Many Positives In Loss To Vancouver

The Leafs played their best game but in the end found a way to lose.  The Leafs got the first goal of the game and scored a power play goal and were leading by two goals early.  To their credit, they effort was present all night and Giguere was very good.  Even after giving up three goals, they managed to tie the game up and make it interesting.  Vancouver took a  harmless looking shot that managed to squeak in for the game winning goal and with the empty net goal put the game away.  It would be easy to point to Giguere for the loss but that would inaccurate.   The goals by Vancouver were generated by shots from the point that managed to get past shot blocking forwards.  With better shot blocking, many of the scoring chances for Vancouver would have been eliminated and the outcome possibly very different.  Aside from the poor shot blocking, it was a very good game by Toronto against an excellent Vancouver team.  Aulie did not look out of place and could be an excellent shut down guy if he stays with the team.  Kadri seemed to inject lots of creativity that seemed lacking all year from Toronto.  With time, Kadri could take some of the pressure off Kessel who did managed a goal.  Lots of positives to take away from this loss, as it appears the Leafs are starting to turn the corner.  The lesson learned is that defensive mistakes need to be minimized to give this team a chance to win every night.  I would welcome a change on the penalty kill that employs the defenders taking away the point and rushing the puck carrier to make quicker decisions at the same time have active sticks that block passes and not shot attempts.

Young Maple Leaf Team Gets Schooled By Tampa

As the defense for the Maple Leafs continues to wane, so does the team record.  Blocked shots are a telling sign of how effective the team is playing in front of the goaltender.  With only 16 blocked shots last night for Toronto compared to 22 for Tampa, it is not hard to imagine which team wanted to win more.  If Toronto had managed to block more shots and reduce the shots Tampa had from 25 to under 20, it could have been a much different game.  Tampa Bay will scare you with the group of forwards rather than the defense core that will not bring fear to opposition teams.  If your core players such as Stamkos (3 BS), Ohlund (3 BS), Kubina (4 BS) and Hedman (2 BS) are sacrificing their bodies for the team, it motivates the entire team.  Only three Toronto forwards were successful at blocking shots, Versteeg (1 BS), Brown (1 BS) and Orr (1 BS) with Lebda (3 BS) and Schenn (4 BS) leading the way.  A better team effort is required and hopefully the Leafs will adjust against Florida tonight.

Not one goal last night could be faulted on Giguere.  The first three goals were in part the fault of the Leaf forwards not take the late man or covering the points.  Compounding the issue was the Leaf defense not blocking the shooting lane or not taking the man but rather the puck and getting beat in front of the net.  Overall, it was a sloppy defensive game that cost the Leafs two valuable points.  Tampa could have scored more goals if not for Giguere making amazing saves.

And here is a summary of last night's game.

Nowhere To Go But Up

As the Maple Leafs prepare to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight, both teams have been struggling recently.  The difference is Toronto has shown signs of breaking out of this losing streak, and Tampa has shown glimpses of greatness but still making many mistakes.

Keys to the Game:

1. So far this season, when Tampa Bay is awarded 5 or more power play opportunities, they have won the game except the Phoenix game on Oct 30 when the Lightning had one power play and still managed to win the game.  The Leafs can not afford to let Tampa / Stamkos take over the game with the man advantage.  Conclusion: Limit Tampa to under four power play man advantages.
2. In the Buffalo game, both Leaf goals were created on turnovers in the offensive zone.  Buffalo could not defend simply because when they did turnover the puck they are not in position to defend.  Kulemin, Grabovski and McArthur were effective on the fore check and created the turnovers by Buffalo.  Only Kulemin is a big body on the second line, however speed is what Grabovski and McArthur use to their advantage to create the turnovers. The first line with Versteeg, Kessel and Bozak needs to use their speed to pressure the Buffalo defenders and create turnovers like the second have successfully done.  Conclusion: Use speed on the fore-check to create turnovers in the offensive zone.
3. On the rush, teams know that the Maple Leafs do not play the dump and chase and have lined up high on the blue line pressure the puck carrier and stifle the offensive rush.  On the flip side, the dump and chase is not suited well to the first two lines since they are not big enough to challenge for the puck physically.  The Leafs need to employ another type of offensive rush that does lend itself to be easily read by defenders.  I would suggest the first man on the rush make their way to the center line or blue line if possible and look for the trailing forward or defender to take the puck into the zone.  By using the late man on the rush, you have more options for entry into the zone and it keeps the other team from simply parking themselves on the blue line waiting for the puck.  On the flip side, by pausing and looking for the late man on the rush, the other team will have to stop also leaving them flat footed and susceptible to the rushing late man.  The other team will realize that the late man is going to skate by and will be forced to take a penalty or miss the check entirely.  Either way, using the late man on the rush keeps the other team guessing and can create more offensive opportunities.  Conclusion:  Have a different look to the rush by using the late man to create more offensive opportunities.

