Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 3.21

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Now that John Ferguson Jr. has finally been removed as general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the search is officially on for a long term replacement while Cliff Fletcher guides the team over the final portion of the 2007-2008 regular season. As Fletcher said and Richard Peddie mouthed, Fletcher is the “custodian of the keys” for the Maple Leafs during this important time of transition. While it has been made clear that Fletcher will not become the long term general manager, his role, nevertheless, will be a critical one as the Maple Leafs must significantly reposition their roster before the trade deadline to allow for the rebuilding process to begin in the summertime.

Rebuilding, oh what a dirty word in this city of Toronto. Get bad for a year or two in order to get good for a long time. A scary premise, yes, but looking back at the last three years, the Maple Leafs were already bad, just not bad enough to get good. If a team is going to miss the playoffs, it might as well miss the playoffs by finishing in last place and yielding a good draft choice instead of missing by one point and getting a mid first round pick, which as the Maple Leafs have continually proven, is anything but a can’t miss cornerstone player.

As Philadelphia showed last year, rebuilding does not have to gone on for long before noticeable improvement is seen so long as shrewd moves are made before the trade deadline and at the NHL Entry draft in June. Listen clearly Leaf fans, unless MLSE finally embraces that dirty word “rebuilding”, the Maple Leafs will long be on the path of mediocrity, fighting for the last playoff spot, sometimes making it but surely not to do any damage; other times missing but as mentioned before, not by enough to be significantly rewarded for your failure. Rebuilding has to be done. Why not start now and stop putting it off any longer. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.

Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 3.20

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Don’t look now but the Maple Leafs are suddenly rolling right along. After a disastrous swing through California that began on January 9th, three embarrassing efforts against Los Angeles, Anaheim and San Jose seemed to indicate that the end was likely near for John Ferguson Jr. along with the tenures of a variety of Maple Leaf players. Then in typical Maple Leaf fashion, they fool everybody with a perfect week, picking up all six available points. With the three victories this week, the Maple Leafs remain in striking distance of the eighth and final playoff spot; however, the odds are still very much against them.

Now some will be sure to suggest that there is lots of hockey left to be played and the Maple Leafs are by no means out of the playoff race at this point. While they are indeed correct, they are in fact missing the bigger picture. If Toronto is to make the playoffs, they will need to fight and claw the rest of the season hoping to sneak into the final playoff spot. Unlikely they will do much damage in the playoffs, and then because of their salary structure and their roster’s current constitution, JFJ or whomever the general manager come the off season might will be unable to significantly improve for next season. As a result, you can expect a similar discourse for rigmarole a year from now on episode 4.20 of AFITC.

In order to make the transition from playoff straggler to legitimate contender, the Maple Leaf management must not allow themselves to be fooled by this sudden stretch of success. So far this season, the Maple Leafs have given no indication that they can be consistent enough to make it worthwhile. This team must be rebuilt with talented youth or it will be the same story every year: fighting tooth and nail to squeak into the playoffs. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.

Leafs Post Second Straight Win

It is without a doubt that the playoffs have already begun for the Maple Leafs if they have any hopes for participation once the official Stanley Cup tournament begins in mid April. After struggling through a terrible stretch of fourteen games without recording a victory in regulation time, the Maple Leafs are now winners of two straight contests after defeating the Boston Bruins on Thursday night, 3-2, in a shootout. Despite allowing the Bruins to pick up a point with an overtime loss, the extra point was significant for the Maple Leafs as they still trail the Bruins – currently tied for eighth spot in the Eastern Conference standings - by five points.

Alex Steen – making his return from a one game absence due to a bout of the flu – opened the scoring at the four minute mark of the first period netting his eighth goal of the season. The Maple Leafs held the lead until 14:27 of the first period when Zdeno Chara tied the game for Boston on a blast from the top of the circle in the Maple Leafs’ zone. Marco Sturm put the Bruins in front a minute and a half later, a lead which they held heading into the first intermission despite generating only six shots on goal during the opening frame.

Over the final two periods, the Maple Leafs solidified their defensive game and received outstanding netminding from Vesa Toskala who made twenty nine stops over the course of the game. Matt Stajan scored his eleventh goal of the season with just nine seconds left to play in the second period tying the game at two goals apiece.

