Leafs Can't Hold Lead In Loss To Bruins
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TORONTO (CP) -- Tuukka Rask remembers getting the phone call on June 24, 2006, telling him he was no longer a Maple Leaf just a year after Toronto had drafted him.
``It was during the biggest midsummer party in Finland,'' recalled Rask. ``It was 2 a.m., so you can imagine how I felt when they called me. Next day I was kind of surprised and realized what happened.''
He became property of the Boston Bruins with goalie Andrew Raycroft going to Toronto in exchange. Rask was named the game's first star after stopping 30 of 32 shots while the Leafs coughed up a 2-0 lead to lost 4-2 to the Bruins.
Ouch.
``A game like tonight, where we are up two goals and let Boston get back into the game, it's certainly very disappointing,'' said Leafs captain Mats Sundin. ``It was an important game for us.''
The 20-year-old Rask didn't hide the fact that getting his first career NHL win in his first career NHL start against the team that drafted him 21st overall in the 2005 NHL entry draft was sweet indeed.
``Of course, it means a lot,'' Rask said. ``It was fun to play, to show them that I'm good enough to play at this level.''
It was a game Toronto seemingly had in hand. For nearly 50 minutes they played the same boring but effective style that beat the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.
Then the Leafs' sore spot, defensive zone coverage, resurfaced just in time for P.J. Axelsson to tie the game 2-2 at 9:52 of the third period and for Chuck Kobasew to win it with 3:31 left.
Phil Kessel also scored for the Bruins (10-7-2), who beat the Leafs for the second time in less than a week after a 5-2 win at home last Thursday.
Sundin and Bryan McCabe scored for the Maple Leafs (8-9-5), who outshot the Bruins 32-25.
``The frustration now is trying to get a good solid defensive game out of our team,'' said Leafs head coach Paul Maurice. ``We give up 25 shots, not a whole lot, but now we're not generating much offence at the other end.''
The patrons at Air Canada Centre should have asked for their money back. Both the Bruins and Leafs were content with a low-risk, brutally defensive approach that featured dump ins and dump outs and very little else until Boston's late comeback.
The Leafs opened the scoring during a power play 15:10 into the first period. McCabe's pass attempt deflected off Bruins centre Glen Metropolit and behind Rask.
The fluky goal gave Toronto some wings and the Leafs had the better of play for most of the second period.
Sundin then made it 2-0 at 15:36 of the middle period on a goal no NHL goalie should give up, his blast from just inside the blue-line beating Rask _ who was not screened _ on the stick side. To Rask's defence, the puck was on edge when Sundin shot it and had a sinker effect on it.
``It wasn't tipped, but it was a curveball,'' said Rask.
The Bruins came to life when Kessel scored with only 47.9 seconds to go in the second period during a Boston power play. The second-year forward one-timed a nifty pass from behind the net by Kobasew. The goal ended Toskala's personal best shutout streak at 141 minutes 47 seconds.
Boston carried the play into the third period and pressed until finally getting the equalizer. Axelsson scored his first goal of the season at 9:52 when he one-timed a shot into an empty net after a nice deke and pass from Marc Savard that got Toskala to commit.
That set up Kobasew's heroics. The Bruins winger ripped a wrist shot from the slot that beat Toskala on the stick side, then capped the scoring with an empty-netter 26.7 seconds from the end.
Notes: Boston was 1-for-2 on the power play while Toronto was 1-for-4 ... Anaheim Ducks GM Brian Burke took in the game ,,, Sundin's goal moved him into sole possession of 27th all-time on the NHL goal list with 534, one ahead of Frank Mahovlich. Teemu Selanne is Sundin's next target at 540 ... Leafs defenceman Tomas Kaberle had two assists on the night, giving him 300 for his NHL career ... Tim Thomas had started 10 straight games before giving way to Rask on Tuesday. Rask was 7-2-0 with a 2.10 goals-against average in nine AHL games at Providence this season ... Boston goalie Manny Fernandez, out since Oct. 30 with a knee injury, is expected to be activated Wednesday ... The Bruins next play a home-and-home set with the New York Islanders on Friday and Saturday ... The Leafs travel West and play Friday at Dallas followed by a Saturday game at Phoenix.
Canadian Press
Three star selections:
1st: TUUKKA RASK
2nd: TOMAS KABERLE
3rd: MARC SAVARD
Winning Goaltender:
Tuukka Rask
The Leafs let another good draft choice go and yet again it bites them in the ass. Bunch of fck tards that they are. But in typical Leaf fashion they will sign Rask in about five years after he comes back from major knee surgery and have him be a bust, just like Ray(squeezeyourpads)croft.
The Leafs let another good draft choice go and yet again it bites them in the ass. Bunch of fck tards that they are. But in typical Leaf fashion they will sign Rask in about five years after he comes back from major knee surgery and have him be a bust, just like Ray(squeezeyourpads)croft.
I didn't like the Rask trade when it happened, and i still don't today, i thought they should have went a season with Tellqvist and Aubin and had Pogge and Rask for there future and it looks like maybe they picked the wrong goalie to trade as Rask is already in the NHL and Pogge is backup to Clemmensen in the minors.
London 2005
Toronto 2011 night 2
Hamilton 2011
London 2013
Well they did have a 2-0 lead, then next thing it was 2-2 and then a shot Toskala shoulda had made it 3-2 and an empty net goal 4-2 the final.
A shot Toskala SHOULD have had...sounds like TO vs MTL... a bunch of shots Huet SHOULD have had
Boston was probably PO'd after an embarassing loss to Montreal...kinda like Ottawa was mad at losing to you.
Another Long Season's Star Reporter, Even Flow?, has not been seen around the office for some time, and friends and family members have been unable to locate or contact him, police said.
Well known for reporting the painfully truthful woes of the Toronto Maple Leafs, using a confident stream of wit and humor to ease the mental burden TML fans must no doubt be hampered with. Even Flow? had been assigned the job of Maple Leaf coverage as a young penner, whom management staff initially thought was another flash-in-the-pan writer.
