Leafs Bounce Back Against Bruins

After Tuesday’s meltdown at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning, many fans were just about ready to count the Leafs out of the Stanley Cup hunt. “How can a legitimate Stanley Cup contender lose to a close rival by a score of 7-2 and still think they have a shot,” many people asked. Well would a convincing 3-0 victory less then forty-eight hours later do anything to get people back on their side? All of a sudden the Maple Leafs are going to go all the way again according to their fickle fans.

This season, the Maple Leafs have displayed an uncanny ability to look horrible one game and then dominant the next. Against Tampa Bay, it looked as though Coach Pat Quinn had iced a lineup comprised completely of players who had never played in the NHL before. The defensive zone coverage was appalling and they were hard pressed to get any kind of consistent offensive attack going. Conversely against Boston, it looked as though all those regulars that might as well have been given the night off on Tuesday returned to the lineup as though they had not missed a beat. It is almost like they can turn the tap on and off as they please. With the playoffs just four games away, hopefully they decide to crank the tap all the way to full blast and leave it there. It is much easier to keep things going in the playoffs than it is to get things going, although with the way the Leafs have rebounded after poor efforts this season, maybe it does not make any difference to them.

The Leafs finish the season up with two games against Ottawa as well as games against Atlanta and Buffalo. The two games against the Senators will probably dictate whether or not the Leafs will win their division.