Game 28: I'm Back and Apparently So Are The Leafs...

So after a disgusting losing streak that had Leafs Nation calling for the heads of anyone and everyone associated with MLSE the leafs have turned their game around completely and have now won 4 straight...but lets be real here...when they lost 4 everyone was pissed. Now they've won 4 and everyone thinks they're gonna make the playoffs but if you lose 4 then win 4 aren't you just at even after 8 games? It's going to take a lot more to get this team in the playoffs but at least we're heading in the right direction...baby steps...baby steps.

So Toronto beat the Rangers last night 6-2. What was more impressive was that they scored 6 times on 16 shots...Compare that with their win over Nashville that saw them score 3 times on 15 shots and you're starting to think that maybe all the leafs success is starting to come from the recent acquisition of their "Shooter Tutor" purchased from Toys R Us for $18...(all figures CAD)

Nik Antropov recorded his second career hat-trick (his first was 8 years ago vs. Florida)...This hat trick really pissed me off...and yes I'll tell you why...

Well the first goal was really nice. it was the result of hard work and going to the net...lucky for him Lundqvist let up a huge rebound and he was there to put it in...good for him...The next 2 are the ones I don't like. Let's pretend that it was Sundin who tipped Whites shot and not Antropov...

White shoots...Sundin tips...puck goes in...Sundin puts his arms up in celebration then points to White and says "Fuck Yeah!"...everyone hugs and there are a few ass grabs.

Now here is what happens when Nik scores:

White shoots...Antropov tips...puck goes in...Antropov looks at the ref and points at himself and says "I tipped it!"...

Antropov...take a cue from "good players" and don't tell the ref you scored when you tip in a goal. It's a team game. You're not in novice house league anymore. Just play...They'll get it right. They always do. The same thing happened on his 3rd goal when he tipped Kubina's shot...he looked right at the ref...really pisses me off...I digress...

So Toronto plays Boston on Saturday and try to extend their winning streak to 5. I'm not going to go looking through stats (mostly because I'm not a fucking dork) but I wouldn't be surprised if the last time they won 5 straight was pre-lockout...The leafs do have trouble with Boston and I wouldn't be surprised if Rask gets the start for them again...Auld is good but for Rask it's personal...I'll be sitting on the couch having a beer listening to Bob Cole fuck every one's name up and get calls wrong. And if I'm lucky enough I'll get to watch that stupid dyke Cassie Campbell make a fool of her self talking about shit no one cares about...I hate her.

CBC had a pretty cool feature about Hockey Bloggers its a pretty cool feature...for some reason they forgot to put me in there...I guess they have my old number or something. Must have been a production error on their end...maybe next time.

See you Saturday.

Avery To Blake: HaHa You Have Cancer...Or Something Like That...

For Those of you who have not yet heard about the battle between Sean Avery and Darcy Tucker during the pre-game skate on Saturday night let me throw a few notes at you...

Yesterday Howard Berger of the Fan 590 reported that a player in the Rangers' dressing room told him Avery incited the initial jawing session when he directed a comment at Blake about his medical condition...For those of you under a rock Jason Blake has a (treatable) form of cancer known as chronic myelogenous leukemia.

Berger reported Avery's teammate wanted to "strangle" the pesky winger once he heard what was said. Neither Blake nor Tucker would comment on the words that were exchanged on the ice.

NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell has ordered Avery to meet with him this week to explain himself

For once Darcy Tucker actually looks like the classy one..."I'm not going to get into what was said and what was not said. This is out of our hands now and we'll stay out of it," said Tucker.

During this time Avery has been unavailable for comment...So after 72 hours I'm jumping back off the wagon...Avery is a total fucking douche...It's unbelievable that some one even that juvenile would go as low as making fun of a guy for having cancer...FUCKIN' CANCER!...unreal...

Hopefully the league will punish Avery for this mess and he grows a pair of stones and apologizes to Blake...It's just so hard to wrap my head around the fact that a grown man could be so mentally retarded as to say something like that to a person who is ill...whatever...

Check out the full story here...Canada.com

And here is the video of the Pregame fight for those of you who have not seen it...

Games 17 & 18: 2 Games In 2 Nights Starting To Catch Up To The Leafs...

Friday night Toronto was at home away from home against Buffalo at the HSBC arena (which for those of you who don't know is about a dong's length from the border). The arena was more than half full with Leafs fans and it was rockin'...I missed the first period because of my commute but I did listen to it on the radio...It sounded like Toronto was getting out played pretty bad and I found myself to not be in a hurry to get home and watch anymore...When I did turn on the t.v. I was pleasantly surprised with Toronto's play. They had great defensive end coverage and were containing Buffalo's speed to the outside for the final two periods. Raycroft looked great (for once) and managed to get the shutout (6th of his career if I heard correctly)...isn't there a guy in Columbus right now who already has 5 this year alone?...I digress...The boys looked great and managed to capitalize on a struggling Sabres team...thank god...