Joe Periliggini, CEO of ALS, said: "Initially I thought the kid was just another cocky young jackass, so I put him on the Maple Leafs to get rid of him. I figured he'd last a week, maybe two, and that'd be the end of 'em. I wish I had paid more attention though, not only did he take the crappiest job any reporter on the planet could possibly take, but he took it with a smile and gave me back some of the best damn reporting I have ever seen!"
When asked why he kept Flow on the garbage run, Mr. Periliggini replied: "Well I wanted him for the front page, but we can't put the Maple Leafs on the front page. And it turned out he might be the only guy in the city - no!, the country - no! the world!, that can take the Maple Leaves gig and turn it into reporting. Wait...did I say Leaves? That's wrong, but it's right, you know what I mean? I mean Leafs is wrong, but it's also right. Wait..."
Flow is not required to give any vacation notice in the office, so it is plausible that he simply took his early vacation time on a trip to Detroit to get back into watchable hockey.
In related news, the Toronto Maple Leaves finally bumbled their way to a win against the lowly Atlanta Thrashers, saving Head Office, modern-day Krusty the Clown, John Ferguson Jr.'s job.
Ilya Kovalchuk, apparently Atlanta's only player, said the blame is mostly his. "Well oftentimes beat the Leafs I have can, but tonight blame fall to my heels. I score just goal. It only Toskola....I should make 5 per game." http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=223982&hubname=nhl
Another Long Season's Star Reporter, Even Flow?, has not been seen around the office for some time, and friends and family members have been unable to locate or contact him, police said.
Well known for reporting the painfully truthful woes of the Toronto Maple Leafs, using a confident stream of wit and humor to ease the mental burden TML fans must no doubt be hampered with. Even Flow? had been assigned the job of Maple Leaf coverage as a young penner, whom management staff initially thought was another flash-in-the-pan writer.
Joe Periliggini, CEO of ALS, said: "Initially I thought the kid was just another cocky young jackass, so I put him on the Maple Leafs to get rid of him. I figured he'd last a week, maybe two, and that'd be the end of 'em. I wish I had paid more attention though, not only did he take the crappiest job any reporter on the planet could possibly take, but he took it with a smile and gave me back some of the best damn reporting I have ever seen!"
When asked why he kept Flow on the garbage run, Mr. Periliggini replied: "Well I wanted him for the front page, but we can't put the Maple Leafs on the front page. And it turned out he might be the only guy in the city - no!, the country - no! the world!, that can take the Maple Leaves gig and turn it into reporting. Wait...did I say Leaves? That's wrong, but it's right, you know what I mean? I mean Leafs is wrong, but it's also right. Wait..."
Flow is not required to give any vacation notice in the office, so it is plausible that he simply took his early vacation time on a trip to Detroit to get back into watchable hockey.
In related news, the Toronto Maple Leaves finally bumbled their way to a win against the lowly Atlanta Thrashers, saving Head Office, modern-day Krusty the Clown, John Ferguson Jr.'s job.
Ilya Kovalchuk, apparently Atlanta's only player, said the blame is mostly his. "Well oftentimes beat the Leafs I have can, but tonight blame fall to my heels. I score just goal. It only Toskola....I should make 5 per game." http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=223982&hubname=nhl
Classic!
I'll see if I can get back from the beach this afternoon to hype the upcoming Saturday night tilt with the Pens. Damn new job taking me away from my fun.
I'll see if I can get back from the beach this afternoon to hype the upcoming Saturday night tilt with the Pens. Damn new job taking me away from my fun.
Well we have the back-staff filling in if you don't make it!
The Leafs bring their league worst goals against record into Saturday nights tilt with the Penguins. The Leafs are riding a one game winning streak into the weekend after doubling up the Thrashers of Atlanta, who are second only to the Leafs in goals allowed on themselves. They will get a Penguin team that will be hosting the Stars tonight and may just be a little worn out from the back to back games. The Leafs can only hope.
After a slow start the big boys on the Pens are starting to find the net and in general some points. Sid the kid has climbed to number five in total points in the league. Suprisingly only two points ahead of Mats Sundin. But when your only known name on your team is Mats Sundin, he better be up in the leagues elite.
No matter the outcome of tonights game for Pitt, they can tie the Leafs in total points by winning at the hanger Saturday. A win or tie against Dallas tonight and then a win in Toronto would drop Toronto another step closer to cellar dweller of the entire league. If it were not for the Washington Capitals who resemble the Washington Generals ala Globetrotter days, the Leafs would be finding it very hard to not occupy the basement for a couple of days or weeks or maybe months this year.
The controversy over who should get the boot from the Toronto organization came to a halt with the big win last night in Atlanta. You know what they say behind closed doors in the NHL dressing rooms. "Washington, Atlanta and then Toronto are good for what ails a losing streak". Source of quote: many a player. So we will see Ferguson on our t.v.'s tomorrow night working that patend Darcy Tucker scowl to perfection. Then we will see Tucker himself do it as he skates to and then sits in the penalty box. Note to Darcy: the look is stale please find another one.
Since this writer has predicted final outcomes of a Leaf loss twice and been wrong both times. You'd think I may choose Toronto in this tilt. Alas, no! I think that the goalie rotation that we have seen at the Hanger recently will continue and both Toskola and Raycroft will get their underwear wet with sweat from more then just the pregame skate. Watch for a better performance in goal from whoever the Pens will start, which will thwart the two sided shoot out we witnessed last time they met in Toronto. My prediction for the game is a comfortable 6-3 win for the Pens.
As noted from the new hire on the staff, Rygar. I have been away from my desk recently and I would like to thank Ry for turning in a top notch performance. He is more then welcome to join in even with my return to the desk as we seem to have lost the "homer" from our reporting team who had to taunt a fellow journalist a little too much after the Leafs started their slide and he hadn't realized that the paper had got the final score wrong of the Leaf game and had it quoted as a win, when it was really there third loss in a row. We appoligize for his behaviour and wish him the best while he cools his heels and thinks about his misdemeaner. I will know quote one of the best hockey films ever in his absence. Slapshot: You go to da box, feel shame and then two minutes later you are free. May you return soon.
