Der Toronto Maple Leafs Thread

[Lichtgestalt]

Tampa Bay Lightning - Toronto Maple Leafs 2:4 (1:0, 1:2, 0:2)

1:0 (15.) Lecavalier 29 SH (St.Louis, Sarich)

1:1 (23.) Antropov 6 (Ponikarovsky, Kilger)

2:1 (38.) Boyle 11 (Fedotenko, Richards)

2:2 (40.) Pohl 7 (McCabe, Kaberle)

2:3 (56.) Steen 10 PP (Stajan, Kaberle)

2:4 (60.) Ponikarosvky 12 EN (Sundin, Antropov)

SOG: Lightning 23, Leafs 28.

PIM: Lightning 10, Leafs 10.

PP: Lightning 0/4, Leafs 1/4.

-> Recap

[themanwho]

Ponikarovsky und Antropov bei der Rückkehr mit je einem Tor und einem Assist .. gut zu wissen, dass der Teamroster langsam wieder breiter (an Klasse) wird. Dafür Ian White nun auf IR, sollte nach dieser Verletzung in 3-4 Wochen wieder zurückkommen.

[Bam_Margera]

irgendwo hab ich jetzt gelesen, dass mike peca den leafs rät sich ryan smyth in der off-season zu holen. speziell dann wenn man sundin zb nicht halten kann.

[Lichtgestalt]

RAYCROFT REDEEMS HIMSELF BY STEALING A WIN

TAMPA — One game removed from his worst performance of the season, Andrew Raycroft stood up and stole a win for the Toronto Maple Leafs Tuesday night.

The Leafs goaltender outduelled his Tampa Bay Lightning counterpart, Marc Denis, to propel the Leafs to a 4-2 win, which snapped the hosts' five-game National Hockey League winning streak. Last Saturday, Raycroft was loudly booed by Leaf fans at the Air Canada Centre after he played badly in a 6-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks. "He made some huge saves on great shooters. He was fantastic," Leafs head coach Paul Maurice said. "I'm sure he needed it. He may come across as a little casual about [his troubles], but he certainly feels them. Good for him, good for us."

The great shooters Maurice referred to were Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards of the Lightning, who have all been hot lately. Raycroft did allow Lecavalier one goal in the first period, then spent the rest of the night robbing all three of them, especially in the second period, to get the Leafs' three-game trip off to a good start.

This was an important win on several fronts. One, it allowed Raycroft to pump up his confidence and build some confidence with his teammates, although they all insist their faith in him never wavered. Two, it kept the Lightning in sight in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

The Leafs went into the game trailing the eighth-place Lightning by four points in the Eastern Conference standings. The win vaulted the Leafs over the Boston Bruins and New York Islanders and into ninth place, two behind the Lightning. Also getting a boost was the Leafs' road record, which improved to 11-8-3, compared with their mediocre 10-12-3 mark at the Air Canada Centre.

Maurice was a little reluctant to admit Raycroft, who faced a relatively low number of shots (23) but a lot of good scoring chances, stole the win. "You hate the word because you discount the effort, but, yeah, he was the best player on the ice," the coach said. "We needed him to be as good as he was."

Also good were wingers Nik Antropov and Alexei Ponikarovsky, back in the lineup from ankle and shoulder injuries, respectively. They started the night on a line with Chad Kilger at centre, which was an effective unit, and finished it on the top line with Mats Sundin, replacing Alexander Steen and Jeff O'Neill as the captain's wingers.

Antropov had an especially strong game, blowing a slap shot past Denis at 2:18 of the second period to tie the score 1-1. Ponikarovsky had an empty-net goal. Steen, who was playing despite the flu, didn't seem to mind being bumped along with O'Neill from the first line. He and centre Matt Stajan combined to score the winning goal late in the third period when Stajan made a smart play to follow his weak shot to the net and then passed the puck to Steen, who scored his 10th goal of the season.

