Toronto Maple Leafs

Steps Back - Steps Forward

So the first goal given up tonight by the Leafs was an example of how far the Leafs still have to go in their metamorphosis into a contender.

Jamie Sifers made a horrible pinch, but despite the rookie mistake, Toskala made an excellent save.  Unfortunately he kicked the rebound right to a waiting Jeff Finger… wait a minute… doesn’t Finger play for the good guys?  Maybe - maybe not - because he sure made a wicked awesome pass onto the tape of Michael Rupp who then proceeded to fire it right into the Leaf net.

Panic plays like that are exemplary of a Leaf squad that still struggles with mental mistakes.  Honestly, I was reminded of the sort of plays made by the younger players I coach.  Why bother looking up ice before firing the puck right up the middle in desperation? It’s BOUND to go out of the zone? Isn’t it?

Jamie Sifers showed signs of poor decision making and may have played his way back to the AHL if Jonas Frogren is healthy following his MRI.  Sifers may be kept around in case of injury as a warm body for the immediate future.  The Leafs HAVE improved defensively with him in the line up, but mistakes like that will find him a shorter leash in the near future as far as Ron Wilson is concerned.

Either way, tonight turned into another solid yeoman like effort on the part of the Leafs who not only stayed in the game but clawed their way out front for a while in the second period with a lot of hussle and serious puck pursuit skills.

Toskala has looked rejuvenated recently to boot.  While he is unlikely to be the long term solution to the Leafs woes, when he plays well, the Leafs are capable of competing with 95% of the teams in the NHL.  This victory marked his third straight win, his ninth straight start, and the fourth consecutive game where his save percentage was north of .900.  In fact, for the month of December his save percentage has finally climbed to a lofty .901! If you toss out the results against Phoenix and San Jose, he’s allowed 2 goals or less in his other 5 starts for the month, and has been a large reason for the team’s improving penalty kill.

Now now, we’ll likely have to hold back from Vezina trophy prognostication at this point, and I honestly hope nobody starts babbling about how Toskala is a top 10 goalie in the immediate future, but I am willing to give credit where credit is due.  On this recent run, Toskala has played an enormous role for the Leafs.

Also integral to the string of victories has been Jeremy Williams.  The Leafs are getting offense from multiple lines, and Williams has helped make his linemates Dominic Moore, and Jason Blake appear semi-productive of late.  Blake hasn’t actually registered a point since his 3 point night last week against the Islanders, but he did score the game winner in the Shoot-Out on a nifty Spin-O-Rama, so he’s still in the “good books” of late.

The main driving engine behind Williams’ success is his awesome shot, which he gets off quickly, and in traffic with decent regularity for a third liner.  As long as he keeps producing offense without being a liability on the ice, he’s likely to stick with the big club as long as Hagman is injured.  After Hagman overcomes his post concussion symptoms, who knows where the chips fall for Williams.

It will be interesting to see what the club does with John Mitchell, Ryan Hollweg, Jeremy Williams, Andre Deveaux, and Jamal Mayers when people are healthy.  They can’t ALL play for the Leafs if the injury bay is empty.  Williams and Mitchell would strike me as the members of that group with the most upside, and Deveaux has the most to offer from a “physicality” standpoint if we’re talking fights.  Mayers is a possible candidate for the chopping block if the Leafs can find any takers for his contract methinks.

Next up is the Bruins on Thursday in yet another serious yard stick comparison against the top teams in the East.  If the Leafs can play remotely well against the team with the best goal differential and goaltending in the NHL, then they deserve all the attention they’ll get heading into their matchup with Sid the Kid and Malkin on the weekend.