Phil Kessel

Game Day: Canadiens @ Maple Leafs

February 11, 2012

The Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs will once again do battle tonight, this time on the night that Mats Sundin's jersey number goes to the rafters of the Air Canada Centre. These two teams have been in different places all season, with the Maple Leafs fighting for a playoff spot and the Canadiens struggling to even come close. This is a welcome change, of course, for Maple Leafs fans, for which the situation is usually flipped, but for Habs fans, it's an unusual and painful experience.

Tonight the oldest and most historic rivalry in the NHL is reborn, and both teams d...

Islanders Get Raked By The Leafs, 4-3 In Over Time

January 25, 2012

Rob McGowan

9 Comments

Well if there is one thing that can be taken away from the Islanders home-and-home series with the Toronto Maple Leafs, it's that the Leafs' entire roster should be considered as finalists for the Lady Byng Trophy that is handed out to the most disciplined player at this year's NHL Awards Ceremony.

Although the whistle was blown against the Leafs after a scuffle in their end erupted after a tussle between Travis Hamonic and Phil Kessel, not once did the Islanders earn a power play tonight to total 120 minutes of hockey without an Islanders man-advantage going back to last night. The Leafs managed to beat the Islanders 4-3 in over time to complete the two-game sweep.

Red Wings and Maple Leafs prepare for Original Six showdown

January 7, 2012

Eric Huffman

4 Comments

It's the only time this season these Original Six teams will be facing each other, and right now Detroit currently has the bragging rights after a victory at Joe Louis Arena last March.

The Red Wings survived their last game against the Dallas stars with a 5-4 victory, while the Maple Leafs dominated against Winnipeg in a 4-0 victory that saw goals from Phil Kessel, Clarke MacArthur, Mikhail Grabovski and Tim Connolly.

Detroit is fighting to get the top spot in the Central division right now, and are only a single point behind the Blackhawks. The Leafs on the other hand are in the middle of their division, but are closely chasing the Senators. So what could mak...

Moulson Is Seeing Stars

December 5, 2011

Rob McGowan

0 Comments

Matt Moulson scored the first four-goal game of his NHL career Saturday night against the Dallas Stars; it was also the first individual four-goal game of the 2012 season. As a result, the Islanders were able to hold on for a thrilling 5-4 win.

Although the win is what ultimately matters most for the Islanders, who took seven out of eight possibly points on their four-game road trip, Moulson was the recipient of this week's NHL's First Star honors.

Game Day: Phoenix Coyotes @ Toronto Maple Leafs

November 15, 2011

czechtacular

0 Comments

The Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to regain the momentum they had at the beginning of the season when they led the Eastern Conference and the NHL in wins and points. They have since gone 5-5-0 in their last ten and will face a red-hot Coyotes team who have won five of their last seven, and last season beat them 5-1 in their only meeting of the season.

Toronto is still tied for 2nd place in the NHL in terms of wins, and continue to score almost three goals per game. They've also won two-thirds of the games in which they have trailed first. For their part, Phoenix has outscored their opponents 21-14 on the road and have not been beaten by the Leafs since October of 20...

Six Games In

October 23, 2011

Tanner Kovach

0 Comments

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Instead of writing some game recaps, I decided to give my take on some players that are playing well, some that aren't, and some keys to winning games.

Looking Good:

Michal Handzus – This guy might be the prototypical 3rd line center that every team needs. Remember Malhotra? Handzus is the bottom six player the Sharks needed last year, and he has not disappointed. Defensively he is really good, he is always above 50% in the...

The Key to the Leafs' Season

September 11, 2011

Marco Perruzza

2 Comments

On Monday, September 19th, the Toronto Maple Leafs will take to the ice for the first time in five months. The pre season opener will see the Leafs hosting the Ottawa Senators at the Air Canada Centre. Regardless of the result that night, Leaf fans will finally have that hockey itch scratched. With the summer of longing ending, it is being repeatedly said that if Reimer can continue his strong play, and if the second line plays as well as last season than the Leafs will reach the playoffs. As stated before, I believe the Leafs will end their playoff drought this season, and although the fans are right about Reimer and the second line, the key to the season is whether the special teams can...

What if Everything Goes Wrong?

August 30, 2011

Marco Perruzza

7 Comments

The hockey yearbooks have hit the stands and prognosticators everywhere are making their predictions for the upcoming season. It's also the time when the fans of all teams assume this is the season that their team will take that next step.

Fans on Twitter and around the Internet are vehement that this season the playoff drought will end for the Toronto Maple Leafs. I personally agree. Although, I do not agree with the fans that say the Leafs will make the Eastern Conference Final; it kind of proves the "plan the parade" argument.

For this article though, I'd like to look at the opposite end of the spectrum and speculate how everything can go off the ra...

If Lombardi is Healthy, it's Time to Cut Bozak Loose

August 13, 2011

Marco Perruzza

13 Comments

Early yesterday morning Leaf fans were informed of the positive news that Matthew Lombardi is planning on attending training camp. Seeing as I've been excited since his acquisition, I quickly posted on Twitter that this meant there would be no place for Tyler Bozak.

If Lombardi is healthy, he will slide into the third line centre position between Armstrong and Kadri. That line will be able to provide the Leafs with plenty of offensive support, as well as checking strength (mostly through Armstrong and Lombardi). Depth at the centre ice position, something that the Leafs have been glaringly lacking, will be a welcome strength now that Lombardi seems to be on the mend....