through a crowd with his forearm.
To seal the game, Buffalo’s Drew Stafford scored his second power play goal of the game, and has scored eight goals in his last twelve games. Pogge couldn’t control the puck on the initial shot, juggled the puck and let out a bad rebound. After that goal, the Leafs team was done, and looked deflated.
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.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
LEAFS END NASTY LOSING SKID; LUKE WITH PREMIERE BUT
That was quite the victory for the Toronto Maple Leafs over their hated rivals, the Montreal Canadiens. If you take into consideration, the Canadiens were about to embark on a six game western road trip, and you’d think they would’ve played like they wanted this game more. But no, the Leafs came up big in every facet of the game and won 5-2.
Even before this game, and the road trip, the Canadiens were playing some pretty bad hockey coming into this game having lost six of their past ten, and had given up 36 goals in that stretch.
In the 693rd edition of this rivalry, the Canadiens continued that trend of late and got outplayed in the first period by a much more aggressive Maple Leafs team that went for the body, took shots, and went after the puck. Quite simply, the Leafs played with heart and passion, something that had been missing.
The Maple Leafs came out of the first period with a 1-0 lead on Luke Schenn’s first career NHL goal which took him 41 games to get, but it was worth it. It wasn’t the fanciest goal, but a smart goal, that was created off a good hard fore check. And Schenn pinched half way down the board as the puck moved towards him, and just put a low shot on net, that went through the legs of Brad May, and through the legs of a deep Carey Price.
The Leafs matched and beat their total shot output of 16 from Thursday night’s embarrassing loss to the Buffalo Sabres, with 18 in the first period. The Leafs more than made up for that debacle tonight.
The first period could’ve gone either way, as the game got off to a fast pace, and both teams traded chances. The Canadiens had the first real good opportunity to score on a 4 on 2 rush, but hit the post on an empty net chance, and once again later in the period.
As the period wore on, the Leafs tightened up and didn’t allow the Canadiens to have a prolonged rush in their zone and held them to five shots. On the flip side, the Leafs played a solid offensive game.
Near the end of the period, Jason Blake was called for a penalty, after the Leafs had trouble stopping the Canadiens’ second real good cycle of the period. And with just 0.7 seconds, Jeff Finger cleared the puck out of play from his own end that cleared the Montreal blue line. That set up the Canadiens with a 5 on 3 advantage to start the second period.
Right off the bat, the Canadiens made good on the power play and tied the game up 25 seconds in. Toronto answered right back, as Public Enemy No. 1 Mikhail Grabovksi showed great determination to fight for the puck at the blue line and keep it in. Which created a mini 2 on 1 down low, and Lee Stempniak fed a wide open Nik Kulemin for an easy goal.
After that, things got chippy between the two teams as Max Pacioretty charged into an already falling Mike Van Ryn into the boards. That hit did it for Van Ryn who had to leave the game. Then the classless captain Saku Koivu dug his stick into the face of Matt Stajan, which somehow went unnoticed. Both players did receive ten minute misconducts for their actions afterwards. From then on, both teams managed to take some real stupid penalties. Most notably were Pavel Kubina with three lazy penalties and Georges Laraque with 9 minutes in penalties, including a fighting major.
Midway through the second, Chris Higgins was sprung on a breakaway, but was stopped by a very solid Vesa Toskala, who played a great game. You could tell he was into this game, even though he had a light first period, but made the big saves when the team needed it and made 31 saves. He challenged the shooters, as he got out right on top of the blue ice, and showed for at least one game, that he can be a good starting goalie.
As for his counterpart Carey Price, he was the complete opposite of Toskala’s game. Price was not into the game, his body language showed that, was very casual on a lot of the shots he faced, and played extremely deep in his crease. He got burned for playing that way, and all five Toronto goals, Price was in the crease, like a scared a church mouse that sticks around in the hole in the wall. His record reflected his play as well, with only 2 wins in 7 games, and a 3.43 GAA since his return from a hip injury.
With the Canadiens in the game, they started to take control of the pace and game, but couldn’t get to Toskala. And the Leafs played laid back in the second period as well, and didn’t show that same killer instinct they showed in the first period and were outshot 15-5. But as the period came to a close, Toronto regained some of its focus, and it showed on a late penalty kill, on which Dominic Moore was able to kill off a lot time and at the same time draw a penalty.
