Der Toronto Maple Leafs Thread

[Lichtgestalt]

Calgary Flames - Toronto Maple Leafs 1:0 (0:0, 1:0, 0:0)

1:0 (25.) Amonte 11 (Regehr, Yelle)

SOG: Flames 28, Leafs 27.

PIM: Flames 12, Leafs 14.

PP: Flames 0/6, Leafs 0/5.

-> Recap

[Lichtgestalt]

Edmonton Oilers - Toronto Maple Leafs 2:3 (0:2, 1:0, 1:1)

0:1 (9.) Stajan 7 (McCabe)

0:2 (20.) Tucker 18 PP (Kaberle, McCabe)

1:2 (40.) Horcoff 11 (Hemsky, Bergeron)

1:3 (42.) Kilger 7 (Wilm, Khavanov)

2:3 (55.) Smyth 19 (Hemsky, Pronger)

SOG: Oilers 38, Leafs 19.

PIM: Oilers 10, Leafs 10.

PP: Oilers 0/5, Leafs 1/5.

-> Recap

[Bushwhacker]

2005-2006 Regular Season Standings (as of 4:10 AM EST, 01/08/2006)

GP W L OT PTS

LOS ANGELES 44 27 15 2 56

TORONTO 42 24 15 3 51

Notice the difference?

[Lichtgestalt]

LOS ANGELES 44 27 15  2    56     

TORONTO    42 24 15  3    51     

Notice the difference?

928981[/snapback]

yo yo ma - die kings haben 2 spiele mehr!

[Lichtgestalt]

POHL DRAWS SHORT STRAW

VANCOUVER -- With 40 games to go, the Maple Leafs' roster continues to be a work in progress. Just when it seemed they were going to embrace youth in all aspects, they returned promising forward John Pohl to the minors. With far less explosive players such as Wade Belak and Chad Kilger used ahead of Pohl and the slumping Jeff O'Neill down to 7:40 of ice time on Saturday, there was reason to wonder what general manager John Ferguson and coach Pat Quinn were up to. They had roster flexibility to keep Pohl around, at least short-term.

Yet Kilger and Belak have so far showed their worth in a 1-0 loss and a 3-2 win on the Western road swing. In Kilger's case, he now has three goals in three games. The Leafs have won seven of their past eight heading into their game against the Canucks tomorrow, while Pohl, the top scorer with the farm team, went to join the Marlies for the present, on their extended road trip to the American midwest.

"The way (Pohl) was playing, he certainly didn't deserve to be pulled out," Quinn said after the Leafs nipped the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. "John has done a very good job. Sometimes (it's hard) when you are trying to figure out how your lineup should go. But I guess the way I based the decision was on the seniority on our team right now. No one had been doing a bad job, when you go six undefeated and we didn't really play that badly in Calgary. So it's hard not to stick with the guys from the (Calgary) game. But John had been a big part of those six wins. He'll be back and it looks like he's going to be able to play (in the National Hockey League)."

In addition to playing with his starting lineup, Quinn has been fiddling with his forward lines. After putting Kilger with Mats Sundin and Alex Steen to start the Edmonton game, he promoted Tie Domi from the crash line and dropped Kilger, who combined with Clarke Wilm for the eventual winning goal.

"It was different," Kilger said with a laugh of his brushes with greatness the past couple of games. "I just had one shift with Mats and Pat just changed his mind. But it worked out. I think we've all tried to contribute as much as we can in the situations we get put in. I'm glad I can contribute offensively, but I know my role is to get in there and forecheck, be strong defensively and help kill penalties."

When the Leafs' hearts stopped racing after the win over the Oilers, they looked at the standings and saw division leading Ottawa bumped out of first place in the conference and just eight points away. Granted, the Senators have four games in hand, but have been slowed by injuries. If the Leafs hold their own in four upcoming games against Western Conference teams, then the two-game series in Ottawa starting next Saturday will have real meaning for the Leafs' first-place aspirations.

"We're battling hard and we've got a little bit of an identity going here," winger Darcy Tucker said. "We're giving ourselves an opportunity to win each and every game, by doing a lot of little things we weren't earlier in the year."