But the big story of the night was Raycroft. He was his usual low-key self, almost brushing aside his big night. He even tried to say it wasn't his best game of the season, although no one else could remember a better one. "The guys got in a lot of lanes and blocked a lot of shots," he said. "I can't tell you how much it makes a difference for me when I just have to worry about everything in front of me."

Raycroft said he did not let the loss to the Canucks prey on his psyche, but let some of his true feelings slip when asked if the Leafs' road record indicates they are more comfortable playing away from home. "We had a couple of power plays that didn't go our way in the second [period], but we didn't have 20,000 guys booing us," he said. "It makes such a difference. It really does. We can't let it affect us, but when it's time after time it gets tough on everybody. You hold the stick a little tighter. Here, we go play our game and not worry about any of that."

The Leafs were holding their sticks a little tighter near the end of the second period when Dan Boyle scored for the Lightning to give the hosts a 2-1 lead. But John Pohl knocked in a rebound on a scramble around the net with seven seconds left in the period to tie the score.

"That goal just fired the bench right up," Maurice said.

-> globesports.com

[AustroLeaf]

Sensationelle Performance von Raycroft. Alleine in den 2 1/2 minütigen Ausschnitten auf mapleleafs.com und tsn.ca sind highlight saves für 3 Spiele.

Zum Nordic God: Video auf der Klubhomepage anschauen - Sundin macht als Puckführender beim empty netter das billige Tor nicht selbst, sondern überläßt es demjenigen, der sich den Puck erkämpft hatte (Ponikarovsky).

bearbeitet 18. Januar 2007 von AustroLeaf

[AustroLeaf]

Guter Artikel im Toronto Star:

Why Leaf fans ride big Nik

They want passion from their players

January 18, 2007

Damien Cox

Hockey Columnist

SUNRISE, FLA.–In an ideal world, at least for him, Nikolai Antropov would be viewed as a gritty, indomitable character unwilling to let a seemingly unending series of injuries get him down.

He'd be the Kid from Kazahstan who never gives up.

His undeniably appealing combination of size and skill would be cherished, not just by the Maple Leafs but by the team's fans, and he would be viewed as a terribly good bargain in the salary cap era as an athlete earning about 60 per cent of the average NHL paycheque who often skates as a first line player.

But that's not how it works.

Instead, the 26-year-old is the player who draws a cheer at the Air Canada Centre whenever he is announced as a scratch, healthy or otherwise.

He's the puzzling player Leaf fans love to hate, the waste-of-a-first-round-pick forward who falls down and doesn't get up more than any other player.

The complex, peculiar relationship between this Leaf, his team and its fans resumed Tuesday in Tampa when Antropov made his latest return from injury, this time a 17-game absence due to a high ankle sprain.

He returned and immediately found himself playing alongside Mats Sundin and on the power play, an ascension within the ranks that drives those who believe such status should be earned utterly batty.

He scored, a one-timer off a long cross-ice pass from Alexei Ponikarovsky, the kind of play three-quarters of NHLers could only dream of making.

Leaf fans undoubtedly enjoyed the moment, but then there will be the frustration when Antropov is perceived to be loafing and arms thrown upwards in disgust when, inevitably it seems, the 6-foot-6 forward goes down again.

The same frustration Charlie Brown feels every time Lucy pulls that football away.

Leaf head coach Paul Maurice, however, clearly admires the big man's ability and sees him as a difference-maker.

"Never once have I had cause to question his work ethic or his ability to read the play out there," said Maurice.

"The only negative has been the injuries. Otherwise, he's an all-around player, and he competes.

"I think when you get drafted high (by the Leafs) they want 50 goals right away, so there's that. With Nik, there's also a bit of language issue, a cultural issue. He comes across as a bit aloof, and you can't do that in Toronto.

"In Toronto, people want passion from their players, and he just doesn't convey that publicly."

For better or worse, it's certainly true Leaf fans have traditionally been drawn to emotion and passion as much or more than talent.