Even though the Leafs started the third frame with a penalty, they were able to kill it off with some good defence, and didn’t stand around and watch the puck. This time, they went at the shooter with active sticks.
Off of some good penalty killing, came the momentum back on the Leafs’ side, and they were able to pot two goals courtesy of Jason Blake’s 18th and 19th goals, for a 4-1 lead. This guy probably has all the momentum in the world right now, and has scored nine goals- 16 points- in his last ten games.
The first goal came off a broken play, as Montreal had trouble clearing their zone and turned the puck over in the neutral zone. Blake slapped the puck, which looked to be on edge, and it fluttered into the net. The second came off a 2 on 1 rush, where Andrei Markov was caught pinching, and Moore and Blake were off. Blake snapped home a perfect shot right under the bar.
Montreal did score to cut the lead in half with nine minutes to go, but the Toronto defence was too good on this night to get cracked for a third goal. With just over a minute to go, Jeff Finger scored off a clean face off win, top shelf, for good measure.
Penalties were a problem for both sides and managed to take a combined 23 penalties for 68 minutes. The Leafs had more penalties, 13, and in minutes, 37, but did a superb job in killing 1/8 penalties. In the past five games, the Canadiens had scored five power play goals, while the Leafs were struggling having gone 2/12 in their past five games.
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.
Even before this game, and the road trip, the Canadiens were playing some pretty bad hockey coming into this game having lost six of their past ten, and had given up 36 goals in that stretch.
In the 693rd edition of this rivalry, the Canadiens continued that trend of late and got outplayed in the first period by a much more aggressive Maple Leafs team that went for the body, took shots, and went after the puck. Quite simply, the Leafs played with heart and passion, something that had been missing.
The Maple Leafs came out of the first period with a 1-0 lead on Luke Schenn’s first career NHL goal which took him 41 games to get, but it was worth it. It wasn’t the fanciest goal, but a smart goal, that was created off a good hard fore check. And Schenn pinched half way down the board as the puck moved towards him, and just put a low shot on net, that went through the legs of Brad May, and through the legs of a deep Carey Price.
The Leafs matched and beat their total shot output of 16 from Thursday night’s embarrassing loss to the Buffalo Sabres, with 18 in the first period. The Leafs more than made up for that debacle tonight.
The first period could’ve gone either way, as the game got off to a fast pace, and both teams traded chances. The Canadiens had the first real good opportunity to score on a 4 on 2 rush, but hit the post on an empty net chance, and once again later in the period.
As the period wore on, the Leafs tightened up and didn’t allow the Canadiens to have a prolonged rush in their zone and held them to five shots. On the flip side, the Leafs played a solid offensive game.
Near the end of the period, Jason Blake was called for a penalty, after the Leafs had trouble stopping the Canadiens’ second real good cycle of the period. And with just 0.7 seconds, Jeff Finger cleared the puck out of play from his own end that cleared the Montreal blue line. That set up the Canadiens with a 5 on 3 advantage to start the second period.
Right off the bat, the Canadiens made good on the power play and tied the game up 25 seconds in. Toronto answered right back, as Public Enemy No. 1 Mikhail Grabovksi showed great determination to fight for the puck at the blue line and keep it in. Which created a mini 2 on 1 down low, and Lee Stempniak fed a wide open Nik Kulemin for an easy goal.
After that, things got chippy between the two teams as Max Pacioretty charged into an already falling Mike Van Ryn into the boards. That hit did it for Van Ryn who had to leave the game. Then the classless captain Saku Koivu dug his stick into the face of Matt Stajan, which somehow went unnoticed. Both players did receive ten minute misconducts for their actions afterwards. From then on, both teams managed to take some real stupid penalties. Most notably were Pavel Kubina with three lazy penalties and Georges Laraque with 9 minutes in penalties, including a fighting major.
Midway through the second, Chris Higgins was sprung on a breakaway, but was stopped by a very solid Vesa Toskala, who played a great game. You could tell he was into this game, even though he had a light first period, but made the big saves when the team needed it and made 31 saves. He challenged the shooters, as he got out right on top of the blue ice, and showed for at least one game, that he can be a good starting goalie.
