Leafs Recover With Decent Effort In Carolina
When a hockey team plays as bad as the Toronto Maple Leafs played on Saturday, chances are the next game the team plays cannot get any worse than that. This was the case as the Maple Leafs pulled off a much needed victory in Carolina yesterday evening. It certainly was not a flawless game and the competition was certainly not fierce, nonetheless, it was a much improved effort from the abysmal game on Saturday.
Mats Sundin recorded his second goal of the season and Alex Mogilny registered assists on both goals. The Leafs top line showed a little more spark than it has in recent games. This top line which has consisted primarily of Mats Sundin, Alex Mogilny and another winger who has been cycled with regularity in that spot since Mikael Renberg was injured two weeks ago have not only been struggling offensively but also in their own zone. It would not be as much of a concern if they were not scoring but playing solid defensively. However, when they are not scoring and not playing well defensively, they become a very serious liability on the ice. Sundin will inevitably emerge from his early slump. He has already begun to do so with a recent six game point streak and tighter defensive play.
Mikael Tellqvist started his second game of the year and for the second time, played very well. He has proved, in his limited game action, that he is capable of taking the step up to the NHL which will inevitably present the Leafs with a dilemma once Trevor Kidd returns from shoulder surgery later this month. It may be risky to send Tellqvist back to St. John’s after proving he is a capable backup goalie, a move that could end up hurting his confidence.
The Leafs will take on the Pittsburg Penguins on Tuesday in what will be the two teams first meeting of the season. Mario Lemieux will most probably miss the game with a recently sustained hip injury. From a Leafs perspective, this is a game that should be won as Pittsburg is clearly in a rebuilding mode. These are two points the Leafs do not want to let slip away as each game is important when the end of the season comes and two points could make a difference in a conference position.
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