Toronto Maple Leafs

Unfortunate Combination

So the Leafs weren’t exactly out classed by the Buffalo Sabres, nor were they horribly out worked by the opposition skaters.  What they faced was the best goalie currently playing in the NHL, and their own defensive short comings.  In combination, those two hurdles proved too much to overcome in yet another home ice loss.

Jonas Gustavsson continues to over-commit on plays made by the opposition, and thus often takes himself out of proper position.  His athleticism and size serve him adequately, but his .903 save percentage and 3 goals against again show that he isn’t quite as solid as most more experienced NHL keepers.

The Leafs defensive zone coverage was scary at times, as the line of Hagman, Grabovski, and Blake in particular had trouble clearing the zone.  As a team they generally seemed more lethargic in the 3rd period after the game began to slip away.

Mike Komisarek returned on the blue line, but Carl Gunnarsson left with an injury to his right arm/shoulder after a hit in the 2nd period.  Unfortunately that means a return to the pre-Gunnarsson line ups that led to endless miscues in the defensive zone.  Luke Schenn’s play was improved though, and if Jeff Finger or Garnet Exelby can slide in and play reasonably well, things might not be that bad.

The Leafs power play struggled again, but the PK continues to improve at the same time.  The PK improvement is particularly note worthy at home, where the Leafs have allowed only 4 goals in their past 27 short handed situations for an 85.1% kill rate, dating back to October 17th.

Following his 3rd shut out victory, Ryan Miller now has a save percentage of .937 and a 1.84 GAA, all of which lead the NHL.  He looks like a lock at this point to play net for the Americans at the Olympics, and frankly I hope he drops off a bit before then for the sake of the opposition.

At this stage of the season, I would hope that Brian Burke is still contemplating potential trades since despite the respite of a couple of victories here and there, this team still lacks the firepower necessary to win many games.  The team may not need proven scorers in return, but it needs prospects with skill, and some young power forwards, if it is going to get better.

13 points in November is a fairly decent month, and December holds the possibility of being even better.  Next up, Montreal tomorrow night.