Toronto Maple Leafs

[JD88]

Plus side, this can keep Grabo's contract numbers down? And whoever gets sent up, hopefully Eakins can pass on a message to Wilson on how to run special teams.

I know the Marlies are 1st in PK in the AHL can you believe it!!!

[Nights]

I know the Marlies are 1st in PK in the AHL can you believe it!!!

O.O

"Toronto" and "1st in PK" should not be possible...

The world must be about to implode.

[Nights]

After a 2010-11 season in which their five consistent top six forwards – Phil Kessel, Tyler Bozak, Mikhail Grabovski, Nikolai Kulemin, and Clarke MacArthur – missed zero man games due to injury, you knew lady luck wouldn’t be so friendly to the Leafs’ key offensive contributors in 2011-12. The off-season addition of Tim Connolly alone guaranteed as much. Connolly returns tonight from his second injury in six weeks, but the Leafs will be without a third of their regular top six scoring cast as Mikhail Grabovski and Clarke MacArthur are sidelined. Grabovski is out at least two weeks with what looked to be a banged up knee, while we should know more about MacArthur’s condition after he goes through a few more tests today.
The Leafs’ top six is expected to shape up like so: Lupul – Bozak – Kessel; Kulemin – Connolly – Frattin. This leaves a third unit comprised of some combination of Lombardi, Steckel and Crabb. As opposed to inserting Rosehill or Orr (Orr is actually sick anyways) on unit four, James Mirtle expects the Leafs to go with seven defencemen in order to give Cody Franson a shot against his former team in the Nashville Predators. None of the Leafs’ top six blueliners have fallen to injury or played their way out of the lineup yet, so to accommodate Franson’s insertion Jake Gardiner could be taking even strength shifts up front on the wing a la Ian White. Gardiner played forward until his final year at Minnetonka High School and obviously has offensive skill, so it should make for an interesting experiment.

tl;dr : Connolly in for Grabovski, Franson draws in as a 7th defenceman with the spot opened up by MacArthur.

Also noted : Gardiner MIGHT get some forward ice-time at even strength.

EDIT : Oh, from the guys at Maple Leafs Hot Stove

[KWK89]

Lombardi and Gardiner on the wings? Could be a quick line haha

[JD88]

Scrivens does not look as though he is chasing the puck as much tonight seems to have a different kind of calmness when he is on the road.

The Prds are really closing on Kessel everytime he touches the puck and eliminating the outside speed bursts that he showed us on Tuesday.

Overall not a bad game so far, our best shift came from the Lombardi-Steckel-Crabb line

[TK12555]

The injury list just keeps growing.

Lombardi headed to dressing room, now Komisarek.

Unbelievable.

[Nights]

The injury list just keeps growing.

Lombardi headed to dressing room, now Komisarek.

Unbelievable.

We were relatively lucky on that front last year.

As long as Kessel and Phaneuf don't hit the injury ward, we still have some chance once Reimer comes back.

[wendelclark17]

just brutal

mirtle James Mirtle
Komisarek and Lombardi out a minimum of three weeks.

[Ballsakic]

Injury update: macarthur-day to day. Komisarek/lombardi-3 weeks. Grabovski-at least 2 weeks. Reimer-7 to 10 days. Brown-day to day

[Nights]

Injury update: macarthur-day to day. Komisarek/lombardi-3 weeks. Grabovski-at least 2 weeks. Reimer-7 to 10 days. Brown-day to day

The only good part of that update : Reimer 7 to 10 days.

Wow. This is where our depth guys (Franson, Kadri, Colborne) get their shot.

[JD88]

I would love to see Colburne and Kadri start and make it impossible for them to send them back!

[bigbabybuda]

I would love to see Colburne and Kadri start and make it impossible for them to send them back!

Joe Colborne has been called up by the Toronto Maple Leafs and will dress tonight. Still no word on were he'll line up. I for one am very excited...

He is expected to centre the third line alongside Joey Crabb and David Steckel.

Jonas Gustavsson will get the start. Yikes!!!
__________________

[KWK89]

-2-1 after the first for the leafs. Connolly with the first and Frattin with his first of the year, Colbourne with his first point on the play, Franson got an assist as well. Absolutely amazing period, if they could play like that the rest of the year I would be a very, very happy man. Everyone is moving their feet and great for-checking. Shots on goal are 17-8 for the leafs. And they had one powerplay that looked great although they didn't barry one.
-(The goal on Gus went off two legs)

-6-1 after the second, the Kessel, Lupul, and Bozak line was dominating in the second. Bozak got his second of the year from a nice play by Lupul, Phaneuf also got an assist. Kessel potted another one on another great play by Lupul, Bozak got the other assist. On the PP, Lupul tipped one in with some nice passing from Kessel and Phaneuf. Next PP, Franson fired a rocket for his first as a leaf, assist from Connolly.
-They were aggressive on the first PK and managed to kill it off. On the second PK Gus made a very good save on Ovie. They had great sticks the rest of it and managed to kill it until a capitals penalty.

-7-1 to end it.
Started the third off on the PK, but the caps didn’t really get anything going and they killed it off. Third period was pretty slow as the leafs just held the lead. Ovechkin decided to show up at the end of the period with some nice plays, but nothing came of it. Killed off another two PK's in a row to end it. Steckel got a breakaway at the end of the game and roofed it top shelf, with Kulemin getting the assist.
-Special teams played great
-Gus played good and made all the saves he was supposed too, with some great saves near the end.

[TK12555]

Absolutely incredible. Went to the game tonight, fantastic atmosphere. Everybody played fantastic, no goats tonight.

I'm ecstatic.

[Nights]

Absolutely incredible. Went to the game tonight, fantastic atmosphere. Everybody played fantastic, no goats tonight.

I'm ecstatic.

Wow, must have been very nice to go in there, see the injury ward list, then see that.

I mention time and time again : Run & Gun teams will suffer to our hands (WSH, PIT). The teams we struggle against are those stingy defensive teams with amazing goalies.

The offensive juggernauts we can somehow keep up with.