Well thanks for ur posts guy's, now as for my Leafs i think they should have put Blake on the ice in the final minute to try to end his goaless streak, but who knows the way he's going he might have missed an empty net lol.
London 2005
Toronto 2011 night 2
Hamilton 2011
London 2013
Canadian Press Nov 30, 2007, 3:45 PM EST
Gill Video from Friday's practice: Maurice | Wellwood | Stajan | Blake
TORONTO (CP) -- It's a start.
The gloom that enveloped the Toronto Maple Leafs lightened following a 4-2 win in Atlanta on Thursday night and the talk after practice Friday was of better days ahead.
The Leafs face a visiting Pittsburgh club which has its own problems on Saturday night (CBC, 7 p.m. ET).
``It's a start for our team,'' said coach Paul Maurice. ``I'm not trying to sell that we're real happy about where we are.
``There are good things creeping into our game but we have to eliminate the things that have plagued us. It was one win. We're not by any means out of the woods or where we want to be. The important thing is that in that (dressing) room they understand what they did well, what we need to improve on, and have confidence that they're getting better, and that's what we're trying to do.''
Nobody was doing cartwheels, but smiles came easier.
``We're trying to stay never too high and never too low but, definitely, it's good to get a win and get that monkey off our backs, so to speak,'' said defenceman Hal Gill. ``We've played well the last two games and we just want to keep going that way.
``I know in Toronto things can get magnified when you're not playing well, which is how it should be. You're held accountable. But it's a long season and we have a lot of time to make up some wins that we might have missed along the way.''
Alex Steen and centre Matt Stajan ended scoring droughts in Atlanta and their line, with Boyd Devereaux, is becoming a key unit behind Mats Sundin's first line.
``Boyd has been working his tail off for a month - since he got over his injury,'' said Maurice. ``His work ethic is just incredible.
``These guys play a critical role because it's either Sundin's line or Stajan's line that faces the other team's best line. They have a major impact on whether our team succeeds or fails.''
Sundin has been skating with Nik Antropov and Mark Bell.
Sundin has harped on the need for consistency to end the rollercoaster ride that has seen the Leafs play a good game and follow it with a poor effort, come back with a good performance, and then have another bad one. It's easier said than done for this team. They need a win over the Penguins to break the cycle.
``The most important part of our game is to make sure we bring that work ethic that we've had the last couple of games,'' said Steen. ``Moving forward, we really need to bring it on a nightly basis.''
Maurice can't say enough about Sundin's leadership.
``The captain is doing an incredible job of keeping everybody focused,'' he said. ``He's doing an outstanding job.
``He's something else. He is constantly in that room setting the tone, making sure everybody is on board, making sure everybody understands what they need to do to fight through things. He is an absolutely outstanding captain.''
Alexei Ponikarovsky, who has missed the last two games with a groin injury, went through the full practice Friday and will decide after the morning skate if he'll face the Penguins.
``If he feels good and strong then we'll most likely put him in,'' said Maurice.
Pavel Kubina, who has been out since Nov. 10 with a knee injury, also practised. He moved well and the pain in the hinge has waned.
``We're hoping sometime mid-week we can get him back into a full-contact practice and go from there,'' said Maurice.
Jiri Tlusty skated, too, but the sore shoulder that has kept him out of three games will likely keep him on the shelf for now.
Toronto has 24 of a possible 52 points so taking three of a possible four in their last two games is an improvement.
``The guys are excited to keep it going,'' said Devereaux. ``We're taking baby steps as far as doing little things much more consistently and, yeah, the guys are excited to continue on and try to string a few wins together.''
Leafs Ice Pens, Win Second Straight
Recap | Box | Stats | Pics Pre | Game in 6 | Maurice
TORONTO - A little boy named Joey is in for a big surprise.
Mark Bell scored his first goal for the Toronto Maple Leafs, helping them beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 Saturday night, and said afterwards that he'd be giving the puck to his five-year-old nephew in St. Paul's, Ont.
"He's a little guy fighting for his life every day,'' said Bell. "He wears my jersey every game."
"He's got a home and away jersey. He'll love it.''
Joey, the son of Bell's sister, has been in a wheelchair his whole life.
"They gave him four weeks to live and he's five now and will be six soon,'' said his uncle. "It puts things in perspective when you go home and see the little guy. I go see him every chance I get.''
Bell scored his first NHL goal against Patrick Roy six years ago. His career best is 25 goals in 2005-2006 with Chicago. He came to Toronto along with goalie Vesa Toskala in an off-season trade with San Jose. He was looking for a fresh start.
Bell was arrested last September and pleaded no contest to criminal drunk driving. He's due to spend up to six months in a California jail after the season. He sat out the first 15 games, while under league suspension and didn't score in his first 11 outings with his new team.
"This is right up there,'' he said of his first goal in the blue and white. "Scoring a goal for the Toronto Maple Leafs is a pretty special thing.''
Jason Blake, with his first goal since Oct. 18, Nikolai Antropov and Alexei Ponikarovsky, with an empty-netter with 58 seconds left, also scored for the Leafs, who would have won by a wider margin if they'd cashed in more of their umpteen scoring chances.
Mats Sundin set up Bell's goal and the assist stretched his consecutive-games point streak from the start of the season to 15, breaking an 83-year-old Toronto record. Babe Dye went 14 games in 1924-25.
Toskala earned the goaltending victory. The Finn has emerged as the team's No. 1 goalie after alternating with Andrew Raycroft earlier on. This was Toskala's third straight start and sixth in the last seven games.
"(Toskala) played well,'' said Penguins star Sidney Crosby. "I think we could've done a better job of getting some traffic in front but he made some big saves _ a breakaway, some odd-man rushes _ so you definitely have to give him some credit.''
Ryan Malone and Erik Christensen scored third-period goals for the Penguins after they'd fallen behind 3-0.
Toronto outshot Pittsburgh 41-32.
The Penguins flew in after a 4-1 home win over Dallas on Friday night and didn't have as much jump as the Leafs.
