Bizarro Leafs Game at the ACC

 

Tonight, was awesome.

Home whites?

Leafs win?

Toskala played WELL!?

Some thoughts:

Oh my Bozak, that was the greatest first NHL goal ever. Swami says there will be a First NHL goal themed Sportscenter Top 10.

During the broadcast tonight, Ian White and Jason Blake were praised as the Leafs' most consistent players. Nothing against Ian White, he's been awesome but Kulemin has made Blake look like an over the hill albino midget all year... *whats that you say?... oh! he is? well good for him, not many of those guys make the NHL*

Holes opening; youth hopeful. excited

Rickard Wallin greets Brian Burke in Sweden

 As we've all heard by now the Leafs lost two pivots as well as the hockey game on Saturday, Grabs broke his wrist and Weak Seed has a bum knee. I guess that snufs out my first line center controversy, I smell foul play Stajan (er, have been all year in fact).

Thankfully the loss will be mitigated by the return of John Mitchell who will now be the teams 2nd line center, most likely playing between Poni and Hagman. This also means that offensive dynamo Rick "the stick" Wallin will be bumped up to play with Jason Blake and Lee Stempniak on the third line, Dominic Moore 2.0 anyone?

Ideally Mitch is fully recovered and can step in and play hard and if anyone is going to break out it might as well be him. Our best case scenario here has Mitchell working at near-Kulemin levels in his own end and putting up some points. Grabovski being forced into elevating his game to earn his ice time back would not be the worst thing.

The most interesting part of this roster situation surrounds a player we aren't talking about yet. According to my mathskills two players on the shelf, one player off, leaves us with an open roster spot.

The most likely candidate is Christian Hanson, whom we saw earlier this year with adequate results. A more interesting choice would be the hardluck Tyler Bozak, he's missed time this year with H1N1 and a high ankle sprain. Bozak makes sense as a call up because of where the roster hole lies, neither Hanson or Mitchell are a true 2nd line center whereas Bozak is/will be,  though his physical  condition and current level of play may inhibit a call up.

Leafs burned by Flames

I'm not gonna lie I turned this one off halfway through, and did not miss anything it would seem. Jason Blake opened the scoring  for the buds with his tenth. Blake tried his patented "jam it through shortside pads" play and saw the puck fly straight up, he then tried to knock it in with his hand, missed, and had the puck bounce of Kipper and into the net. Fluke if there ever was one.

Gustavsson played a strong game and carried a shutout into the second. He was standing on his head between the pipes until being called "the story of the game" by Greg Millen. One play later Gustavsson saw Mike Komisarek hung out to dry on a terrible decision/pass by rookie Stalberg,  and Iginla capitalized on a rebound following the resulting turnover.

Naturally, because this is the Leafs we're talking about, they immediately responded to the Flames goal by taking a penalty. The Flames buried on the powerplay and that was pretty much all she wrote. Typical Maple Leaf skullfuckery.

Some thoughts:

The Poni goalie interference penalty:

I realize that he hit Kipper and I'm fine with a call being made but he definitely tried to hold up which is what I'm led to believe, the determining factor for whether a play is a penalty or not. There seems to be a wide range of what gets called and what doesn't. The other side of the coin; I saw a highlight tonight of a St. Louis Blue scoring a goal by sliding feet first into the opposing goalie with no call being made. Beyond just these two plays there seems to me, to be a wide range of opinions within the NHL officials this year surrounding rule 69's use.

1st Line Center Controversy:

Wayne Primeau saw quite a bit of time tonight, I think we may have a full blown power struggle on our hands. Will it be Matt "the future" Stajan or Wayne "Weak Seed" Primeau?