Stoicism, even when paired with extraordinary skill, has rarely been embraced. Maybe that's why Larry Murphy was booed out of town, or why Mats Sundin and Tomas Kaberle have never been as popular as Darcy Tucker or Tie Domi.

Al Iafrate, to name another former Leaf, was similarly held at arm's length until he blossomed as a player and his emotions bled through.

The beloved Wendel Clark, meanwhile, was hurt and absent just as often as Antropov, but was always portrayed as an honest farmer fighting through adversity.

By contrast, Antropov is simply viewed as fragile and a slacker.

"I care about the game and about my team. Maybe people just can't see it on my face," he said yesterday.

For perspective on Antropov, check out his draft class, the class of '98.

First overall was Vincent Lecavalier, a bona fide NHL star.

But then came David Legwand, followed by Brad Stuart, Bryan Allen, Vitali Vishnevski, Rico Fata, Manny Malhotra, Mark Bell and Mike Rupp.

The long list of injuries than have restricted Antropov to 339 of a possible 539 NHL regular season starts, of course, are the big difference.

Well, Antropov is back, day-to-day until he proves otherwise.

The dance between him and the Leaf Nation thus resumes, one of mutual uncertainty that could yet, in an ideal world, become mutual affection.

[Lichtgestalt]

Florida Panthers - Toronto Maple Leafs 2:3 (0:1, 0:2, 2:0)

0:1 (13.) Devereaux 2 (Kilger, Battaglia)

0:2 (26.) Kilger 8 (Stajan, Belak)

0:3 (30.) Pohl 8 (unassisted)

1:3 (42.) Campbell 4 (Kwiatkowski)

2:3 (51.) Peltonen 7 (Weiss, Allen)

SOG: Panthers 41, Leafs 19.

PIM: Panthers 11, Leafs 11.

PP: Panthers 0/2, Leafs 0/3.

-> Recap

[XSCHLAMEAL]

Solltet IHR uns den 8. Platz wegschnappen, dann erwart ich aber mindestens 1 Entschuldigungsbier

Enge Gschicht, umso wichtiger wäre der Sieg am DI gegen euch gewesen

[Lichtgestalt]

Solltet IHR uns den 8. Platz wegschnappen, dann erwart ich aber mindestens 1 Entschuldigungsbier

deal

[XSCHLAMEAL]

Momentan sind wir mit 52 Punkten 7. die Rangers und ihr dahinter mit 50 und dann 3 Teams mit 48 + Caps mit 47...

Wobei die Pengs und die Bruins um einiges weniger Spiele haben

Knappe Sache aber die Saison ist ja auch erst zu 2/3 gespielt, mit einer Siegesserie ist wiederum auch Platz 4 zu erreichen (57)

bearbeitet 19. Januar 2007 von HUJILU

[themanwho]

Knappe Sache aber die Saison ist ja auch erst zu 2/3 gespielt, mit einer Siegesserie ist wiederum auch Platz 4 zu erreichen (57)

Und mit einer Niederlagenserie bist 14.

Was heißen soll, dass alles so extrem knapp ist, dass alle Teams außer den Flyers Chancen auf die Playoffs haben, denn auch die vorletzten Panthers sind aktuell nur sechs Punkte hinter einem PO-Platz. Einigermaßen sicher dürfen sich aktuell nur Sabres und Devils fühlen, zweitere wegen der beschränkten Konkurrenz in der eigenen Division. Ich glaub ja nach wie vor, dass sich zwei Teams aus der Atlantic, vier Teams aus der Northeast und zwei Teams aus der Southeast qualifizieren...

[Lichtgestalt]

LEAFS USE RAZOR TO SHAVE PANTHERS

Toronto goaltender stops 39 shots to bail out teammates on the road

SUNRISE, FLA. -- For the second consecutive game, the Toronto Maple Leafs can thank goaltender Andrew Raycroft for a win. Raycroft held his teammates in the game when they were stumbling against the Florida Panthers last night, allowing them to escape with a 3-2 win by stopping 39 shots. He was not as spectacular as he was in beating the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, but he outduelled Panthers' goaltender Alexander Auld, who was gone after two periods.