Bell opened the scoring with his first goal since last April 5 when he played for San Jose. Pittsburgh defenceman Mark Eaton screened goalie Dany Sabourin.
"Mats gave me a great pass and I tried to release it as fast as I could and get it on net,'' said Bell. ``I've been kind of snake-bit the last couple of games around the net, so I was really relieved to get that one.''
Blake had scored only two goals on 115 shots, sixth-most in the league, before beating Sabourin at 2:01 of the second period for his first goal in 19 games. Kyle Wellwood carried the puck on a 2-on-0 rush and generously passed, so Blake could put one in.
"It hasn't been the start I was looking for coming into Toronto,'' said Blake. "It felt great that one finally went in for me.
"It's not that I haven't been getting my chances. That's the frustrating part, but my goal is to stay positive, work hard, keep my chin up and keep shooting.''
Crosby fell in the middle of the second period when he was tripped by Toskala, who was penalized, and was grimacing in pain on the bench. Crosby shook it off and was on the ice for his next shift.
"It's all right,'' he said. "I twisted my foot a bit, but, other than that, it's fine. It was my ankle. Just a bruise.''
Antropov got credit for his 10th goal when a Bryan McCabe wrist shot caromed off him and past Sabourin at 14:09 of the second period. Antropov had gone 10 games without a goal.
This one came on a power play, ending a 0-for-19 Leafs drought including 0-4 in this game.
Malone got credit for his eighth goal at 8:15 of the third period when Toskala kicked out a Colby Armstrong lob only to have the puck come right back at him off the onrushing Malone.
Christensen scored on a power play at 17:55 after Sundin was sent off for hooking Evgeni Malkin. The puck rolled up Toskala's arm and dropped over his shoulder and into the net for Christensen's third goal of the season.
Crosby got an assist to avoid being held without a point for only the third time this season.
"We had some chances to tie it up in the third, but I don't think we gave ourselves a good chance in the first two periods,'' Crosby said.
Toronto has won two in a row for the first time since Oct. 27.
Notes: Toronto was 1-for-6 and Pittsburgh 1-for-4 on power plays...Ponikarovsky returned after missing two games with a sore groin...C Jiri Tlusty missed a fourth straight game with a bruised collarbone...LW Bates Battaglia was a healthy scratch for the seventh time in the last eight games...D Pavel Kubina, who has missed nine games with a damaged knee ligament, should be ready to play within a week...RW Mark Recchi was a healthy scratch for the fifth game in a row as the Penguins try to trade him...LW Gary Roberts has only one goal (Oct. 17) for the Penguins in 24 games...D Sergei Gonchar, who was leading all NHL defencemen with 24 points, sat out for the second night in a row with a strained groin muscle...The Leafs stay home to play Nashville on Tuesday, go to New York to face the Rangers on Thursday and are back home against Boston on Saturday...The Penguins are at home against Phoenix on Monday and then hit the road for games in Edmonton on Wednesday, Calgary on Thursday and Vancouver on Saturday.
Associated Press
Three star selections:
1st: VESA TOSKALA
2nd: NIK ANTROPOV
3rd: JASON BLAKE
Winning Goaltender:
Vesa Toskala
Beating two teams below you in the standings should not be a legit "winning streak". The Laughs are up against to okay teams this week so we shall see if the streak can be kept alive.
Beating two teams below you in the standings should not be a legit "winning streak". The Laughs are up against to okay teams this week so we shall see if the streak can be kept alive.
Predators-Maple Leafs PreviewDec 4, 2007, 7:30 PM ET
TV Information
Local Home:
SNET-O
The Nashville Predators are finding ways to win on the road after failing to do so for the first month of the season.
After a dramatic comeback victory their last time out, the Predators try to complete a perfect three-game road trip when they face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.
Nashville (13-9-2) was outscored 21-3 in losing all five of its road games in October, but has since gone 6-1-1 away from home while scoring 30 goals.
The Predators opened their current road trip in Ottawa on Thursday, and won 6-5 on Martin Erat's goal with 22.2 seconds to play after blowing a two-goal lead in the third period.
On Saturday in Montreal, the Predators scored four goals in the third to tie the game before Radek Bonk and Erat scored in the shootout to give Nashville a 5-4 win. The Predators scored three straight goals after falling behind 4-1 with 9:19 remaining, and Bonk's goal with 46.8 seconds left in regulation sent the game to overtime.
"It just showed how resilient our team can be," Nashville coach Barry Trotz said. "(The Canadiens) score right at the end of that power play and we stayed with it."
The Predators can wrap up their first perfect three-game road trip since Oct. 16-19, 2006 with a win over a Maple Leafs team which has lost seven of its last nine home games.
Nashville starting goaltender Chris Mason was pulled after allowing two goals on six shots just under 14 minutes into Saturday's game.
Dan Ellis relieved Mason, and stopped 18 of 20 shots to continue his impressive start. Ellis, whose only NHL start before this season came on Feb. 18, 2004 for Dallas, improved to 6-0-0 with a 2.00 goals-against average and two shutouts on the season.
Neither goalie has ever faced Toronto.
The Predators beat the Maple Leafs 4-2 on Feb. 8 in their only meeting last season. Nashville is 5-2-0 with one tie all-time against the Leafs, but have not visited Toronto sine a 2-1 loss on Jan. 6, 2004.
The Maple Leafs (10-11-6) are coming off a 4-2 victory over Pittsburgh on Saturday to win their second straight following a season-high four-game losing streak. Toronto has not won three straight since winning five in a row Jan. 27-Feb. 6.
Jason Blake ended an 18-game goal-scoring drought with a score in the second period on Saturday. Blake, who had a career-high 40 goals last season with the New York Islanders before signing with the Maple Leafs in July, entered Saturday's game with just two goals despite taking 115 shots, sixth-most in the league.
"It hasn't been the start I was looking for coming into Toronto," said Blake, who has 16 assists. "It felt great that one finally went in for me.
"It's not that I haven't been getting my chances. That's the frustrating part, but my goal is to stay positive, work hard, keep my chin up and keep shooting."
Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin, who already holds Toronto franchise records for goals (401) and points (942), set another club record against the Penguins. Sundin recorded two assists on Saturday to stretch his point streak in home games from the start of the season to 15, breaking Babe Dye's record of 14 in 1924-25.
Sundin, who has eight goals and 16 assists at the Air Canada Centre this season, has three goals and five assists in seven career games against Nashville.
Vesa Toskala, who has emerged as Toronto's No. 1 goalie after alternating with Andrew Raycroft, made his third straight start and sixth in seven games on Saturday.
Toskala stopped 30 shots against Pittsburgh, and is 3-2-1 with a 2.17 GAA and a shutout since Nov. 17. He had a rough outing in his last start against the Predators on Feb. 14 while with San Jose, allowing two goals on five shots and getting pulled after just 10 minutes of a 5-0 loss. Toskala is 2-3-0 with a 2.89 GAA all-time versus Nashville.
Three in a row! First place in their sights! I am personally going to start picking garbage off of Yonge Street to get ready for the parade. The streak will hit a bump in the road when NYR is the opponent.
Comments
Toronto 2011 night 2
Hamilton 2011
London 2013
Only to have them steamroll the Habs tonight...
st. john's newfoundland, sept. 25/2005
Ulmer's Blog | Pics | Stats | Box : Pre-Game | Ulmer's Rant | Game In Six | Post Game
TORONTO (CP) -- Tuukka Rask remembers getting the phone call on June 24, 2006, telling him he was no longer a Maple Leaf just a year after Toronto had drafted him.
``It was during the biggest midsummer party in Finland,'' recalled Rask. ``It was 2 a.m., so you can imagine how I felt when they called me. Next day I was kind of surprised and realized what happened.''
He became property of the Boston Bruins with goalie Andrew Raycroft going to Toronto in exchange. Rask was named the game's first star after stopping 30 of 32 shots while the Leafs coughed up a 2-0 lead to lost 4-2 to the Bruins.
Ouch.
``A game like tonight, where we are up two goals and let Boston get back into the game, it's certainly very disappointing,'' said Leafs captain Mats Sundin. ``It was an important game for us.''
The 20-year-old Rask didn't hide the fact that getting his first career NHL win in his first career NHL start against the team that drafted him 21st overall in the 2005 NHL entry draft was sweet indeed.
``Of course, it means a lot,'' Rask said. ``It was fun to play, to show them that I'm good enough to play at this level.''
It was a game Toronto seemingly had in hand. For nearly 50 minutes they played the same boring but effective style that beat the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.
Then the Leafs' sore spot, defensive zone coverage, resurfaced just in time for P.J. Axelsson to tie the game 2-2 at 9:52 of the third period and for Chuck Kobasew to win it with 3:31 left.
Phil Kessel also scored for the Bruins (10-7-2), who beat the Leafs for the second time in less than a week after a 5-2 win at home last Thursday.
Sundin and Bryan McCabe scored for the Maple Leafs (8-9-5), who outshot the Bruins 32-25.
``The frustration now is trying to get a good solid defensive game out of our team,'' said Leafs head coach Paul Maurice. ``We give up 25 shots, not a whole lot, but now we're not generating much offence at the other end.''
The patrons at Air Canada Centre should have asked for their money back. Both the Bruins and Leafs were content with a low-risk, brutally defensive approach that featured dump ins and dump outs and very little else until Boston's late comeback.
The Leafs opened the scoring during a power play 15:10 into the first period. McCabe's pass attempt deflected off Bruins centre Glen Metropolit and behind Rask.
The fluky goal gave Toronto some wings and the Leafs had the better of play for most of the second period.
Sundin then made it 2-0 at 15:36 of the middle period on a goal no NHL goalie should give up, his blast from just inside the blue-line beating Rask _ who was not screened _ on the stick side. To Rask's defence, the puck was on edge when Sundin shot it and had a sinker effect on it.
``It wasn't tipped, but it was a curveball,'' said Rask.
The Bruins came to life when Kessel scored with only 47.9 seconds to go in the second period during a Boston power play. The second-year forward one-timed a nifty pass from behind the net by Kobasew. The goal ended Toskala's personal best shutout streak at 141 minutes 47 seconds.
Boston carried the play into the third period and pressed until finally getting the equalizer. Axelsson scored his first goal of the season at 9:52 when he one-timed a shot into an empty net after a nice deke and pass from Marc Savard that got Toskala to commit.
That set up Kobasew's heroics. The Bruins winger ripped a wrist shot from the slot that beat Toskala on the stick side, then capped the scoring with an empty-netter 26.7 seconds from the end.
Notes: Boston was 1-for-2 on the power play while Toronto was 1-for-4 ... Anaheim Ducks GM Brian Burke took in the game ,,, Sundin's goal moved him into sole possession of 27th all-time on the NHL goal list with 534, one ahead of Frank Mahovlich. Teemu Selanne is Sundin's next target at 540 ... Leafs defenceman Tomas Kaberle had two assists on the night, giving him 300 for his NHL career ... Tim Thomas had started 10 straight games before giving way to Rask on Tuesday. Rask was 7-2-0 with a 2.10 goals-against average in nine AHL games at Providence this season ... Boston goalie Manny Fernandez, out since Oct. 30 with a knee injury, is expected to be activated Wednesday ... The Bruins next play a home-and-home set with the New York Islanders on Friday and Saturday ... The Leafs travel West and play Friday at Dallas followed by a Saturday game at Phoenix.
Canadian Press
Three star selections:
1st: TUUKKA RASK
2nd: TOMAS KABERLE
3rd: MARC SAVARD
Winning Goaltender:
Tuukka Rask
Losing Goaltender:
Vesa Toskala
http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=Recap&seas=20072008>ype=2&gnum=297
Toronto 2011 night 2
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its an amazing cycle in hockey
Toronto 2011 night 2
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Toronto 2011 night 2
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A shot Toskala SHOULD have had...sounds like TO vs MTL... a bunch of shots Huet SHOULD have had
Boston was probably PO'd after an embarassing loss to Montreal...kinda like Ottawa was mad at losing to you.
