Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 5.8 Ft. Jeff Brown

www.afootinthecrease.com

With points now in seven consecutive games, the Maple Leafs are, dare we say it, rolling. Okay well maybe not rolling but their stretch of improved play that began with a commanding victory over the Anaheim Ducks in the second game of five game road trip has seen the Maple Leafs move out of dead last place in the NHL and to within six points of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with two games in hand on the New York Islanders, the current holders of said position.

All of a sudden the gloom and doom that prevailed over Leaf Nation just two weeks ago has once again given way to the hope and promise that this 2009/2010 campaign was initially founded upon. Phil Kessel has slid in well since his debut on Tuesday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning, giving the Maple Leafs a dangerous offensive dynamic, something they have lacked since the departure of Mats Sundin over a season and a half ago.

Jonas Gustavsson, with each passing start, is beginning to look more like the real deal and less like a one-time thing, having provided the Maple Leafs with exceptional netminding since returning from a groin injury against the Anaheim Ducks.

For the first time in recent memory, the Maple Leafs can boast a netminder whose goal against average begins with a two and whose save percentage begins with a nine. Without that kind of proficiency between the pipes, winning in the National Hockey League becomes exponentially more difficult.

No longer looking lost on home ice either, the Maple Leafs have begun to get the crowd back on their side and slowly, the often blustery winds of Leafs Nation are starting point in the direction of support.

Just like the weather in Western Canada, they say if you don’t like it, wait five minutes and it will change. Well in Leafs Nation, if you don’t care for the mood of the day, just be patient, it’s nothing a couple of wins won’t change. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.