As for his counterpart Carey Price, he was the complete opposite of Toskala’s game. Price was not into the game, his body language showed that, was very casual on a lot of the shots he faced, and played extremely deep in his crease. He got burned for playing that way, and all five Toronto goals, Price was in the crease, like a scared a church mouse that sticks around in the hole in the wall. His record reflected his play as well, with only 2 wins in 7 games, and a 3.43 GAA since his return from a hip injury.
With the Canadiens in the game, they started to take control of the pace and game, but couldn’t get to Toskala. And the Leafs played laid back in the second period as well, and didn’t show that same killer instinct they showed in the first period and were outshot 15-5. But as the period came to a close, Toronto regained some of its focus, and it showed on a late penalty kill, on which Dominic Moore was able to kill off a lot time and at the same time draw a penalty.
Even though the Leafs started the third frame with a penalty, they were able to kill it off with some good defence, and didn’t stand around and watch the puck. This time, they went at the shooter with active sticks.
Off of some good penalty killing, came the momentum back on the Leafs’ side, and they were able to pot two goals courtesy of Jason Blake’s 18th and 19th goals, for a 4-1 lead. This guy probably has all the momentum in the world right now, and has scored nine goals- 16 points- in his last ten games.
The first goal came off a broken play, as Montreal had trouble clearing their zone and turned the puck over in the neutral zone. Blake slapped the puck, which looked to be on edge, and it fluttered into the net. The second came off a 2 on 1 rush, where Andrei Markov was caught pinching, and Moore and Blake were off. Blake snapped home a perfect shot right under the bar.
Montreal did score to cut the lead in half with nine minutes to go, but the Toronto defence was too good on this night to get cracked for a third goal. With just over a minute to go, Jeff Finger scored off a clean face off win, top shelf, for good measure.
Penalties were a problem for both sides and managed to take a combined 23 penalties for 68 minutes. The Leafs had more penalties, 13, and in minutes, 37, but did a superb job in killing 1/8 penalties. In the past five games, the Canadiens had scored five power play goals, while the Leafs were struggling having gone 2/12 in their past five games.
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.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
LEAFS GET SMACKED
A 5-0 drubbing at the hands of their cross border rivals, the Leafs got ripped by the Buffalo Sabres. It was a combination of turnovers, penalties, bad defense, and just no passion.
Offensively, the Sabres were led by a natural hat-trick from their leading goal scorer Tomas Vanek, who picked up goals 30, 31, and 32. Two of the three goals were scored on the power play.
The Sabres could’ve gotten more as they were given 9 power play opportunities worth 15 minutes. The Buffalo power play looked solid as ever, and had the Leaf defenders standing around. The Sabre players were basically allowed to pass the puck around with ease, and not get interrupted by a Leaf player.
The Sabres team was a recipient of some bad defensive play from the Leafs. That showed throughout the game, with absolutely no heart, no passion, no nothing, from the Leaf players. The Toronto players just didn’t bring it tonight, and they got handled. The Buffalo players took full advantage of a weak effort from the Leafs, and showed their skill, and drove to the net with ease.
As for Justin Pogge, who was only making his third career start, once again got no help from his team and was hung out to dry. Unlike the6-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild, Pogge played a solid game with 27 saves, and was not at fault for any of the goals. Every goal the Sabres scored either came off a bad defensive zone break down, or turnover. And as shocking as this may sound, the 5-0 score was actually low for the Sabres, because the Leafs would’ve lost by more had it not been for Pogge, who came up with at least four solid saves, that could’ve easily been goals.
Right off the bat, the Leafs were outplayed and the Sabres set the tone early on. Just 2.23 into the game, the Sabres controlled the play, had the Leafs scrambling, and Tim Connolly scored on an easy tap in right in front of the net. John Mitchell let Connolly go to the front of the net untouched. That was Connolly’s eighth goal in his last eight games.
After a fantastic toe save on Drew Stafford, Justin Pogge was beaten on beautiful deque by Stafford, as he undressed Mike Van Ryn, and scored top shelf.