WHO KILLED KENNY? Where the fuck is the boy?
http://www.anotherlongseason.ca
Another Long Season's Star Reporter, Even Flow?, has not been seen around the office for some time, and friends and family members have been unable to locate or contact him, police said.
Well known for reporting the painfully truthful woes of the Toronto Maple Leafs, using a confident stream of wit and humor to ease the mental burden TML fans must no doubt be hampered with. Even Flow? had been assigned the job of Maple Leaf coverage as a young penner, whom management staff initially thought was another flash-in-the-pan writer.
Joe Periliggini, CEO of ALS, said: "Initially I thought the kid was just another cocky young jackass, so I put him on the Maple Leafs to get rid of him. I figured he'd last a week, maybe two, and that'd be the end of 'em. I wish I had paid more attention though, not only did he take the crappiest job any reporter on the planet could possibly take, but he took it with a smile and gave me back some of the best damn reporting I have ever seen!"
When asked why he kept Flow on the garbage run, Mr. Periliggini replied: "Well I wanted him for the front page, but we can't put the Maple Leafs on the front page. And it turned out he might be the only guy in the city - no!, the country - no! the world!, that can take the Maple Leaves gig and turn it into reporting. Wait...did I say Leaves? That's wrong, but it's right, you know what I mean? I mean Leafs is wrong, but it's also right. Wait..."
Flow is not required to give any vacation notice in the office, so it is plausible that he simply took his early vacation time on a trip to Detroit to get back into watchable hockey.
In related news, the Toronto Maple Leaves finally bumbled their way to a win against the lowly Atlanta Thrashers, saving Head Office, modern-day Krusty the Clown, John Ferguson Jr.'s job.
Ilya Kovalchuk, apparently Atlanta's only player, said the blame is mostly his. "Well oftentimes beat the Leafs I have can, but tonight blame fall to my heels. I score just goal. It only Toskola....I should make 5 per game."
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=223982&hubname=nhl
Oh shit, there you are. Back from your vacation already?
Here I spent all that time typing.
Classic!
I'll see if I can get back from the beach this afternoon to hype the upcoming Saturday night tilt with the Pens.
Well we have the back-staff filling in if you don't make it!
The Leafs bring their league worst goals against record into Saturday nights tilt with the Penguins. The Leafs are riding a one game winning streak into the weekend after doubling up the Thrashers of Atlanta, who are second only to the Leafs in goals allowed on themselves. They will get a Penguin team that will be hosting the Stars tonight and may just be a little worn out from the back to back games. The Leafs can only hope.
After a slow start the big boys on the Pens are starting to find the net and in general some points. Sid the kid has climbed to number five in total points in the league. Suprisingly only two points ahead of Mats Sundin. But when your only known name on your team is Mats Sundin, he better be up in the leagues elite.
No matter the outcome of tonights game for Pitt, they can tie the Leafs in total points by winning at the hanger Saturday. A win or tie against Dallas tonight and then a win in Toronto would drop Toronto another step closer to cellar dweller of the entire league. If it were not for the Washington Capitals who resemble the Washington Generals ala Globetrotter days, the Leafs would be finding it very hard to not occupy the basement for a couple of days or weeks or maybe months this year.
The controversy over who should get the boot from the Toronto organization came to a halt with the big win last night in Atlanta. You know what they say behind closed doors in the NHL dressing rooms. "Washington, Atlanta and then Toronto are good for what ails a losing streak". Source of quote: many a player. So we will see Ferguson on our t.v.'s tomorrow night working that patend Darcy Tucker scowl to perfection. Then we will see Tucker himself do it as he skates to and then sits in the penalty box. Note to Darcy: the look is stale please find another one.
Since this writer has predicted final outcomes of a Leaf loss twice and been wrong both times. You'd think I may choose Toronto in this tilt. Alas, no! I think that the goalie rotation that we have seen at the Hanger recently will continue and both Toskola and Raycroft will get their underwear wet with sweat from more then just the pregame skate. Watch for a better performance in goal from whoever the Pens will start, which will thwart the two sided shoot out we witnessed last time they met in Toronto. My prediction for the game is a comfortable 6-3 win for the Pens.
As noted from the new hire on the staff, Rygar. I have been away from my desk recently and I would like to thank Ry for turning in a top notch performance. He is more then welcome to join in even with my return to the desk as we seem to have lost the "homer" from our reporting team who had to taunt a fellow journalist a little too much after the Leafs started their slide and he hadn't realized that the paper had got the final score wrong of the Leaf game and had it quoted as a win, when it was really there third loss in a row. We appoligize for his behaviour and wish him the best while he cools his heels and thinks about his misdemeaner. I will know quote one of the best hockey films ever in his absence. Slapshot: You go to da box, feel shame and then two minutes later you are free. May you return soon.
Good to have ya back EF!
"Maybe you is just another dumb English pig."
Toronto 2011 night 2
Hamilton 2011
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Lookee who done showed up.
The Leafs should keep Bloke off the ice. Seems that unless your Mats Sundin, wearing a Leaf uniform drains your skills!
Gill Video from Friday's practice: Maurice | Wellwood | Stajan | Blake
TORONTO (CP) -- It's a start.
The gloom that enveloped the Toronto Maple Leafs lightened following a 4-2 win in Atlanta on Thursday night and the talk after practice Friday was of better days ahead.
The Leafs face a visiting Pittsburgh club which has its own problems on Saturday night (CBC, 7 p.m. ET).
``It's a start for our team,'' said coach Paul Maurice. ``I'm not trying to sell that we're real happy about where we are.
``There are good things creeping into our game but we have to eliminate the things that have plagued us. It was one win. We're not by any means out of the woods or where we want to be. The important thing is that in that (dressing) room they understand what they did well, what we need to improve on, and have confidence that they're getting better, and that's what we're trying to do.''
Nobody was doing cartwheels, but smiles came easier.
``We're trying to stay never too high and never too low but, definitely, it's good to get a win and get that monkey off our backs, so to speak,'' said defenceman Hal Gill. ``We've played well the last two games and we just want to keep going that way.
