So Much For A Goaltending Duel
October 11th, 2008 by SteveI got off on the wrong foot with my last posting apparently. Carey Price didn’t even start the game, so I suppose the fact that Vesa Toskala didn’t finish it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise to me. After giving up 6 goals on 23 shots, some of which were extremely difficult, more than a couple of which I’m sure he’d like back, Toskala was yanked in favour of Curtis Joseph for the third period. Joseph actually looked moderately solid, but then again, the Habs weren’t playing full bore offensively since they were already up 6-1. Toskala’s save percentage shot back down to .867 with this stinker… he’s going to have to improve on that promptly.
That being said, this game could have turned out quite differently in the early going. At the beginning of the game, the Leafs had some jump, and some solid scoring chances. They hit a post early - they actually hit three in the game, and one was directly linked to Antropov’s goal that was called back - and they definitely played the Habs fairly even until the wheels started to fall off in their own zone halfway through the opening period.
Unfortunately Luke Schenn looked all too much like the rookie human he is, and Matt Stajan reprised his role as penalty minute leader of the Leafs. He’s now up to 6 minutes, all of which have come on high sticking calls. Perhaps if he spent less time in the box, he could spend more time on the ice?
Jason Blake worked hard to return to his form from last season, shooting from every spot available on the ice, and fist pumping on the marker that brought the Leafs to within 5, making it 6-1. Mikhail Grabovski worked on his water skiing technique in garnering two hooking calls, and generally the Leafs looked the part of pretenders last night.
Let’s be blunt, they were pretty god awful last night, and the team made copious mistakes in an effort to learn by screwing up. Their great D from two nights previous was absent, and their legs didn’t carry them anywhere on the forecheck. They eventually mucked it up with Montreal, but the Habs have gotten bigger since last year, and that didn’t seem to phase them in the least. The lack of actual punch in the Leafs line up seemed to be a bit of a problem in that nobody could step up when necessary and provide some of the jam necessary to knock the Habs off their game a little bit. Perhaps with a Ryan Hollweg out there, the Leafs will be a bit more able to disrupt the flow of their opponents.
I hope nobody is scared off by the fact that I just suggested the Leafs need a dose of Ryan Hollweg to claw back to the level of remotely competitive… but I did.
They also need to work on their finishing, as the unfortunate side effect of all those goal posts, missed break away opportunities, and pristine one-timer set ups that Jason Blake fires right into the goaltender, happens to be that the Leafs will lose a crap load of games. Perhaps if someone plays at being a bonafide scorer, things might improve a tad.
I don’t think anyone should be horribly surprised by this outcome in regards to its possibility - but I personally have trouble with the lack of pride displayed by what should be a young and exuberant outfit.
Posted in Game Analysis
8 Responses to “So Much For A Goaltending Duel”
By koopa kid
on Oct 12, 2008
The vets in the lineup played the same way they always have, a good game immediately followed by an awful one. The young guys looked hesitant and nervous in their first home game. The game didn’t come unravelled until we started taking penalties, and boy did we take em.
By Dan
on Oct 12, 2008
I agree with almost everything you said, but, as I know you don’t like Stajan too much, you comment on him didn’t really surprise me. Stajan got 4 mins for high sticking, but he wasn’t the one who did it. Watch the tape, it was another Leaf player who’s stick came up while Stajan was the closest Leaf. They even showed the replay like 3 times on the game last night.
But I don’t blame you for giving Stajan a good shot, he hasn’t done much to impress me so far either….
By scotty
on Oct 12, 2008
Yeah, missed penalty call aside, Stajan has been pretty uesless so far. And while Blake scored on the powerplay, I’ve already grown weary of him losing the puck on the cycle after Nik and Poni do some good hard work. I just don’t think Blake fits their line. I thought Bell might fo there but then he didn’t show up in the preseason and I doubt they’ll bring him back. Perhpas Tlusty or Kulemin could make the move to the top line?
On defense, I thought Van Ryn has shown he can play. I hope he can keep it up.
By Steve
on Oct 12, 2008
I think more than two Leafs might take a seat in the next game in favour of other players.
You guys should note that I didn’t actually say Stajan high sticked anyone… I just mentioned his ending up in the box for 4 minutes. Part of the reason I mentioned it though is because he’s being penalized for all the wrong reasons. These aren’t ROUGHING penalties, he’s being sent off for being in the wrong place at the wrong time or using his stick carelessly. He needs to work on that.
He did over-skate the puck pretty badly in the offensive zone on the first Montreal goal though, and he’s looked pretty bad on the forecheck.
You can’t even really argue that it has much to do with bad line mates, and honestly I don’t think Matt is doing much to endear himself to Ron Wilson. His might be a case of learning too many bad habits at the hands of the outgoing core set of players. Perhaps he paid TOO much attention to Darcy Tucker and Mats Sundin? Who knows.
Either way, he doesn’t do enough out on the ice that makes you notice him in a good way. He doesn’t hit enough, he doesn’t take enough shots, he doesn’t play with enough edge for a guy his size. He needs to do more if he wants to play.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he and Frogren are off the ice against St. Louis. Frogren couldn’t do much against Kovalev on the second goal, but either way, Kovalev had him backed down right on top of Toskala and that might have been a situation where taking a penalty was preferable to letting him have the shot on net. I’m guessing Stralman might get a game or two… and Finger is coming back in eventually too so who knows who goes where at this point.
By Dan
on Oct 12, 2008
Being penalized for something a teammate did shouldn’t land you in hot water - it’s like saying he’s guilt by association… that’s not really fair, but it isn’t worth arguing over. Other than that, you are very much right on Stajan. If they can get a 2nd rounder for him, then I’d ship him out.
By eyebleaf
on Oct 12, 2008
I can’t really blame Toskala on a night when he had zero help, and on a night when the Habs are scoring on the power play at will. That ain’t the goalie’s fault. No, he didn’t play well, but tough to single him out.
By Steve
on Oct 13, 2008
At least two of the goals Toskala let in were quite weak. And no it’s not all his fault, but the Leafs as a whole were pretty crappy so he doesn’t escape free of blame.
Even on the Hamrlik goal, he came across pretty awkwardly with his right pad and stick up off the ice. It was a bang bang play, but it’s a save he’s made many times in the past. He just wasn’t sharp, but then neither were most of his team-mates. We’ll see how he fares against St. Louis.
By Steve
on Oct 13, 2008
I’m totally averse to giving Toskala a pass this year. He seems to have already been feted by much of the media in Toronto for his ’stellar play’, despite the fact that his numbers were quite mediocre. If he plays up to top billing I’ll be the first to congratulated him, but if he has a sub .900 save percentage, I’m going to mention it… and I can’t pin the whole thing on his team-mates. Let’s remember that Tomas Vokoun, Roberto Luongo both toiled away for the past number of years in Florida with much better numbers than Toskala has had in Toronto. I don’t personally think Florida is more defensively stalwart, and I’m GOING to compare Toskala to goalies like Vokoun and Luongo if people are calling him a ‘great goalie’.