The Toronto team looked really fatigued, and it showed big time. The Sabres had this game all locked up after twenty minutes, and just had fun after that. And even if the Leafs tried to get something going, they couldn’t. Either Ryan Miller stoned them, en route to his second straight shutout and tenth win in his last thirteen starts, or the Leaf players just screwed up on their chances. The chances for Toronto were very low too, as they barley tested Miller with 16 weak shots on goal.
Even on the three power plays the Leafs had, they still couldn’t get anything going. It was just a bad game overall, and as a fan, tough to watch. Every game is becoming harder and harder to watch now, especially when the Leafs have given up four or more goals in the past five games, which can now be six.
After the first period, Tomas Vanek took over the game, scored his first of three goals off a rebound on the power play. His second goal, which came in the third, was just a dirty shot that was a perfectly placed slap shot right off the post. To complete the trick, he scored a tap in on a 5 on 3 advantage, that was worked very nicely on some nice passing around a stagnate defensive triangle.
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.
Offensively, the Sabres were led by a natural hat-trick from their leading goal scorer Tomas Vanek, who picked up goals 30, 31, and 32. Two of the three goals were scored on the power play.
The Sabres could’ve gotten more as they were given 9 power play opportunities worth 15 minutes. The Buffalo power play looked solid as ever, and had the Leaf defenders standing around. The Sabre players were basically allowed to pass the puck around with ease, and not get interrupted by a Leaf player.
The Sabres team was a recipient of some bad defensive play from the Leafs. That showed throughout the game, with absolutely no heart, no passion, no nothing, from the Leaf players. The Toronto players just didn’t bring it tonight, and they got handled. The Buffalo players took full advantage of a weak effort from the Leafs, and showed their skill, and drove to the net with ease.
As for Justin Pogge, who was only making his third career start, once again got no help from his team and was hung out to dry. Unlike the6-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild, Pogge played a solid game with 27 saves, and was not at fault for any of the goals. Every goal the Sabres scored either came off a bad defensive zone break down, or turnover. And as shocking as this may sound, the 5-0 score was actually low for the Sabres, because the Leafs would’ve lost by more had it not been for Pogge, who came up with at least four solid saves, that could’ve easily been goals.
Right off the bat, the Leafs were outplayed and the Sabres set the tone early on. Just 2.23 into the game, the Sabres controlled the play, had the Leafs scrambling, and Tim Connolly scored on an easy tap in right in front of the net. John Mitchell let Connolly go to the front of the net untouched. That was Connolly’s eighth goal in his last eight games.
After a fantastic toe save on Drew Stafford, Justin Pogge was beaten on beautiful deque by Stafford, as he undressed Mike Van Ryn, and scored top shelf.
The Toronto team looked really fatigued, and it showed big time. The Sabres had this game all locked up after twenty minutes, and just had fun after that. And even if the Leafs tried to get something going, they couldn’t. Either Ryan Miller stoned them, en route to his second straight shutout and tenth win in his last thirteen starts, or the Leaf players just screwed up on their chances. The chances for Toronto were very low too, as they barley tested Miller with 16 weak shots on goal.
Even on the three power plays the Leafs had, they still couldn’t get anything going. It was just a bad game overall, and as a fan, tough to watch. Every game is becoming harder and harder to watch now, especially when the Leafs have given up four or more goals in the past five games, which can now be six.
After the first period, Tomas Vanek took over the game, scored his first of three goals off a rebound on the power play. His second goal, which came in the third, was just a dirty shot that was a perfectly placed slap shot right off the post. To complete the trick, he scored a tap in on a 5 on 3 advantage, that was worked very nicely on some nice passing around a stagnate defensive triangle.
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.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
RAPTORS’ DEFENSIVE WOES CONTINUE
For the Raptors, this was their second of a four game leg that involves facing four of the top tier teams in the Association. Following a trouncing at the hands of the Orlando Magic 113-90 at Toronto on Sunday, the Raptors were up against the second best team record wise versus the Cavaliers in Cleveland.
Once again, it was another trouncing at the hands of King James and his now worthy cavalry. Unlike the game versus the Magic, the Raptors actually played good quarters, and did show signs of some good solid basketball. But still, it wasn’t enough as the Cavs beat the Raptors 101-83, with a standout performance, as per usual from LeBron James with a game high 33 points.
