Toronto Maple Leafs

[Lichtgestalt]

Nächstes Mal spiel ich Trittbrettfahrer und häng' mich an, ob ihr wollt oder nicht

okay, unter der bedingung, dass du "sabres suck!" akzentfrei aussprechen kannst!

[Lichtgestalt]

neues aus dem lazarett - colaiacovo steht erfreulicherweise schon wieder auf skates:

LEAFS HOPE LOSING TAKES A HIKE DURING ROAD TRIP

The Toronto Maple Leafs are about to get away from it all. They head on the road for a pair of games in Dallas and Phoenix, a couple of Western Conference bottom-feeders who might provide the beleaguered Leafs with a confidence boost. As if getting away from the Air Canada Centre, where the team has a woeful 4-5-4 record, wasn't enough.

But the real treat comes Thursday night in Dallas, where the Leafs will gather together at a private box at Texas Stadium to take in the Cowboys-Jets game. "It's fun to get the guys together and do something where maybe we can yell and scream at people on the field," said forward Darcy Tucker.

Not all of them will be on the trip however. Carlo Colaiacovo and Pavel Kubina, both of whom are making progress with their various ailments, will remain behind. Colaiacovo, believe it or not, might be closer to return than Kubina. Both are out with knee injuries, but Colaiacovo is skating again. "Carlo started skating with our skating coach, and got through it fine," said Leafs coach Paul Maurice. "He has to continue along those lines. When he gets to (skating with) the assistant coaches, he has to get through that. Then he gets to the team, then he makes a decision about when he's ready to play. "He's back on the ice, and he didn't hurt himself today." There is no timetable for Colaiacovo's return.

Kubina has been out 10 days with a strained ligament. He's riding bikes and doing other rehabilitative exercises, but not skating. "We're hopeful that he's going get on the ice sometime next week," said Maurice.

Forward Chad Kilger (ankle) resumed skating, and will make the Western trip. He's still not a slam dunk to return to the lineup in time for Friday's game against the Stars. "It was my first time out there, it took me a while to get comfortable," said Kilger after practice. "We'll see how it reacts, if there's any swelling."

Defenceman Hal Gill did not skate at practice Tuesday, but worked out in the exercise room. "He's a big man and he blocks a lot of shots," Maurice said of Gill. "It's a maintenance thing."

-> Toronto Star

[AustroLeaf]

colaiacovo steht erfreulicherweise schon wieder auf skates:

Die Frage bei ihm ist ab jetzt wieder: wie lange noch?

[Lichtgestalt]

Dallas Stars - Toronto Maple Leafs 3:1 (0:1, 2:0, 1:0)

0:1 (4.) Ponikarovsky 8 (Sundin, Woszniewski)

1:1 (24.) Ribeiro 9 (Morrow, Niskanen)

2:1 (36.) Miettinen 2 (unassisted)

3:1 (60.) Halpern 4 EN (Ott, Modano)

SOG: Stars 24, Leafs 19.

PIM: Stars 15, Leafs 11.

PP: Stars 0/1, Leafs 0/3.

-> Recap

[Lichtgestalt]

nach achteinhalb minuten 3:0 für die coyotes, raycroft nach dem zweiten tor schon wieder draussen, toskala jetzt im tor. tlusty ist aus mir nicht begreiflichen gründen nicht dabei, dafür ist battaglia wieder im line-up.

einigen herren wird jetzt der arsch ordentlich auf grundeis gehen, mit dieser niederlage dürfte das fass wohl überlaufen.

[Lichtgestalt]

Phoenix Coyotes - Toronto Maple Leafs 5:1 (4:1, 1:0, 0:0)

1:0 (5.) Winnik 2 (Vrbata, Jovanovski)

2:0 (9.) Mueller 6 SH (Carcillo, Michalek)

3:0 (9.) Reinprecht 6 (Doan, York)

3:1 (17.) Wellwood 4 (Blake, Gill)

4:1 (19.) Morris 3 (Ballard, Zigomanis)

5:1 (23.) Vrbata 8 (Hanzal, Winnik)

SOG: Coyotes 37, Leafs 26.

PIM: Coyotes 37, Leafs 25.

