Leafs Sloppy After Christmas Against Islanders

Hockey players are creatures of habit. If you need any proof, just take the first period of last night’s game between the Maple Leafs and Islanders with both teams having deviated from their normal routines for two days over the Christmas break. The Maple Leafs arrived in New York early on Boxing Day to play the Islanders that night instead of arriving the night before as is usually customary in the NHL. The result was a first period of play that seemed like both teams had reverted back to a preseason style of play, making questionable decisions with the puck, being terribly out of position defensively, and offensive breakouts that resembled jailbreaks.

Making things even more uncomfortable for the Maple Leafs was the fact that they were playing infront of a netminder who they had not seen in their goal since November 24th against the Phoenix Coyotes. Andrew Raycroft made the start with Vesa Toskala having returned to Toronto to nurse a groin tweak that had been bothering him over the last week. Strong at times, especially late in the third period when he made two big stops to send the game to overtime, Raycroft did look shaky in the opening period and allowed three goals on fourteen Islander shots.

The Maple Leafs opened the scoring early in the first period when Matt Stajan set up Alex Steen at the 6:13 mark. The Islanders though responded quickly when Andy Hilbert scored less than a minute later to tie the game at one goal each. Mark Bell put the Maple Leafs back in the lead midway through the period – Darcy Tucker recorded an assist on the goal, his first point in the month of December – but the Islanders would score twice more before the end of the opening frame on goals by Mike Comrie and Bill Guerin to hold a 3-2 lead after twenty minutes.

The second period, by comparison, was considerably more defensive minded with both head coaches no doubt using a few choice words during the first intermission to remind their teams that Christmas was indeed over and gift giving was no longer necessary. Rick Dipietro, who started in goal for the Islanders, was replaced by Maple Leafs’ archenemy Wade Dubielewicz at the beginning of the second period when an injury Dipietro suffered during the warm up became too difficult to play through.

Alex Steen scored his second goal of the game early in the third period with the Maple Leafs short handed to tie the game at three goals each. Neither team could score a deciding goal in regulation which forced the game into sudden death overtime. With just ten seconds remaining, Mike Comrie scored to win the game for the Islanders after Jason Blake - making his first appearance on Long Island since signing with the Maple Leafs in the summer - turned the puck over at the Islanders blueline resulting in an odd man rush the other way.

The Maple Leafs will travel further south to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers on Thursday night in the final game of their seven game road trip.