With those 33 points, LeBron broke another record, because coming into the game, all he needed was thirty points to become the youngest player ever to score 12 000 points. He achieved that mark with ease, as he began the night with 25 first half points. What he did in the first quarter was good enough for a game, for the average NBAer.
James racked up 16 points, by throwing down two dunks, had three continuation calls and made the free throws, and had a three pointer.
By the time the first quarter wrapped up, the Raptors were already down by 22 points at 37-15, on 7/21 shooting. This game looked to be in the bag for the Cavs, but the Raptors picked up their game and made a run in the second and third quarters.
They began the second on a 7-2 run, running most of their plays through Chris Bosh, who at one point had 14 of the thirty Raptor points. Overall, the Raptors did a better job of getting to the rim, and somewhat shut down the Cavs. That was due to LeBron sitting on the bench for the first 6.30 of the second quarter. When he came back, the Cavs went back to their original game plan, but were still outscored 25-22 in the quarter, and the Raptors were only down 59-40.
In the third quarter the Raptors really turned things around and held the Cavs to just 22% shooting, and held James to just 2 points. You can thank Joey Grahame for that excellent defence on James, and he wasn’t too bad offensively either, as Grahame picked up 11 points in thirty solid minutes.
Toronto even cut the lead down to as many as 9 points, and that was the closest they were since the first quarter when it was 22-12 Cleveland. By the end of the quarter the Raptors were just down eight points at 74-66, and had outscored the Cavs 51-37 in the second and third quarters combined.
The inconsistent play of the Raptors showed up though, and haunted them, and got pummeled in the final frame 27-17. Things looked good for the Raptors as they had only five turnovers through the first three quarters and ended with just seven, compared to 19 when the teams first met this season. The Raptors even had the score at a 78-71 deficit, but couldn’t get any closer. And the Cavs proved why they are one of the best teams in the league and defensively, as they showed and played with more intensity. The Raptors couldn’t match it, and it showed as there offensive flow was stopped completely.
For instance, the Raptors had the Cavs pinned at four fouls four minutes into the quarter and just one foul away for getting into a bonus situation. The Raptors shied away from going to the basket and didn’t get into the bonus. The score was 83-73 four minutes in, and that quickly turned into a 15 point lead at 92-77 with about three and a half minutes to play. From there, the rest was history, and it was another ugly loss for the Raptors, and their third straight following a three game win streak.
The Cavs remain perfect at home, pushing their record to a perfect 23-0, and average a 105-89 margin of victory and stayed on suit with the final score.
There were so many problems with the Raptors, from their lack of defensive intensity to point production from certain players.
The Cavs completely shredded the Raptors from the three point line, and with just those points, the Cavs outscored Toronto 33-3. The Cavs shot 11/24 from behind the arc for 45%. Overall, the Cavs shot 46%, compared to the Raptors who shot just 39%.
Speaking of the perimeter, how about the porous effort the Raptor wing players put up against the Cavs. The starting duo of Anthony Parker and Jose Calderon only had 7 points and just 4 points at the half. Looking at the Cavs’ backcourt of Mo Williams and Wally Szczerbiak they had 31 points, and 18 at the half. You could even throw in Daniel Gibson’s 18 points off the bench, which makes the total a ridiculous 49 points.
If the Raptors wing players were remotely in the game, the score would’ve been much closer. Even the bench play from Jason Kapono and Jamario Moon with their point totals of 3 and 1 added to the 7 fall way short of the 31 put up by the Cavs’ starting backcourt. Moon, who has had a horrible season so far, actually went to the free throw line for the first time in eight games. What do you know he split the shots, and that was it for him and his spectacular five minutes of play.
If you look at the frontcourts, both teams were tied at 29 points at the half. The totals for each of the teams’ starting frontcourts were 59 points for the Raptors (Chris Bosh 29, Jermaine O’Neal 20, and Andrea Bargnani 10) and 42 for the Cavs (James 33, Zydrunas Igauskas 6, and Ben Wallace 3).
The Raptors really need their backcourt to step up and make some shots, and have big games. Tonight was a prime example of that.
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.
Once again, it was another trouncing at the hands of King James and his now worthy cavalry. Unlike the game versus the Magic, the Raptors actually played good quarters, and did show signs of some good solid basketball. But still, it wasn’t enough as the Cavs beat the Raptors 101-83, with a standout performance, as per usual from LeBron James with a game high 33 points.