Goaltending also has played a huge role in the Leafs staying on their traditional 100-point track. After Mikael Tellqvist won for the fourth time in five games on Saturday, Ed Belfour goes for his 19th victory tomorrow.

-> Toronto Sun

[Lichtgestalt]

LEAFS GRINDING OUT SOME WINS

Pluggers like Kilger leading the way, Quinn impressed with work ethic

VANCOUVER—As the Hockey Day in Canada spotlight shone down on the Maple Leafs Saturday, the unlikely figure of Chad Kilger stood in the centre of it all. Kilger had just scored his third goal in three games as the Leafs beat the Edmonton Oilers 3-2. It was a rare moment when the forechecking specialist found himself getting the kind of attention usually reserved for the likes of Mats Sundin and Darcy Tucker.

Those grinder glory moments, though, have mounted during the Leafs' winning streak that has seen them go 7-1 in their past eight games. Suddenly, players like Kilger, Alex Ponikarovsky, Matt Stajan, Wade Belak and Tie Domi have become key to the Leafs' success. "I think we're all trying to contribute in some way, but it's nice when one of us gets a goal or two," said Kilger. "I'm not saying we're here to score goals, and I know my responsibility is to forecheck, crash the boards and make some room (in the offensive zone) ... but I hope I'll score some more too. It's not so much a surprise when I do, it's just a nice feeling when it happens," Kilger added.

The grinders are helping the Leafs find their elusive team identity, one based on a blue-collar work ethic that delivers goals through dump-ins, rebounds and cycling. Those fancy displays of skill that led to turnovers and breakdowns in defensive coverage are no longer in the equation. "We're battling. ... We've got a bit of an identity now, and it's because we're doing a lot of the little things well," Tucker said.

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["We've got a bit of an identity now, and it's because we're doing the little things well." Darcy Tucker]

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Of the 23 goals the Leafs have scored during their last eight games, seven have come from unsung heroes (Kilger, with three, Stajan, Ponikarovsky, John Pohl and Mariusz Czerkawski with singles). Sundin, Tucker and Bryan McCabe have contributed four goals each, while Jeff O'Neill has a single. The other three have come from defencemen Tomas Kaberle (two) and Alex Khavanov.

On the grinder's ledger, six of their seven goals have been at full strength. Of the 12 goals accounted for by Sundin, Tucker and McCabe, six have come on the power play, and one in a shorthanded situation. Where the grinders have shone the most is against Calgary and Edmonton, teams who have climbed to the upper echelons of the Western Conference through work ethic and attention to checking.

While goaltending from Ed Belfour and Mikael Tellqvist played a decisive role in both games, work ethic helped. Even Leafs coach Pat Quinn — usually not shy about dishing out criticism — said his team played "a good game" in both Calgary and Edmonton. He gave his players the day off yesterday as a measure of recognition. "They deserved it, they earned it," Quinn said.

Arguably the club's biggest test of their string of success comes tomorrow against the Canucks. While Vancouver has struggled in the standings — losing seven of their last nine — they gave a resounding illustration of their might when they overpowered a very good Calgary team Saturday night with a 4-3 win in overtime.

"Both those teams (Calgary and Edmonton) are second to none in work ethic, and I think we played two very good games against them," Kilger said. "We don't see these teams a lot (once a year), so we don't pick up traits. But I think we're playing with a lot of character. Vancouver is a great team, but we have to worry about ourselves. I think guys are doing that, picking each other up. I hope we continue it."

-> TheStar.com

[AustroLeaf]

LOS ANGELES 44 27 15  2    56     

TORONTO    42 24 15  3    51     

Notice the difference?

928981[/snapback]

points-wise or stench-wise?

[Bushwhacker]

yo yo ma - die kings haben 2 spiele mehr! 

930053[/snapback]

So true! We'll see how long this lasts.

[Bushwhacker]

points-wise or stench-wise? 

930074[/snapback]

Let's just say this-week-wise.

