Leafs Make It Three In A Row

After a very tough past few weeks with games against New Jersey, Ottawa and Philadelphia, the Leafs have gone back to basics and are rolling along once again. Last night, the Maple Leafs recorded their third win in a row with a good performance against the always difficult Montreal Canadiens. Despite the Canadiens scoring the first goal, the Leafs rebounded quickly and dominated the play for the rest of the game. It was an important victory as it allowed the Leafs to keep pace with the surging Ottawa Senators who won again last night 9-1 against the New York Rangers.

Joe Nieuwendyk has played very well of late between Nik Antropov and Alexei Ponikarovsky. Ponikarovsky had a big game on Thursday against Washington with two goals and he followed that up last night with a couple of assists. Nieuwendyk scored the game winning goal on a great set up by Nik Antropov that left him all alone in the slot to put it by Jose Theodore.

Matt Stajan and Mats Sundin have been developing into a very effective pair of penalty killers. They have been paired together during the PK for about three weeks now and have been doing great jobs. Stajan made a strong play to intercept a pass in his own zone sending himself, Sundin and Ponikarovsky away on a three on one that Sundin eventually capitalized on. On separate plays, Stajan hit both the cross bar and goal post. He did not have much luck last night but he is generating chances for himself and his teammates which is the most important thing.

The Leafs will return home to face Carolina at home on Tuesday, the game Owen Nolan has targeted for his return. Should the Leafs win on Tuesday, Pat Quinn will go for his six hundredth win as a head coach on Friday against Atlanta.