With those 33 points, LeBron broke another record, because coming into the game, all he needed was thirty points to become the youngest player ever to score 12 000 points. He achieved that mark with ease, as he began the night with 25 first half points. What he did in the first quarter was good enough for a game, for the average NBAer.
James racked up 16 points, by throwing down two dunks, had three continuation calls and made the free throws, and had a three pointer.
By the time the first quarter wrapped up, the Raptors were already down by 22 points at 37-15, on 7/21 shooting. This game looked to be in the bag for the Cavs, but the Raptors picked up their game and made a run in the second and third quarters.
They began the second on a 7-2 run, running most of their plays through Chris Bosh, who at one point had 14 of the thirty Raptor points. Overall, the Raptors did a better job of getting to the rim, and somewhat shut down the Cavs. That was due to LeBron sitting on the bench for the first 6.30 of the second quarter. When he came back, the Cavs went back to their original game plan, but were still outscored 25-22 in the quarter, and the Raptors were only down 59-40.
In the third quarter the Raptors really turned things around and held the Cavs to just 22% shooting, and held James to just 2 points. You can thank Joey Grahame for that excellent defence on James, and he wasn’t too bad offensively either, as Grahame picked up 11 points in thirty solid minutes.
Toronto even cut the lead down to as many as 9 points, and that was the closest they were since the first quarter when it was 22-12 Cleveland. By the end of the quarter the Raptors were just down eight points at 74-66, and had outscored the Cavs 51-37 in the second and third quarters combined.
The inconsistent play of the Raptors showed up though, and haunted them, and got pummeled in the final frame 27-17. Things looked good for the Raptors as they had only five turnovers through the first three quarters and ended with just seven, compared to 19 when the teams first met this season. The Raptors even had the score at a 78-71 deficit, but couldn’t get any closer. And the Cavs proved why they are one of the best teams in the league and defensively, as they showed and played with more intensity. The Raptors couldn’t match it, and it showed as there offensive flow was stopped completely.
For instance, the Raptors had the Cavs pinned at four fouls four minutes into the quarter and just one foul away for getting into a bonus situation. The Raptors shied away from going to the basket and didn’t get into the bonus. The score was 83-73 four minutes in, and that quickly turned into a 15 point lead at 92-77 with about three and a half minutes to play. From there, the rest was history, and it was another ugly loss for the Raptors, and their third straight following a three game win streak.
The Cavs remain perfect at home, pushing their record to a perfect 23-0, and average a 105-89 margin of victory and stayed on suit with the final score.
There were so many problems with the Raptors, from their lack of defensive intensity to point production from certain players.
The Cavs completely shredded the Raptors from the three point line, and with just those points, the Cavs outscored Toronto 33-3. The Cavs shot 11/24 from behind the arc for 45%. Overall, the Cavs shot 46%, compared to the Raptors who shot just 39%.
Speaking of the perimeter, how about the porous effort the Raptor wing players put up against the Cavs. The starting duo of Anthony Parker and Jose Calderon only had 7 points and just 4 points at the half. Looking at the Cavs’ backcourt of Mo Williams and Wally Szczerbiak they had 31 points, and 18 at the half. You could even throw in Daniel Gibson’s 18 points off the bench, which makes the total a ridiculous 49 points.
If the Raptors wing players were remotely in the game, the score would’ve been much closer. Even the bench play from Jason Kapono and Jamario Moon with their point totals of 3 and 1 added to the 7 fall way short of the 31 put up by the Cavs’ starting backcourt. Moon, who has had a horrible season so far, actually went to the free throw line for the first time in eight games. What do you know he split the shots, and that was it for him and his spectacular five minutes of play.
If you look at the frontcourts, both teams were tied at 29 points at the half. The totals for each of the teams’ starting frontcourts were 59 points for the Raptors (Chris Bosh 29, Jermaine O’Neal 20, and Andrea Bargnani 10) and 42 for the Cavs (James 33, Zydrunas Igauskas 6, and Ben Wallace 3).
The Raptors really need their backcourt to step up and make some shots, and have big games. Tonight was a prime example of that.
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.
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