Neither team could score the winner in overtime leaving the game to be decided in a shootout. Mats Sundin and Alex Steen beat Bruins’ netminder Alex Auld while Vesa Toskala stopped Phil Kessel and Marc Savard to win his first career shootout and give Toronto a much needed win.

The Maple Leafs will return home to face the Buffalo Sabres - winless in their last ten games - on Saturday night at Air Canada Centre.

Strong Effort “Tanked” In San Jose

For forty minutes on Saturday night against the San Jose Sharks, the Maple Leafs appeared to be on their way to salvaging at least some shred of dignity from a road trip that had all but removed any remaining hope for contention this season. Then the third period happened and it was the same old story that has befallen the Maple Leafs so often this season: strong effort early in the game wasted due to clueless play down the stretch.

Unlike the previous two games of this road trip in Anaheim and Los Angeles where a goal was given up early in the first period, the Maple Leafs actually got on the scoreboard first against the Sharks when Nik Antropov scored just over three minutes into the game. Toronto seemed to derive some confidence off of this early tally which was apparent in their defensive game. The Sharks were prevented from generating quality scoring opportunities or much speed in their transition game due to stingy work in the defensive zone from the Maple Leafs. Vesa Toskala provided quality netminding when called upon, though his job was made far easier by a more confident-looking team in front of him.

The story was much the same in the second period with the Maple Leafs again scoring an early goal, this time off the stick of Pavel Kubina, and then shoring up the defensive side of the ice not allowing San Jose to develop any flow in their offensive attack. However, Boyd Deveraux took a slashing penalty late in the second period which carried over into the third, giving San Jose the chance to start the final frame on the attack.

Patrick Marleau cut the Maple Leafs lead to one goal early in the third period before Deveraux was out of the penalty box. Later in the period, the Maple Leafs got into more penalty trouble affording the Sharks a lengthy five on three power play. Craig Rivet tied the game with the Sharks up two men on a blast from the point at 8:31. Less than two minutes later, Joe Pavelski scored what would turn out to be the game winning goal for San Jose.

The Maple Leafs will look to finally get back in the win column then they take on the Carolina Hurricanes at Air Canada Centre on Tuesday night.

Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 3.19

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The NHL all star game is coming up in just under two weeks. This year’s game takes place in the hockey metropolis of Atlanta, you know, the city that was supposed to host it in 2005 before the lockout occurred. Now instead of the traditional skills competition that we have seen in previous all star games, this year’s NHL glitter fest will feature a skills competition with a twist on the one event that the league even includes in regular season competition: the shootout.

The shootout event will be changed to an NBA style slam dunk competition where players will be expected to come up with all sorts of trick shots, between the legs dekes, and lacrosse style goals instead of the conventional way of shooting. This is yet another reason to suggest Gary Bettman is still employed by the NBA, a notion that frequent AFITC contributor Mark D. VandenBerg alluded to last week, one that may not actually be so very far fetched.

Kind of ironic is it not to attempt to grow and showcase the game with new gimmicks at the all star game in the city it was supposed to be in during the year the league arguably did the most irreparable damage of all: canceling an entire season.

As breath taking as a shootout competition with trick moves might be to watch, explain to me again how attempting to promote the game with a gimmick people will never see in regular season competition is beneficial. New observers will see these flashy moves, expect to see them the next time they tune into a hockey game, and then be disappointed with the general lack of excitement compared with this trick shot competition.

Call me crazy but marketing the game with things that are not permitted in regular competition cannot be the best way to go. How about concentrating on producing an all star game that resembles something more exciting than glorified pond hockey? But hey, all that was just rigamarole.

Leafs Drown In Duck Pond

The Maple Leafs embarked on a three game road trip on Wednesday night making the first of three rare stops on the American west coast. In the midst of their worst stretch of hockey of the season, the defending Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks provided the first competition on yet another important road sojourn.

Heading into Wednesday’s game against the Ducks, good news came in the form of Vesa Toskala making his first start since December 22rd against the Florida Panthers. During his absence from the lineup, the Maple Leafs won only once – a 4-3 shootout victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning on New Year’s Day - and slipped to two games below the five hundred mark.