So with Raycroft doing amazingly well on Friday it would make sense to start him on Saturday vs. the red hot Rangers right?...well that's why you're not a millionaire GM...stupid...apparently it makes more sense to start the guy who got pulled in his last two starts vs. the guy who got a shutout the night before...I guess we're all the retarded ones and JFJ is the genius...

Really nice remembrance day/HHOF ceremony before the game...just though I'd throw that in...

The game was pretty exciting...although it was difficult to watch...I'm not sure if it was because of the wet burps induced by my butter chicken dinner or the fatigue that the Leafs were showing but it was awkward to watch...One thing that I noticed on Saturday that really pisses me off about the Leafs...(it's actually reason #4,302) is how they give up their own blue line when the other team is trying to enter...it's so frustrating to watch it drives me nuts...Next time you watch a Leafs game watch how the opposite team lines up on their blue line when the Leafs are trying to enter (usually 3 on the line with a 4th right behind them) the Leafs have no chance of breaking this wall and are always forced to dump and chase...then look at when the opposing team is trying to come into the leafs zone. the Leafs just allow them to waltz right in (much like Paris' vag) and set up shop for their offensive possession...Just baffels me that with the amount of problems they have in their zone they would try and correct something like letting the other team in their zone in the first place...whatever...

Avery was a pest...like he always is...he's good at it...do I hate him? you bet. Would I want him on my team? In a second...you see Avery is the kind of guy that Tucker wishes he was...and blake too if he wasnt so much like Wendell Borton ...Avery got in the face of Leafs players early and often and was also a bastard on the scoresheet setting up Shanny for the first goal and scoring the second himself (span of :45 seconds in the 2nd)...

The Leafs looked tired and New York was skating circles around them (mostly Jagr)...this guy has mad speed...and he's strong on the puck...Pony scored 2 twice late in the second to tie it at 2-2 but New York ended up winning in the shootout...so Toronto got 3 of 4 points this weekend...not bad but could be better...ohh wait it is better...Because Kubina is out with a bummed knee...whheeeeeeee!

So tomorrow (Tuesday) the Canadiens are in Toronto to face the Leafs and then the Buds are off to Boston for one before hosting the Sens again...where they will probably get embarassed again...then host the Bruins next Tuesday. These next 4 games could really help (or potentially destroy) the Leafs...It will be very interesting to see which team shows up to play...Wishful thinking would have the Leafs comming out of this 2-2 but it think it might be more like 1-3...we'll see...

Game 16: The Boys Are Back...And Stinkier Than Ever...

Many thought that with the return of Mark Bell and Kyle Wellwood the leafs could triumph to victory and put the amazingly hot Senators in their place at Scotiabank...Those same people were completely wrong.

I'll be honest, I don't even want to write about last nights game. Ottawa has completely dominated us for the past two years...Every time we play them we know they're going to be hard. We know they're going to be fast. We know everything about them yet when the puck drops the Leafs are stuck with the butts of their sticks shoved up each others asses like a College st. Congo line.

If there is any plus side to last night Mark Bell looked great and also took the liberty to make Chris Neil's face a lovely punching bag for the last few seconds of the game...Mark Bell will be a great addition to the Leafs...no doubt about it...Ohh yeah Wellwood had a forgettable performance.

What pisses me off the most is the inconsistency the have had this year. I mean if they were shit the whole time then this would be a little easier to handle but they have played a few games (and not many) this year where they looked as good as the Senators if not better. But they can't carry that type of play from night to night. I hate it...You know what? I'm done. I'll write something about the Rangers / Leafs game on Saturday
...right now I just hate the Leafs...More than Bush hates black people.

At least Toronto only has to play Ottawa 5 more times...we're almost half way there...

Game 12: In The Big Apple to Pimp Slap The Rangers

So during the melee that was Saturday I managed to catch 2/3 of the hockey game (Toronto vs Rangers). I watched the first period which saw a very fast paced two way game. The Leafs had New York's top guys in check for the most part and created several opportunities for themselves...but came out with nothing.

The Second period was (from what I heard) pretty impressive. I was in the car and had the pleasure of listening to Mr. Joe Bowen, which is a million times better then the retarded triple entente that is "Hockey Night in Canada" (Bob Cole, Harry Neale and Cassy Campbell) Jagr scored first for the Rangers but the Leafs came right back strong. About 3 minutes after Jaromir scored Kubina riped a shot from the point that found it's way through Lundqvist to tie it up. Pohl and Antropov also scored to put the Leafs up 3-1 after 2.