[Lichtgestalt]

Vancouver Canucks - Toronto Maple Leafs 4:3 (1:2, 2:0, 1:1)

0:1 (5.) Kilger 8 SH (Wilm)

1:1 (13.) Ruutu 7 (Burrows)

1:2 (18.) Khavanov 3 (Kilger)

2:2 (30.) Cooke 7 (Kesler)

3:2 (37.) Burrows 1 (Bertuzzi, Kesler)

4:2 (49.) Carter 16 PP (D.Sedin, H.Sedin)

4:3 (51.) Steen 11 PP (Kaberle, Alison)

SOG: Canucks 19, Leafs 38.

PIM: Canucks 14, Leafs 14.

PP: Canucks 1/7, leafs 1/7.

-> Recap

[Lichtgestalt]

McCABE'S ABSENCE FELT

VANCOUVER -- Those 23 consecutive days of rain in this part of British Columbia caused some major leaks through the Maple Leafs' roof last night. With top scorer Bryan McCabe out of the lineup for the first time this season, most of the damage was on defence as the Leafs let a pair of one-goal leads against the struggling Vancouver Canucks turn into a 4-3 loss at a noisy General Motors Place.

A picture backhand power-play goal by an off-balance Alex Steen at 10:51 of the third period brought the Leafs closer, but their 1-for-7 power play hurt their chances. The defeat sent Toronto home with a 1-2 record in three one-goal games on their Western Canadian road swing.

McCabe's absence was felt immediately, with the Leafs stumbling around in their own end from the opening shift and looking awful on most of their six diluted power plays. "No question that Bryan is our best player, but with the effort we had from every player, we played good enough to win," Leafs captain Mats Sundin said.

Maple Leafs coach Pat Quinn showed faith in rookie defencemen Staffan Kronwall and Carlo Colaiacovo, playing them together at the start, but going with Ken Klee and Tomas Kaberle as his top defensive pair and breaking the kids up as the game tightened. "They haven't had any particular practice time together, but we're not afraid of that," Quinn said of the kids in the morning. But Kronwall and Colaiacovo were on the ice for the first two Canucks goals. "Staffan and I have played together a number of times this year," Colaiacovo said. "It is just at times (last night) we found ourselves in difficult positions."

The Leafs received another lift from a shaky opposing goaltender last night. Vancouver's Alex Auld duplicated Ty Conklin's mistakes from Saturday night in Edmonton. Auld was beaten by a Kilger short-handed goal, after the Leaf outdueled Sami Salo for the puck, spun around and fired it five hole. It was Kilger's fourth goal in as many games.

The kids were caught on the Canucks' tying goal when Jarkko Ruutu moved to close range. Fourth-liners Kilger and Wade Belak set up a pinching Alex Khavanov for his third of the year, but Kronwall was pressured into giving up a puck that Matt Cooke eventually buried. A coverage breakdown involving Aki Berg allowed Alex Burrows to creep out behind the Belfour for a decent shot with the Leafs unable to corral the high rebound for the winner in the second period. Scarborough's Anson Carter clinched it on the power play.

"We did a lot of good things (in this game), but we made three errors and we paid for them," Quinn said. "We played one good game and two lousy ones on this trip, and wound up winning one of the lousy ones (in Edmonton)."

Auld, who got better as the game went on, will have a lot to say about his team's chances in the Northwest Division and the playoffs, as he settles in as the No. 1 goalie following Dan Cloutier's season-long injury. "I'm looking forward to (the second half)," the Thunder Bay native said. "We have to do a lot of little things right. The second half usually flies by, especially with the Olympic break. It condenses the games even more. Pressure comes with the position here, much like in Toronto, Montreal or any Canadian city, especially when you're expected to win, expected to be a contender."

The Leafs were 4-1-1 in their previous six visits here, but the lockout has changed the picture. "I've watched Eastern teams and they're pretty exciting and pretty wide open, so that's something we're familiar with," Todd Bertuzzi said. "Whenever we get those teams in or we go out East, it's always a little more enjoyable. Not to knock the eight games (per team) that we play in our own division, but it is entertaining." His Canucks wore their third jerseys, the 1970 expansion model, with the stick-and-rink logo. "It reminds me of a boutique hotel," Canucks winger Anson Carter said earlier this year, "simple furniture and not a lot on the walls."