PP: Coyotes 0/3, Leafs 0/6.

-> Recap

heute soll es lt. einigen reportern ein grosses meeting geben, bei dem eventuell auch personelle konsequenzen gezogen werden. man darf gespannt sein.

[themanwho]

Beim nächsten Spiel werden die Linien mal wieder umgestaltet werden:

Ponikarovsky - Sundin - Antropov

Blake - Wellwood - Tucker

In der ersten Linie keiner kleiner als 6'4, in der zweiten Linie keiner größer als 5'10

[AustroLeaf]

Beim nächsten Spiel werden die Linien mal wieder umgestaltet werden:

Und vor dem übernächsten Spiel wird hoffentlich ganz oben ein wenig umgestaltet, bevor JFJ in einem Moment des Wahnsinns Stajan, Steen oder Kaberle tradet.

Und beim Gedanken daran, daß der immer wahrscheinlicher werdende Sundin-Trade-Deadline-Deal von JFJ verbockt wird, wird mir ohnehin schwindlig. Sundin für 4-th und 5-th round pick oder so.

[Lichtgestalt]

jfj wollte letzte woche maurice feuern, die mlse hats aber verboten - weil sie selbst fieberhaft nach einem ersatz für jfj sucht. vielleicht gibts doch noch hoffnung.

-> sportsnet

[Lichtgestalt]

Toronto Maple Leafs - Montreal Canadiens 3:4 SO (0:0, 2:2, 1:1, 0:0)

1:0 (23.) Tucker 3 (Pohl, Blake)

1:1 (25.) Kovalev 11 PP (Markov, Streit)

2:1 (27.) Kilger 5 (Woszniewski, McCabe)

2:2 (28.) Latendresse 5 (Koivu, Higgins)

2:3 (42.) Kovalev 12 PP (Smolinski, Markov)

3:3 (60.) Sundin 12 (Blake, Antropov)

3:4 (SO) Kostitsyn

SOG: Leafs 46, Habs 30.

PIM: Leafs 10, Habs 8.

PP: Leafs 0/4, Habs 2/5.

-> Recap

[Lichtgestalt]

DEFINITION OF FREE FALL

With a dark cloud of gloom and doom hovering over the Maple Leafs offices these days, Jason Blake decided to make a bold statement to anyone who would listen. Surrounded by about 20 reporters wanting to know what has been ailing his team this season, Blake, fresh off the Leafs' morning skate, pointed at last night's game against the rival Montreal Canadiens as being a litmus test.

"We're all adults in here," Blake said yesterday. "It's up to us to be accountable. And it starts tonight. Tonight will define us as a hockey team."

Ten hours later, as Blake and the rest of the Leafs dejectedly skated off the Air Canada Centre ice after dropping a heartbreaking 4-3 shootout decision, it was time to examine how these Maple Leafs, in Blake's words, should be defined.

The verdict? It is a team that continuously blows leads, something they did on two separate occasions last night. It is a team of underachievers, a concept Blake, who has just two goals in 25 games, understands all too well. It is a team that, frankly, is pathetic in shootouts, going 0-3 this season and 7-17 in club history. It is a team that is in a precarious free fall, having lost seven of its past eight outings.

And in the circus-type atmosphere that surrounds the Leafs, it is a team whose frustrated fans want someone to pay, with general manager John Ferguson and coach Paul Maurice topping the list. Ferguson and Maurice may survive the season, especially after Richard Peddie, the president of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd., claimed Monday that the organization was not actively looking to replace either man.

But how patient can management be, especially with a team that is on course to miss the playoffs for a third consecutive time? Blake, fittingly, ended the game when his shootout attempt was stopped by Habs goaltender Carey Price. It has been a trying season for the veteran forward, who peppered Price with eight shots before being thwarted in the shootout. Blake ranks among the league leaders with 110 shots this season, yet has only found the back of the net twice.

Blake shot down suggestions that he might be struggling because of the leukemia he was diagnosed with almost two months ago. "I actually feel better on a game-to-game basis than I did last year," he said. "I'm not sure. Maybe it's the medicine. Maybe if I start feeling like crap again, they'll start going in for me." Asked if his five-year, $20 million US contract is weighing on him, Blake simply shrugged his shoulders. "I'm getting good chances and all I do is hit the goalie in the chest," he said. "Sometimes I wonder if there is a goalie standing behind the goalie."