Toronto fans know all about the two goal leads that seem to disappear. But Saturday was different. I don't know why...it just was. Maybe because Toskala was in net and continuously looking stronger every game. Maybe it was because McCabe is out with the groin injury (insert Bryan groin joke here) Or maybe it was because Tucker was out again with whatever injury he suffered when he ran into the boards like a child learning to stop on skates. What ever it was the Leafs recognized it and made sure it wouldn't happen again. They came out pretty strong and instead of letting the Rangers come to them they kept applying pressure and making sure New York never really got any chances. Kilger scored on an empty net (which was a result of good hustle and negating an icing call) and the Leafs left the big apple with 2 well deserved points...

So with a 2-0 road trip (with impressive play in both games) the leafs are now 2-2 on the road this season and 3-2-3 at home...which makes me ask Washington...Can we play at your place tonight? Toronto's looking good on the road and it might have
something to do with the hostile environment that is the ACC. But with the recent "team" play and productive efforts that have resulted in wins, the sheep in Toronto should finally welcome the blue and white with cheers instead of boo's...well the ones who follow hockey should. I can't speak for the suites that just show up with company tickets and think that Toskala could be rookie of the year...On the bright side...after tonight Toronto will be back on the road for 4...nice...

ohh Bryan, stay out for a bit...we're doing fine without you. Stralman was the only Leafs defenceman with a plus/minus in the red (-1)...Kubina, the second slowest defenceman on the team (next to McCabe) had a +3...no really...he did.

Game 11: If You Can't Win At Home, Go On The Road...

With Toronto desperately needing to get out of town they found themselves in Pittsburgh last night for the first of two consecutive road games. Toronto and Pittsburgh were meeting for the second time this season. The first coming in Toronto when the Penguins handed it to the Leafs 6-4 two Saturdays ago.

Toskala was making his second consecutive start and McCabe was out of the line up (because he blows). Despite playing a great first period Toronto fell 1-0 off a Crosby PPG late in the first. This was only Crosby's 3rd goal all year and lucky for us they've all been against the Leafs (you're welcome Sid). After 20 minutes Toronto surprisingly looked like the better team. Strong play in all 3 zones, fast fore checking and solid back checking were very evident. One nice thing about Crosby's goal from a Leafs fan point of view...When he scored he was completely surrounded by Gill and Antropov...and when you saw the replay of the goal there were two things of note..1) This kid has some serious strength shoveling that puck home and 2) Bryan McCabe wasn't standing 6 feet away watching the whole play...humm very interesting...The Leafs play a strong defensive game and McCabe isn't in the line up...how odd.

The second period saw Toronto come out looking just like they did in the first...not like Toronto. They were fast both ways, fighting hard for the puck and creating lots of turnovers.
Steen scored on Fleury when Antropov did all the work and took it to the net. Alex got a huge rebound and put it away quickly to make it 1-1 about half way through the game. Although Toronto looked like they had the edge it seemed as though it was going to be a one goal game. Fleury was making some pretty huge saves (most notably the toe save on Kilger) and although Toronto was playing well it was going to be difficult to come out of tonight's game with 2 points...That is until Toronto let out it's secret weapon...

Okay so he wasn't really a secret weapon...more of a minor league call-up but hey, the way the Leafs have been playing lately they'll take anything. Jiri Tlusti was called up on Wednesday from the Marlies and unlike other call ups (who do very little and create several turnovers) Tlusti made sure everyone leaving the Mellon last night was saying "Who the hell is Tlusti?...no really, who is this douche?"

Tlusti scored in the third to make it 2-1 TOR. Although it was really a case of being in the right place at the right time. Kubina fanned on the shot that saw the puck drift about 5 feet forward where Steen was waiting to fire the "pass" from Kubina. Steen wired the shot and Jiri was just coasting in front of the net looking for a rebound and before he knew it he had a bruise on his ass (from the puck not rookie initiation) and the puck was behind Fleury...35 seconds later Kubina wired a pass down ice from his own red line to Tlusti who was breaking down the near side (with speed the majority of the Leafs have not seen on their team in quite some time) wired a shot high on Fleury's glove side to make it 3-1...And would eventually be the game winner. Kaberle Scored on a huge slap shot from the top of the circles on a power play to make it 4-1 Toronto and less than a minute after that Deveraux scored on a brutal turnover created Antropov's neanderthal like reach to make it 5-1. Gonchar scored on a 5 on 3 to make it 5-2 but it was too little too late for Pittsburgh and Toronto was just playing too strong.

So Toronto gets their first road win of the season (now 1-1-1) and if they play like this on Saturday in New York then they should be able to come out of this mini road trip 2-0. A few things to note from last nights game...