Paying special attention to limiting the Anaheim Ducks from establishing a strong forecheck and generating opportunities from deep in the offensive zone, the Maple Leafs held the Ducks to only five shots in the first period; however, two costly defensive miscues allowed Anaheim to open a two goal lead before the game was twenty minutes old.

Early in the frame, Pavel Kubina lost track of Todd Bertuzzi along the boards allowing him to take a tremendous stretch pass from Mathieu Schneider and break in alone on Vesa Toskala beating him with a quick move in the goal crease. Nearing the end of the period at the end of a power play, Hal Gill stumbled at the blueline allowing the Ducks to skate away on a three on one rush resulting in Corey Perry’s twenty third goal of the season.

Both teams increased the level of physical play in the second period which led to numerous scrums after stoppages. Wade Belak and George Parros squared off midway through the frame in what was a heavyweight tilt with Belak emerging the victor and Parros leaving the game with a knee injury.

Any thoughts the Maple Leafs held of fighting back in the third period were put aside when Anaheim went up three goals on a tally from former Ottawa Senators’ prospect Brandon Bochenski. Two and a half minutes later, Doug Weight scored Anaheim’s fourth goal of the game – one that was initially waved off by the referee but eventually allowed after reviewing the video replay where it was determined Weight did not in fact direct the puck in with a kicking motion. Chris Kunitz score late in the period to grow the lead to five goals.

Despite a minute long five on three advantage in the final minutes of the third period, the Maple Leafs were unable to break the shutout of Jean-Sebastien Giguere who made twenty eight stops for his second blanking of the season. The Maple Leafs get right back at it Thursday night in Los Angeles against the Kings.

Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 3.18

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We haven’t seen Vesa Toskala in the Maple Leafs net since before Christmas and since his absence we haven’t seen the same Maple Leafs team that was starting to look like it was finally coming together in early December. Before Toskala went down with a groin injury, the Maple Leafs had significantly improved their defensive play, cut down on time spent killing penalties, were scoring with regularity and of course, were getting the kind of netminding from Toskala that was giving the team a chance to win on most every night.

Since Christmas, Andrew Raycroft and Scott Clemmensen have juggled the goaltending duties, neither playing particularly well from any prolonged length of time. During this stretch without who is now clearly the Maple Leafs number one netminder, the team has seen the errors prevalent in their defensive game from the early part of the season begin to reappear. Penalties have once again become a major factor as opponents have been scoring power play goals easily and often. Scoring: well that’s virtually disappeared as well with only thirteen goals scored in the six games without Toskala. Winning hockey games averaging just over two goals per game is a very difficult task when all these other aforementioned problems continue to plague the Maple Leafs.

It shouldn’t be the case where replacing one goaltender with another totally alters the way the team plays in front of them. Although with their record since Boxing Day being a discouraging 1-4-1, it certainly seems like we have seen two different versions of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Now we aren’t suggesting the Maple Leafs play with Vesa Toskala in the lineup was even good enough to make them a playoff team, it was just a hell of a lot better than their play without him which definitely is not good enough to make them a playoff team. It seems the only solution left is to ensure Vesa Toskala gets back in the net as soon as possible but given the Maple Leafs inconsistency this season, who knows for sure if that alone will make the difference. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.

Stop The Press! Leafs Win In Shootout

So rare is a Maple Leafs victory in a shootout that when one does occur, it can often obscure the big picture. This team – despite a victory recorded in climatic fashion during the NHL’s built-in skills competition to settle ties – is simply not good enough to be considered a legitimate playoff threat. Remember that until Scott Clemmensen – who picked up his first victory as a Maple Leaf in this game – stopped Martin St. Louis on Tampa Bay’s final shootout attempt, the Maple Leafs were a beleaguered team in the eyes of fans and media types alike. They struggled to scrape together two wins on a season long seven game road trip and then subsequently had their heads served back to them on a silver platter in their return to home ice on Saturday night against the New York Rangers.

The two points which the Maple Leafs collected in their win – a 4-3 victory in a shootout – against the Tampa Bay Lightning were two important points in the Eastern Conference standings but to suggest we saw concrete improvement from the Buds would be remiss. A much more efficient effort was put together over the course of sixty minutes than compared with the game Saturday night against the Rangers; however, the Maple Leafs still suffered from some of the same lingering issues that have plagued them of late: too many trips to the penalty box, costly mistakes in the defensive zone and ineptness in the final minute of the game.

