Shootout Plauges Maple Leafs Again

The dark clouds hovering over the Air Canada Centre today indicated more than just lousy weather in Toronto: they symbolically represented the current state of Leafs Nation. The Maple Leafs sunk to the abysmal level on Saturday night against the Phoenix Coyotes prompting many to suggest the jobs of either general manager John Ferguson Jr. or head coach Paul Maurice or perhaps even both hung in the balance depending on the result of their next game: a mid week tilt against the Montreal Canadiens. In typical Maple Leaf fashion, the result of this game only served to confuse the situation even further.

There were times during this game against the Canadiens that the Maple Leafs showed positive signs that perhaps they could be a competitive team, or at least one that could compete for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Maple Leafs turned in a dominant first period out shooting the Canadiens seventeen to six, but as has been the trend lately; they could not convert any of those shots to goals. By game’s end, forty six shots were directed at Habs’ rookie netminder Carey Price but only three found the back of the net. There were late game heroics provided from Mats Sundin who scored with eighteen seconds remaining in the third period to send the game to overtime salvaging a point from a hard fought effort. Even their five on five play reached the acceptable level from time to time.

However, there were also other times where the Maple Leafs looked like a team in need of significant alterations. Their penalty killing struggled allowing two goals on five Montreal power plays. Disorganization and hopelessness reined for the Maple Leafs on the man advantage, unable to score on any of their four power plays. Montreal had success working the puck low in the Maple Leaf zone on the power play while the Maple Leafs continued to insist on generating their attack from the point rarely challenging Carey Price with difficult scoring chances.

Once the zamboni finally left the ice after a lengthy dispute between both Canadiens’ head coach Guy Carboneau and Paul Maurice as to the fairness of the ice conditions heading into the shootout, it was the same old story for the Maple Leafs in the post game skills competition that counts. Mats Sundin was the lone Maple Leaf to beat Carey Price while Alexei Kovalev and Andrei Kastsitsyn both scored for the Montreal Canadiens leaving Vesa Toskala with no wins in seven career shootouts. Nik Antropov and Darcy Tucker had chances to win the game for the Maple Leafs with a goal in the shootout but neither could play the hero in this game.

Will a game where the Maple Leafs certainly looked better than they did on their road trip late last week but still could not come up with a victory be enough for John Ferguson Jr. and Paul Maurice to retain their jobs? Who knows? It is impossible to predict decisions that come from the wacky world of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment.

The Maple Leafs will travel to Atlanta on Thursday to take on the suddenly hot Thrashers since the firing of their head coach Bob Hartley. Hint, hint…