A Recap from the Previous Game.

Listen to Toronto Maple Leaf Games Live on your Android phone.

A company called Streamtheworld has developed an android application that will stream media from many sources.  It just so happens that Corus Entertainment has teamed up with Streamtheworld and made available the Toronto radio station AM640 among others.  The radio station AM640 just happens to broadcast all Maple Leafs games, so if you are not in the Toronto Area but have access to your mobile phone with data connection, you can listen to Toronto Maple Leaf Games live.

All is not lost in Leaf Land

On a positive note, goaltender Jonas Gustavsson played a solid game and made some spectacular saves to keep the Leafs close.  The Maple Leaf defense played a relatively solid game allowing only two goals against on thirty two shots on net.  The penalty kill was perfect again allowing no goals on two power plays for the Rangers.  The Leafs were generating chances for themselves by drawing five power plays and creating some solid scoring chances.  Colby Armstrong scored his first goal of the season on a "crash the net" type goal that we know he is accustomed too.

On the flip side, the Maple Leaf defense core had a momentary lapse and allowed the Rangers to crash the net and take advantage of loose pucks in the crease to jump ahead 2-0 in the first period.  The number of blocked shots was twelve, while the Rangers managed to block thirty!  The puck support by the team was disjointed as the gap between forwards and defense was too wide during the transition making it easy for the Rangers to defend the Leaf attack.  To compound the issue further, the Rangers got burned the the quick transition of the Leafs and were well prepared by clogging the neutral zone and playing a defensive game.

The Leafs can refocus for the Flyers on Saturday who are going to play a similar defensive style that the Rangers played last night.  Supporting the puck in all three zones is going to require the most attention for the Leafs, since they have gotten away from this in the last two losses.    Scoring 4+ goals every night is not going to happen often in the NHL, low scoring games are more the norm.  Having multiple strategies on offense that include dump and chase or  outnumbering the other team down low and around the crease to generate "lunch bucket" goals will be necessary.  The loss should serve as a reality check to the Leafs that every night will require 100% effort of smart hockey combined with outworking the other team.

Can the Leafs not allow Avery to change game plan?

With injuries to the New York Rangers, look for the team to play a tighter defensive road game.  For the Leafs to come away with two points tonight, the game plane does not change much from the previous match Friday.  See the post titled "Do the Rangers have something to prove against the Leafs?".
The Rangers are still an offensive threat without Drury and Gaborick.  Sean Avery has shown he can be a very effective at intimidating and creating scoring chances every time he is on the ice.  Avery is very good at being the focus of the opposite team such that his line-mates fly under the radar and are allowed to be more effective.  The Rangers are a fast team and the defensemen are offensive minded.  For the Leafs to be successful, they need to move the play behind the net and along the boards in the offensive zone and create plays down low.  When the Ranger defenders are outnumbered down low, they tend to turn over the puck and give up quality scoring chances.  The Rangers saving grace for their defensive woes is Henrik Lundqvist, who regularly makes spectacular saves to keep his team close and even steal games.  The hallmark for the Leafs defensive success has been the number of blocked shots, timely saves and limited turn over of the puck.  If the Leafs stay the course on defense and not force the offense, the outcome will be favorable once again.

Why a good start does not translate into a playoff position.

Coming off a hard earned win against Pittsburgh, the Leafs now boast a 3-0-0 record heading to New York to play the Rangers. The undefeated streak is nice but the Leafs need only to look to their next opponent to realize even a 7-1-0 record does not translate into a playoff spot.

The New York Rangers were the toast of the NHL starting the 2009-10 season with a 7-1 record, losing the first game of the season. With a new coach John Tortorella, the Rangers were well prepared ahead of schedule and managed an impressive record to start the season. As soon as the other teams started to catch up and raise the compete levels against the Rangers, the lead in the standings started to disappear. Even a strong finish by the Rangers could not help the team get into the Playoffs.