The Leafs took a 3-0 lead into the third period, although the Panthers outshot them 14-4 in the second period. The hosts came at the Leafs hard again in the third and managed to turn a couple of good bounces into goals but Raycroft did not let the Panthers get any closer to give them their second win in as many road games. "We were taking on water but our goaltender made some saves, which is what you need to have happen, and we got a road win," Maurice said, referring to the third period when the Panthers outshot the Leafs 18-5. "Our goaltender was real good in the third."

The goaltender, nicknamed Razor, thought his teammates were also good. It didn't feel like a 41-shot game for him, Raycroft said, because his teammates did not allow the Panthers to get close to his net much. "There were 40-some shots but they were putting a lot from the points and from the sides and then trying to go to the net," Raycroft said. "We were able to clear the front and I was able to see [the puck]. That makes my life a lot easier. I'd rather have those than 15 tough ones. As a goalie, I'd rather have those 40 and get into a rhythm with lots of pucks coming at me and feeling it rather than being cold and standing around and waiting for something to happen."

It looked like something bad was going to happen to the Leafs after the Panthers scored twice in the first half of the third period. First, a shot by Panthers forward Gregory Campbell bounced off Leaf defenceman Bryan McCabe's foot and between Raycroft's legs. Then the Leafs' lead was cut to 3-2 at 10:08 when the puck went off McCabe again, this time landing in front of Florida winger Ville Peltonen, whose shot hit Leaf forward Jeff O'Neill and deflected into the net to cut the Leafs' lead to 3-2.

Actually, the Leafs thought they had scored shortly after Campbell's goal but it was disallowed because the net was off its posts and the puck slid under it. Then, with 28.6 seconds left in the third period, the Panthers thought they scored the tying goal. But the referees ruled forward Martin Gelinas caught a rebound off the end boards and tossed it into the net and the video-replay judge agreed.

"It seems like we've gone the whole year without winning games like this," said Leafs captain Mats Sundin, who was held off the scoreboard, making it seven games without a goal. "As a team, you look at our whole season and we haven't stolen a lot of games like you need to do over a long season. I'm not saying the goaltender himself needs to steal them. But sometimes you need to win a game when you're not the best team on the ice. That was the case [last night]."

With the win, the Leafs remained in ninth place, although they have 50 points, the same as the eighth-place New York Rangers. But the Rangers have played one fewer game and have one more win than the Leafs' 22.

Boyd Devereaux, Chad Kilger and John Pohl scored the Leaf goals, continuing their pattern of picking up the scoring slack during the Leafs' run of injuries and Sundin's slump. It was a dull night of hockey compared to the Leafs' 4-2 win over the Lightning. That might have been in part because of the sparse, silent crowd at the BankAtlantic Center. Attendance was announced as 12,242, but the 19,250-seat arena was only half-full. "It was an unusual building," Maurice said diplomatically. "And then it was difficult to talk to your players when they stopped playing because the music was so damn loud."

Leafs defenceman Pavel Kubina had a close call in the second period. He was hit just beside his right eye by a shot by Gelinas. He returned to play in the third period after getting 10 stitches.

-> globe&mail.com

[AustroLeaf]

Johnny Pohl

Wird wohl wieder eine ganz enge Kiste. Einen Slump darf man sich diese Saison nicht mehr erlauben.

[Lichtgestalt]

tucker hätte übrigens gestern eigentlich schon wieder im line-up sein sollen, aber sein verletztes bein ist offenbar nach wie vor geschwollen. schaut so aus, als würde er bis nach dem all star-break warten müssen.

[themanwho]

The Maple Leafs have put forward Alexander Suglobov on waivers. He has not registered a point in 14 games this season and has been scratched from Toronto's last eight games.

Naja irgendwie kein Wunder...