1) On October 13th when the Penguins won 6-4 Pittsburgh had 52 shots on net. Tonight they only had 25...
2) Gill and Kubina were a combined +3 and on Oct. 13th McCabe alone was a -3...I'm not sayin'...I'm just sayin'
3) McCabe took 3 penalty's on the 13th (holding, interference and tripping) Last night only one penality was given to the Leafs defence and it wasn't because of laziness. Kubina got a delay of game for flipping the puck over the glass...just a brain fart...nothing to do with being slower than your opponent.
4) Pittsburgh started Fleury (the first time an opposing team has started their #1 goalie against the leafs in 7 games)
5) Paul Maurice still looks like a bag of shit and needs to get some sleep. He also needs to get his ties from somewhere other than the salvation army.

So Toronto take on the struggling Rangers on Saturday. If New York was going to have a coming out party (scoring not "scoring") it would be against the Leafs. Let's just hope Raycroft doesn't start...or MaCabe.

Game 10: The Better Team Always Wins...

So Toronto's last home game before their much needed mini road trip saw the Basement dwelling Thrashers take on the sinking (stinking) Leafs. The Leafs had Toskala in net and even the last place team in the league put their back up goalie in to face the Leafs (Hedberg). Sundin scored 13 seconds into the first and Toronto was playing a very "fuck you" kind of game. They were skating hard, winning battles in the corners, using their size against Atlanta's speed and it seemed to be working...for the first 4 minutes anyways. Tobias Endstrom threw a soft one on net that slipped by Toskala and with less than a minute left in the period, Ilya Kovalchuck just skated around every one like pylons in a drill and with an off balance wrist shot that found the back of the net it was 2-1 ATL after one.

In the second frame the Leafs came out strong again and were rewarded with another goal. This time we saw Hal Gill step into a howitzer that beat Hedberg high to tie things at 2-2. Blake and Perrin exchanged goals and with the score 3-3 going into the 3rd it looked like any one's game (and by anyone I mean Atlanta's)

Going into last night's game, Toronto had been outscored 16-8 in third periods. I believe this has to do with a few things...Toronto's lack of speed. With other teams skating around them in the defensive zone (Kovalchuck was a prime example of this last night) the leafs get tired because their defensive coverage is so poor that they resort to holding, interfering, slashing, hooking, tripping and pretty much anything else a big dumb slow guy would do with a stick to slow down a skilled speedy European. This proved to be the case when Todd White and Eric Perrin had 2 2 on 1's in one rush...as they passed the defence twice they arranged a very nice 2-0 and easily put the puck passed a helpless Toskala. With about 2 minutes left Toronto found that great play they lost at the 4 minute mark of the first and came on very strong completly dominating the Thrashers. With a huge scramble in front of Hedberg and just over 9 seconds left, Ponikarovsky shoveled a lose puck past Hedberg to send it to overtime. The ACC was going Bananas.

I am still not a big fan of shootouts...I do think they are exciting but I don't like how two teams play one another for 65 minutes only to have players 1-on-1 with the goalies. It's like having a tied football game and seeing which punter can kick the furthest...I just don't like it. Or maybe i just don't like them because Toronto sucks at them...either way they bug me. This was the first shoot out for either team this year and I'll give you the quick rundown of how the shooters did.

Leafs 1st: Antropov Scores 5-hole

Thrashers 1st: Kozlov Scores

Leafs 2nd: Sundin poke checked (not like it matters though because he would have just shot it at Hedberg's chest)

Thrashers 2nd: Hossa Stopped

Leafs 3rd: Blake stopped on a shit move

Thrashers 3rd: Kovalchuck comes cross ice and puts it back over Toskala's shoulder for the win.

So Atlanta get their first road win of the season (glad we could help) and improve to 2-1 since Bob got fired. Toronto's off to Pittsburgh Thursday then New York to take on the Rangers on Saturday. Pittsburgh will prove to be tough again (especially if they don't play down to the leafs caliber like they did last time) and the struggling Rangers will have a good chance vs the Leafs because...well the leafs just blow.

And one last thing before I go today. Week two pylon as voted by you goes to...

Bryan McCabe With his beautiful overtime winner in Buffalo (on his own net) and sloppy defensive play on recent games (and all the ones before them) he has been Leafs Nation's scapegoat for the past week. Now I can understand him wanting to downplay the own goal to the press since they want to behead him but he really needs to think about what he says before he opens his mouth. The one quote that bugged me the most was the "It's not like it was game 7 of the playoffs...it was game 7 of 82"...yes it was Bryan, but remember what happened last year when you missed the playoffs by a single point?...they all count and I'm really hoping this doesn't come back to haunt us.