-> Toronto Sun

[Lichtgestalt]

gute nachrichten kommen ausnahmsweise mal aus dem lazarett:

ANTROPOV AIMS AT WEEKEND GAME, LINDROS BACK SOON

VANCOUVER -- On the day that top scorer Bryan McCabe missed his first game of the season, the Maple Leafs received some long-awaited good news on the injury front. Eric Lindros might be coming back faster than anticipated later this month from a torn wrist ligament, while Nik Antropov is aiming for the Leafs' home game against the Phoenix Coyotes Saturday to return from knee swelling.

Both forwards were knocked out of the lineup within a game of each other in mid-December. In Lindros' case, he was hurt a month ago last night and there were fears that the delicate ligament eventually would require surgery, possibly a season-ending procedure. But it was decided to try to let the ligament heal on its own, even though Lindros has been unable to do much more than hold a stick in one hand, from the combination of the pain and a cumbersome cast up his right arm. But a sneak peek at the injury a few days ago revealed some healing.

"When they took the cast off in Calgary, we did a little bit of an examination and it felt pretty good," Lindros said yesterday. "So hopefully, we're right there and we can start playing (as soon as possible). They put on a new cast on (Monday) and though I don't know what's in store in terms of timing -- we don't get into town until 6 a.m. -- they'll take it off and hopefully see we've made some strides."

Lindros has practised with the team throughout the trip, wanting to be as close to game shape as possible in case he did get good news. But that has meant long hours of rehab and extra time on the ice before and after full team practice, working out with Antropov.

"This is awful, it's the longest month of my life," Lindros said. "A lot of the day is (team) puck-handling drills, so you're always sitting around. "But we'll battle through and hopefully, find a way to deal with the pain and it will simply be a matter of hanging on to the puck again. A couple of days of that and hopefully, everything comes back." Lindros didn't miss a start in his first 30 games with his new team and had 22 points.

Antropov, who has had major surgery on both his knees, went through a stretch where even dryland training was causing him discomfort. But he has been able to go all out the past few days.

"I'm set for Saturday," he vowed yesterday. "I'm done with the pain. It's just probably conditioning now (keeping him from the lineup). I can shoot, which was my main concern for the last five days. I had a full practice yesterday with the team and participated in every drill. It feels good and we're ready to go."

Antropov, playing left wing this year, had 10 points in 22 games.

-> slam.ca

[Lichtgestalt]

heute kehrt cujo ins acc zurück.

bei den leafs ist mccabe leider immer noch fraglich, dafür kehren jeff o'neill und nik antropov heute (oder wenigstens in kürze) ins lineup zurück. gute nachrichten auch für big e: eine operation ist mit an sicherheit grenzender wahrscheinlichkeit nicht notwendig.

GAME: Phoenix Coyotes (21-21-2) at Toronto Maple Leafs (24-16-3).

TIME: Saturday, 7 p.m. EST.

A grieving Wayne Gretzky has a chance to focus on coaching again, and he'll attempt to lead the Phoenix Coyotes to something they haven't done in eight years, a win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Gretzky attended the funeral of his grandmother on Wednesday, just three weeks after the death of his mother, then returned to the bench to lead the Coyotes to a 2-1 shootout win Thursday over the Buffalo Sabres. snapping Phoenix's four-game losing streak. "It's been the worst three weeks, probably, I've had in a long time," Gretzky said. "But I'm not the only person, and we're not the only family that's ever had tragedy. It's part of life. You have to get up and move forward and figure out a way to deal with it."

Phoenix also will be looking to snap a six-game winless streak against Toronto since March 24, 1998. The Coyotes haven't won in Toronto since Jan. 31 of the same year, the last season the two teams were in the same division. Toronto shifted to the Eastern Conference for the 1998-99 season and has won every matchup since.

The game also marks the return of Curtis Joseph to the city where he played from 1998-2002. Although Brian Boucher has started three of the last four games, Joseph will be in net for the Coyotes on Saturday. "Curtis has earned the right to play this game," Gretzky said. "He's excited about playing the game. He's worked hard this week to get ready for this one. It's going to be a special night for him. He did a lot of great things here."

