Leafs Lay Egg In Game Five

After putting forth one of their worst performances of the season, the Leafs now find themselves in a very tight spot down three games to two against the Philadelphia Flyers. Following a strong performance in games three and four on home ice, it looked as though the Maple Leafs had all the momentum to go into the Wachovia Centre and steal a win putting them in control of the series. Instead, all the good things the Leafs did at home to get themselves back into the series disappeared last night allowing the Flyers to handily beat them 7-2.

The Leafs were pushed around all game long and were unable to match the Flyers physically. They were also unable to establish any kind of forecheck in the Flyers zone only managing one shot, on which they scored, in the first period. The Leafs finished the game with a measly eleven shots, none of which looked to be particularly threatening chances.

Bryan McCabe who is usually one of the Leafs’ most dependable defensemen, likely played his worst game as a professional making several brutal plays that directly resulted in Flyer goals. He finished the game with a dismal -5 rating. Despite McCabe’s very poor play last night, he was not the only player who had a poor game. In fact, it is difficult to look at the lineup and pick out one player who played the way they should at this point of the season.

After allowing six goals, Ed Belfour was pulled in favour of Trevor Kidd to save Belfour from anymore embarrassment. Though he really could not be faulted on any of the goals, Belfour would surely agree he did not have his best game either. This, however, can be looked at as a positive for the Leafs, who after abysmal games this season have yet to loose the following game. Unless that trend continues, the Leafs will find themselves out of the playoffs on Wednesday morning.