``I know in Toronto things can get magnified when you're not playing well, which is how it should be. You're held accountable. But it's a long season and we have a lot of time to make up some wins that we might have missed along the way.''
Alex Steen and centre Matt Stajan ended scoring droughts in Atlanta and their line, with Boyd Devereaux, is becoming a key unit behind Mats Sundin's first line.
``Boyd has been working his tail off for a month - since he got over his injury,'' said Maurice. ``His work ethic is just incredible.
``These guys play a critical role because it's either Sundin's line or Stajan's line that faces the other team's best line. They have a major impact on whether our team succeeds or fails.''
Sundin has been skating with Nik Antropov and Mark Bell.
Sundin has harped on the need for consistency to end the rollercoaster ride that has seen the Leafs play a good game and follow it with a poor effort, come back with a good performance, and then have another bad one. It's easier said than done for this team. They need a win over the Penguins to break the cycle.
``The most important part of our game is to make sure we bring that work ethic that we've had the last couple of games,'' said Steen. ``Moving forward, we really need to bring it on a nightly basis.''
Maurice can't say enough about Sundin's leadership.
``The captain is doing an incredible job of keeping everybody focused,'' he said. ``He's doing an outstanding job.
``He's something else. He is constantly in that room setting the tone, making sure everybody is on board, making sure everybody understands what they need to do to fight through things. He is an absolutely outstanding captain.''
Alexei Ponikarovsky, who has missed the last two games with a groin injury, went through the full practice Friday and will decide after the morning skate if he'll face the Penguins.
``If he feels good and strong then we'll most likely put him in,'' said Maurice.
Pavel Kubina, who has been out since Nov. 10 with a knee injury, also practised. He moved well and the pain in the hinge has waned.
``We're hoping sometime mid-week we can get him back into a full-contact practice and go from there,'' said Maurice.
Jiri Tlusty skated, too, but the sore shoulder that has kept him out of three games will likely keep him on the shelf for now.
Toronto has 24 of a possible 52 points so taking three of a possible four in their last two games is an improvement.
``The guys are excited to keep it going,'' said Devereaux. ``We're taking baby steps as far as doing little things much more consistently and, yeah, the guys are excited to continue on and try to string a few wins together.''
Added goalie Vesa Toskala: ``When you're confident, you're doing the right things more often on the ice. You feel more relaxed. It's like a snowball.''
http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=345035
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Recap | Box | Stats | Pics Pre | Game in 6 | Maurice
TORONTO - A little boy named Joey is in for a big surprise.
Mark Bell scored his first goal for the Toronto Maple Leafs, helping them beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 Saturday night, and said afterwards that he'd be giving the puck to his five-year-old nephew in St. Paul's, Ont.
"He's a little guy fighting for his life every day,'' said Bell. "He wears my jersey every game."
"He's got a home and away jersey. He'll love it.''
Joey, the son of Bell's sister, has been in a wheelchair his whole life.
"They gave him four weeks to live and he's five now and will be six soon,'' said his uncle. "It puts things in perspective when you go home and see the little guy. I go see him every chance I get.''
Bell scored his first NHL goal against Patrick Roy six years ago. His career best is 25 goals in 2005-2006 with Chicago. He came to Toronto along with goalie Vesa Toskala in an off-season trade with San Jose. He was looking for a fresh start.
Bell was arrested last September and pleaded no contest to criminal drunk driving. He's due to spend up to six months in a California jail after the season. He sat out the first 15 games, while under league suspension and didn't score in his first 11 outings with his new team.
"This is right up there,'' he said of his first goal in the blue and white. "Scoring a goal for the Toronto Maple Leafs is a pretty special thing.''
Jason Blake, with his first goal since Oct. 18, Nikolai Antropov and Alexei Ponikarovsky, with an empty-netter with 58 seconds left, also scored for the Leafs, who would have won by a wider margin if they'd cashed in more of their umpteen scoring chances.
Mats Sundin set up Bell's goal and the assist stretched his consecutive-games point streak from the start of the season to 15, breaking an 83-year-old Toronto record. Babe Dye went 14 games in 1924-25.
Toskala earned the goaltending victory. The Finn has emerged as the team's No. 1 goalie after alternating with Andrew Raycroft earlier on. This was Toskala's third straight start and sixth in the last seven games.
"(Toskala) played well,'' said Penguins star Sidney Crosby. "I think we could've done a better job of getting some traffic in front but he made some big saves _ a breakaway, some odd-man rushes _ so you definitely have to give him some credit.''
Ryan Malone and Erik Christensen scored third-period goals for the Penguins after they'd fallen behind 3-0.
Toronto outshot Pittsburgh 41-32.
The Penguins flew in after a 4-1 home win over Dallas on Friday night and didn't have as much jump as the Leafs.
Bell opened the scoring with his first goal since last April 5 when he played for San Jose. Pittsburgh defenceman Mark Eaton screened goalie Dany Sabourin.
"Mats gave me a great pass and I tried to release it as fast as I could and get it on net,'' said Bell. ``I've been kind of snake-bit the last couple of games around the net, so I was really relieved to get that one.''
Blake had scored only two goals on 115 shots, sixth-most in the league, before beating Sabourin at 2:01 of the second period for his first goal in 19 games. Kyle Wellwood carried the puck on a 2-on-0 rush and generously passed, so Blake could put one in.
"It hasn't been the start I was looking for coming into Toronto,'' said Blake. "It felt great that one finally went in for me.
"It's not that I haven't been getting my chances. That's the frustrating part, but my goal is to stay positive, work hard, keep my chin up and keep shooting.''
Crosby fell in the middle of the second period when he was tripped by Toskala, who was penalized, and was grimacing in pain on the bench. Crosby shook it off and was on the ice for his next shift.
"It's all right,'' he said. "I twisted my foot a bit, but, other than that, it's fine. It was my ankle. Just a bruise.''
Antropov got credit for his 10th goal when a Bryan McCabe wrist shot caromed off him and past Sabourin at 14:09 of the second period. Antropov had gone 10 games without a goal.