Joseph led the Maple Leafs to the Eastern Conference finals in 1999 and 2002, averaging 33 wins per season before signing with the Detroit Red Wings before the 2002-03 season. "It's always fun to play at the Air Canada Centre," said Joseph, who returned to Toronto with the Red Wings in 2002, but sat on the bench as Manny Legace received the start. "It makes it different than any other game. When you're facing old teammates, it's always incentive-laden. But time has passed."

The Maple Leafs suffered a disappointing 4-3 loss Tuesday night to the Canucks, despite outshooting Vancouver 38-19. Toronto played defenseman and leading scorer Bryan McCabe, who injured his groin in last Saturday's 3-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers. Without McCabe, who is questionable for Saturday's game, the Maple Leafs surrendered two goals to Vancouver's fourth line.

"Their workers won the game for them tonight," said Toronto coach Pat Quinn. "It was one of those games where we probably, on overall play, shouldn't have lost... But we did." Chad Kilger scored his fourth goal in as many games for the Maple Leafs, who leave on a four-game road trip following the contest.

STANDINGS: Coyotes - 44 points, 5th place, 16 PB, Pacific Division. Maple Leafs - 51 points, 3rd place, 10 PB, Northeast Division.

TEAM LEADERS: Coyotes - Ladislav Nagy and Mike Comrie, 14 goals; Nagy, 33 assists and 47 points; Sean O'Donnell, 102 PIM. Maple Leafs - Darcy Tucker, 18 goals; McCabe, 34 assists, 49 points and 56 PIM.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Coyotes - Power play: 17.8 percent (52 for 293), 13th in NHL. Penalty killing: 79.6 percent (218 for 274), 27th. Maple Leafs - Power play: 20 percent (55 for 275), 5th. Penalty killing: 81.6 percent (222 for 272), 17th (tied).

GOALTENDERS: Coyotes - Joseph (16-12-0, 2 SO, 2.68 GAA); Boucher (3-4-0, 3.69). Maple Leafs - Ed Belfour (18-13-2, 0, 3.17); Mikael Tellqvist (6-3-1, 1, 2.43).

2003-04 SEASON SERIES: Maple Leafs, 1-0.

LAST MEETING: Oct. 23, 2003; Maple Leafs, 5-4. At Phoenix, Owen Nolan had two goals and an assist as Toronto scored four times in the second period.

ROAD/HOME RECORDS: Coyotes - 10-12-1 on the road; Maple Leafs - 15-7-1 at home.

-> nhl.com

[Lichtgestalt]

wieder mal schön ein spiel verschenkt. zwei gegentore im zweiten drittel innerhalb von 16 sekunden; im dritten warens dann überhaupt nur noch 13.

Toronto Maple Leafs - Phoenix Coyotes 3:4 (3:0, 0:2, 0:2)

1:0 (10.) Allison 7 PP (Wellwood, Klee)

2:0 (14.) Colaiacovo 2 PP (Sundin, O'Neill)

3:0 (20.) Kaberle 5 PP (Sundin, Colaiacovo)

3:1 (27.) Mara 9 PP (Doan)

3:2 (27.) Sanderson 11 PP (Saprykin, Ballard)

3:3 (45.) Nagy 15 (Jones, Doan)

3:4 (45.) Sjostroem 2 (Sanderson, Doan)

SOG: Leafs 28, Coyotes 28.

PIM: Leafs 26, Coyotes 28.

PP: Leafs 3/8, Coyotes 2/7.

-> Recap

[Lichtgestalt]

Colorado Avalanche - Toronto Maple Leafs 5:3 (1:2, 4:0, 0:1)

0:1 (1.) Allison 8 (Ponikarovsky, Antropov)

1:1 (17.) Tanguay 20 PP (Blake, Liles)

1:2 (17.) O'Neill 14 (Sundin, Steen)

2:2 (29.) Hejduk 12 PP (Tanguay, Sakic)

3:2 (29.) Hejduk 13 PP (McLean, Brunette)

4:2 (33.) McCormick 1 (Boughner, Blake)

5:2 (39.) Svatos 27 (Richardson, Laaksonen)

5:3 (55.) Sundin 10 PP (Kaberle, Colaiacovo)

SOG: Avalanche 31, Leafs 28.

PIM: Avalanche 12, Leafs 16.

PP: Avalanche 3/8, Leafs 1/6.

-> Recap