Leafs Make It Three In A Row Against Rangers

The Leafs beat the New York Rangers for the third time in thirteen days with another solid home effort by a score of 3-1. This win was their second win in a row after having their eight game win streak broken on Tuesday against St. Louis with an overtime loss. Despite the overtime loss on Tuesday, the Leafs still picked up a point in that game, giving them a streak of eleven consecutive games earning at least one point. This recent streak of success has put the Leafs in second place in the eastern conference and it has also given them the lead of the northeast division.

Matt Stajan was a healthy scratch in tonight’s game in favour of Wade Belak, a more physical player capable of dealing with the large number of Ranger goons. He will likely be back in the lineup on Tuesday against the Lightning as they are not nearly as physical as the Rangers. Also, Joe Nieuwendyk left early in the game after taking a hard slap shot of the ankle possibly leaving a hole in the lineup should he not be capable of playing on Tuesday. Stajan has played extremely well for the Maple Leafs this season surprising a lot of people with his skill and good decision making on the ice in difficult situations. Playing as well as he is now proves he will be a great player for the Maple Leafs and he will continue to get better as he develops over the next few of years.

Mikael Renberg and Gary Roberts had strong games for the Maple Leafs, both recording three points in tonight’s game. Renberg had two timely goals including the tying goal and an insurance marker early in the third period. Mats Sundin registered yet another milestone tonight by recording his four hundredth assist as a Maple Leaf on Renberg’s second goal.

The Leafs will take on the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday at Air Canada Centre. The Lightning are a very unpredictable team that can be great one game and then awful the next. If the Leafs come out and dictate the pace of the game, it will help them to be successful as the Lightning are a team that can loose confidence very quickly if things go wrong early in a game. The Maple Leafs will also attempt to stretch their streak of consecutive games earning a point to twelve.