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.