Blake did help set up the winning goal, charging the net before captain Mats Sundin swooped in to knot the score at 3-3 with just 18 seconds remaining. Sundin was the only Leaf to score in the shootout. The Habs, meanwhile, got goals from Alex Kovalev and Andrei Kostitsyn, leaving Toronto goaltender Vesa Toskala 0-6 in shootouts for his career.

To be fair, the Leafs played hard, outshooting the visitors 46-30 and exhibiting heart throughout. But those ingredients alone won't be enough to push this team into the post-season, especially if the results are not there.

REPLAY

TURNING POINT

Mats Sundin scored with 17.5 seconds left on the clock to send the game to overtime.

NIK & TUCK

Now you see him, and now Andrei Markov didn't. Nik Antropov turned Markov inside-out, then back in again, when he stickhandled the puck through the Montreal defenceman's legs to get a close-in chance at Carey Price in the first period.

OOPS

Playing short-handed in the first period, Alex Steen and Matt Stajan couldn't connect on a two-on-one break with the pass ending up in the corner. Mark Bell had Mats Sundin open in the slot on a two-on-one in the third but his pass went off the skate of the Habs defenceman.

DON'T GO THERE

The Leafs had to stay out of the penalty box last night. Montreal came into the game with the league's best power play with a 26.8% success rate. Toronto came into the game with the fourth-worst power play with 15 goals in 116 chances for a 13.4% success rate. So what happens? Montreal scores two power-play goals.

-> Toronto Sun

[Lichtgestalt]

Atlanta Thrashers - Toronto Maple Leafs 2:4 (0:2, 1:1, 1:1)

0:1 (15.) Wozniewski 2 (Blake, Antropov)

0:2 (20.) Steen 4 (Wellwood, Gill)

0:3 (36.) Sundin 13 (Antropov, Bell)

1:3 (37.) Kovalchuk 20 (Havelid)

1:4 (47.) Stajan 5 (Devereaux, Gill)

2:4 (53.) Enström 3 PP (Hossa, Haydar)

SOG: Thrashers 20, Leafs 25.

PIM: Thrashers 7, Leafs 11.

PP: Thrashers 1/3, Leafs 0/1.

-> Recap

[Lichtgestalt]

Toronto Maple Leafs - Pittsburgh Penguins 4:2 (1:0, 2:0, 1:2)

1:0 (4.) Bell 1 (Sundin)

2:0 (23.) Blake 3 (Wellwood, Steen)

3:0 (35.) Antropov 10 PP (McCabe, Ponikarovsky)

3:1 (49.) Malone 8 (Armstrong)

3:2 (58.) Christensen 3 PP (Crosby, Whitney)

4:2 (60.) Ponikarovsky 9 EN (Antropov, Sundin)

SOG: Leafs 41, Pens 32.

PIM: Leafs 12, Pens 14.

PP: Leafs 1/5, Pens 1/5.

-> Recap

bearbeitet 2. Dezember 2007 von Lichtgestalt

[Lichtgestalt]

ponikarovsky ist heute nacht gegen nashville definitiv wieder dabei, also wird bell wohl wieder den fourth line center geben. kubina könnte am donnerstag gegen die rangers wieder im lineup sein.

bei den predators wurde nichol nach seinem high-stick gegen brisebois für fünf spiele gesperrt.

go leafs go - we're rolling!

bearbeitet 4. Dezember 2007 von Lichtgestalt

[Lichtgestalt]

Toronto Maple Leafs - Nashville Predators 3:1 (1:0, 1:0, 1:1)

1:0 (1.) Antropov 11 (Gill, Sundin)

2:0 (22.) Stajan 6 (Devereaux, Kaberle)

3:0 (43.) Belak 1 (Kilger, Kaberle)

3:1 (55.) Weber 1 (unassisted)

SOG: Leafs 15, Predators 35.

PIM: Leafs 10, Predators 8.

PP: Leafs 0/4, Predators 0/5.

-> Recap