Tampa Bay opened the scoring midway through the first period with a goal from Andreas Karlsson, a member of the Lightning’s fourth line. Jason Blake evened the score early in the second period when he banked his sixth goal of the season off rookie Lightning netminder Karri Ramo from behind the goal line. Just before the halfway point of the middle frame, Mats Sundin put the Maple Leafs in front with his eighteenth tally this season. The lead was short lived though as Martin St. Louis scored less than thirty seconds later to tie the game. Before the second intermission, Hal Gill restored the Maple Leafs’ lead with a goal at 17:27.

The Maple Leafs looked to have the Lightning under control in the third period limiting their quality scoring chances. Scott Clemmensen provided dependable net minding turning aside thirty shots over the course of the game but more importantly he appeared confident in the Maple Leaf net; a trait that was lacking in Andrew Raycroft’s three game tenure as the go-to netminder starting on Boxing Day against the New York Islanders. However, the Maple Leafs suffered another final minute breakdown allowing Paul Ranger to tie the game and salvage a point for Tampa Bay.

Fortunately for the Maple Leafs, they were able to earn the bonus point in the shootout – Mats Sundin and Tomas Kaberle both scored for Toronto – and prevent the Lightning from winning what would have been only their fourth road victory of the season.

A win by the skin of their teeth against by far the league’s worst road team is hardly an effort that should calm the concerned members of Leafs Nation. Affording a team with three top forwards in Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards five power play opportunities is a risky proposition despite the Maple Leafs penalty killing keeping the Lightning from scoring on the man advantage in this game. Having to go all the way to a shootout against such an inconsistent road team is even more discouraging.

The Maple Leafs will travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins, who are coming off a victory in the Winter Classic in Buffalo on New Year’s Day, on Thursday night.

Leafs Lay Egg In Home Return

Sputtering near the end of their season long seven game road trip with an overtime loss to the New York Islanders and a convincing trouncing at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers, many suggested that the Maple Leafs simply needed to get home to more familiar surroundings which would allow them to reenergize their game. On Saturday night in their first game back at Air Canada Centre since defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning by a score of 6-1 on December 10th, a return home proved to be anything but the remedy for the bad habits that have crept back into the Maple Leafs play over the past two weeks.

In fact, the Maple Leafs turned in one of their most embarrassing efforts of the season in this game losing to the New York Rangers without any fight whatsoever. Andrew Raycroft was called on to make his third consecutive start in the absence of Vesa Toskala. Since taking over in goal for the Maple Leafs on Boxing Day against the New York Islanders, his play has progressively declined in three successive games. Against the Rangers, Raycroft allowed a goal that is barely acceptable for netminders in pee wee hockey from New York’s fourth line early in the game. Blair Betts jammed the puck under the Maple Leaf netminder’s pad to give the Rangers an early 1-0 lead after Raycroft was unable to get across the net in time to cover up on the wraparound chance.

That questionable goal sucked out any life that the Maple Leafs may have had coming into this game. Less than three minutes later, Jaromir Jagr scored the first of the Ranger’s five power play goals in the game when the Maple Leafs were unable to clear the puck from the goalmouth after a point shot created a rebound.

The first half of the second period featured an atrocious lack of discipline that saw the Maple Leafs maintain a constant parade to the penalty box. The Rangers would score three power play goals in the second period to make the score 5-0 with only half the game in the books. Martin Straka’s seventh goal of the season at the 10:31 mark of the middle frame spelled the end of the line for Andrew Raycroft. Scott Clemmensen – called up from the Toronto Marlies of the AHL – made his Maple Leaf debut in relief of Raycroft and stopped four of five shots faced over the remaining period and a half.

The Rangers sat back after the Maple Leafs netminding change, rarely pressing the attack unless on the power play. They would add one more goal in the third period when Petr Prucha scored his second of the game to grow the Ranger lead to six. Midway through the final frame, Darcy Tucker managed to spoil the shutout bid of Stephen Valiquette.

The Maple Leafs will attempt to get back on track when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning on New Year’s Day.