This one came on a power play, ending a 0-for-19 Leafs drought including 0-4 in this game.
Malone got credit for his eighth goal at 8:15 of the third period when Toskala kicked out a Colby Armstrong lob only to have the puck come right back at him off the onrushing Malone.
Christensen scored on a power play at 17:55 after Sundin was sent off for hooking Evgeni Malkin. The puck rolled up Toskala's arm and dropped over his shoulder and into the net for Christensen's third goal of the season.
Crosby got an assist to avoid being held without a point for only the third time this season.
"We had some chances to tie it up in the third, but I don't think we gave ourselves a good chance in the first two periods,'' Crosby said.
Toronto has won two in a row for the first time since Oct. 27.
Notes: Toronto was 1-for-6 and Pittsburgh 1-for-4 on power plays...Ponikarovsky returned after missing two games with a sore groin...C Jiri Tlusty missed a fourth straight game with a bruised collarbone...LW Bates Battaglia was a healthy scratch for the seventh time in the last eight games...D Pavel Kubina, who has missed nine games with a damaged knee ligament, should be ready to play within a week...RW Mark Recchi was a healthy scratch for the fifth game in a row as the Penguins try to trade him...LW Gary Roberts has only one goal (Oct. 17) for the Penguins in 24 games...D Sergei Gonchar, who was leading all NHL defencemen with 24 points, sat out for the second night in a row with a strained groin muscle...The Leafs stay home to play Nashville on Tuesday, go to New York to face the Rangers on Thursday and are back home against Boston on Saturday...The Penguins are at home against Phoenix on Monday and then hit the road for games in Edmonton on Wednesday, Calgary on Thursday and Vancouver on Saturday.
Associated Press
Three star selections:
1st: VESA TOSKALA
2nd: NIK ANTROPOV
3rd: JASON BLAKE
Winning Goaltender:
Vesa Toskala
Losing Goaltender:
Dany Sabourin
http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=Recap&seas=20072008>ype=2&gnum=373
Toronto 2011 night 2
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Hehe, playoff bound, eh?
Ry..........................Tonight's the night, do do do do, tonight's the night, ight, ight, ight.
It won't be as bad as when the Dead Wings ran "at a boy, Roy" out of town. But it will be a waxing all the same.
TV Information
Local Home:
SNET-O
The Nashville Predators are finding ways to win on the road after failing to do so for the first month of the season.
After a dramatic comeback victory their last time out, the Predators try to complete a perfect three-game road trip when they face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.
Nashville (13-9-2) was outscored 21-3 in losing all five of its road games in October, but has since gone 6-1-1 away from home while scoring 30 goals.
The Predators opened their current road trip in Ottawa on Thursday, and won 6-5 on Martin Erat's goal with 22.2 seconds to play after blowing a two-goal lead in the third period.
On Saturday in Montreal, the Predators scored four goals in the third to tie the game before Radek Bonk and Erat scored in the shootout to give Nashville a 5-4 win. The Predators scored three straight goals after falling behind 4-1 with 9:19 remaining, and Bonk's goal with 46.8 seconds left in regulation sent the game to overtime.
"It just showed how resilient our team can be," Nashville coach Barry Trotz said. "(The Canadiens) score right at the end of that power play and we stayed with it."
The Predators can wrap up their first perfect three-game road trip since Oct. 16-19, 2006 with a win over a Maple Leafs team which has lost seven of its last nine home games.
Nashville starting goaltender Chris Mason was pulled after allowing two goals on six shots just under 14 minutes into Saturday's game.
Dan Ellis relieved Mason, and stopped 18 of 20 shots to continue his impressive start. Ellis, whose only NHL start before this season came on Feb. 18, 2004 for Dallas, improved to 6-0-0 with a 2.00 goals-against average and two shutouts on the season.
Neither goalie has ever faced Toronto.
The Predators beat the Maple Leafs 4-2 on Feb. 8 in their only meeting last season. Nashville is 5-2-0 with one tie all-time against the Leafs, but have not visited Toronto sine a 2-1 loss on Jan. 6, 2004.
The Maple Leafs (10-11-6) are coming off a 4-2 victory over Pittsburgh on Saturday to win their second straight following a season-high four-game losing streak. Toronto has not won three straight since winning five in a row Jan. 27-Feb. 6.
Jason Blake ended an 18-game goal-scoring drought with a score in the second period on Saturday. Blake, who had a career-high 40 goals last season with the New York Islanders before signing with the Maple Leafs in July, entered Saturday's game with just two goals despite taking 115 shots, sixth-most in the league.
"It hasn't been the start I was looking for coming into Toronto," said Blake, who has 16 assists. "It felt great that one finally went in for me.
"It's not that I haven't been getting my chances. That's the frustrating part, but my goal is to stay positive, work hard, keep my chin up and keep shooting."
Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin, who already holds Toronto franchise records for goals (401) and points (942), set another club record against the Penguins. Sundin recorded two assists on Saturday to stretch his point streak in home games from the start of the season to 15, breaking Babe Dye's record of 14 in 1924-25.
Sundin, who has eight goals and 16 assists at the Air Canada Centre this season, has three goals and five assists in seven career games against Nashville.
Vesa Toskala, who has emerged as Toronto's No. 1 goalie after alternating with Andrew Raycroft, made his third straight start and sixth in seven games on Saturday.
Toskala stopped 30 shots against Pittsburgh, and is 3-2-1 with a 2.17 GAA and a shutout since Nov. 17. He had a rough outing in his last start against the Predators on Feb. 14 while with San Jose, allowing two goals on five shots and getting pulled after just 10 minutes of a 5-0 loss. Toskala is 2-3-0 with a 2.89 GAA all-time versus Nashville.
Associated Press
http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/team/app?gameNumber=393&gameType=2&page=Preview&season=20072008&service=page
Toronto 2011 night 2
Hamilton 2011
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Hahaha, well if you didn't know, Huet pulled his groin on Saturday, so he's out.
There'll be no running Price outta town.