Toronto Maple Leafs

Game 1 Canadiens Leafs in the books

October 7, 2011

The Montreal Canadiens played their first game of the season last night, and believe me it was not pretty. It's always exciting when the Habs take on the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the matches are always close, even when the talent may not match up on either side. Both teams have historically brought their A game to the table. Leaving one fan base to wonder often out loud - who are these guys and why can't they play like that all the time.

Unfortunately last night was not one of those nights. In the first period, the Habs totally dominated the leafs - using their speed to draw penalties. Unfortunately, they hit a couple of posts and Reimer brought his A game to the table. The ...

Leafs Shut Out Habs - Leafs vs Canadiens Recap

October 7, 2011

Marco Perruzza

2 Comments

The Toronto Maple Leafs opened up the 2011-2012 with a 2-0 shutout victory over the Montreal Canadiens. After being completely dominated in the first period by the Habs (the Leafs were outshot 14-4 in the frame), Matthew Lombardi put the Leafs ahead early in the second period with a shorthanded goal. The goal was Lombardi's first as a Leaf. Lombardi was playing in his first regular season game since October 13, 2010, and the goal seemed to wake up the listless Leafs. Dion Phaneuf earned an assist on Lombardi's marker after creating havoc in front of Carey Price. Phaneuf wired home a one-timer early in the third for the Leafs other goal. Phil Kessel laid t...

Game #1 Preview Leafs vs Canadiens

October 6, 2011

Marco Perruzza

1 Comment

The Toronto Maple Leafs will kick off the regular season tonight against their North East divisional rival Montreal Canadiens. These two teams should be fighting all season for a playoff spot, so tonight's game is actually a big one right off the bat.

Neither the Leafs, nor Habs will want this game to go beyond 60 minutes. Tonight's opener should be an entertaining, physical affair between two of the fastest teams in the league.

John Michael Liles, Dave Steckel and Matthew Lombardi will be making their Leaf debuts tonight, while 21 year old, preseason sensation. Jake Gardiner will suit up for his first NHL game. Tim Connolly will miss tonight's game with an u...

Toronto Maple Leafs Season Preview

October 4, 2011

Marco Perruzza

3 Comments

With training camp in their rear view mirror, the Toronto Maple Leafs have made their final roster decisions, and are ready to begin the 2011-2012 NHL season.

A hyperventilated fan base can catch their breath over the next couple of days and remember that pre season means absolutely nothing. Having finished with a 4-4 record in their fake games has caused many people to sound the alarms.

During these times of despair I hope these fans remember the preseason of 2009-2010. That was the preseason in which Viktor Stalberg led the league in preseason scoring. The Leafs finished with a 6-3 record in fake games that year. They played so well that Brian Burke admitted he thought the t...

Red Wings vs Leafs Game Recap

October 1, 2011

Marco Perruzza

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Mike Komisarek's overtime winner capped off a roller coaster night for the veteran Leafs defenseman. His wrist shot from the slot eluded Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard giving the Leafs a 4-3 victory in the Motor City. Mike Brown playing in his first preseason game, surprisingly led the Leafs offense with two goals. While rookie Jake Gardiner continued to impress with a goal and an assist. Gardiner also led all Leafs players in ice time with 25:40. The 'great' Leafs broadcast crew were very realistic in their expectations for Gardiner, with Greg Millen calling him Phil Housley and Paul Hendrick comparing him to Brian Leetch. Ron Wilson after the game said that ...

Fake Game #7 Preview Red Wings vs leafs

September 30, 2011

Marco Perruzza

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With less than a week to go before opening night the Toronto Maple Leafs will head to Detroit and face off against their old Norris division rival Detroit Red Wings. Having grown up hating the Wings, it’s become an absolute shame that these two teams don’t face each other as much as they used to. This game late last season brought back so many memories of the great old rivalry. There are plenty of rumours out there regarding Detroit moving to the east, so the day may soon be here when the truce between these two fanbases dissolves. The Red Wings are currently the talk of the preseason due to this hit Brendan Smith threw Wednesday night. Brendan Shanaha...

How will Lombardi's return affect the Leafs?

September 28, 2011

Ron Guillet

1 Comment

With Matthew Lombardi's long recovery from post-concussion syndrome nearing completion, Tyler Bozak or Nazem Kadri could be the odd-man out in Toronto.

Lombardi, who was centering the fourth-line at practice this morning, is aiming to make his Leafs debut for the Oct.6 season opener against the Montreal Canadiens. While his role with the team will be limited initially---he will start on the fourth-line, according to head coach Ron Wilson---he'd eventually work his way to the third-line in a slow transition to ensure he could handle increased ice-time, if all goes according to plan.

While the addition of Lombardi would add depth to the Leafs' line-up, the question a...

Grabovski leads the Leafs over the Senators

September 28, 2011

Marco Perruzza

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What started out as a rough night for the Toronto Maple Leafs ended up being a character building (albeit preseason) victory. The Leafs overcame an early 2-0 deficit on the road to defeat the Ottawa Senators 5-3. Rookie Mika Zibanajed and Zach Smith both struck within the first ten minutes of the first period, capitalizing on poor defensive coverage and sloppy rebound control by James Reimer. Mikhail Grabovski's shorthanded two on one wrister seemed to wake the Leafs up and kick started the comeback.

Down 3-2 after one period of play, Nikolai Kulemin demonstrated his strength and speed by blowing by the Senators defense and jamming home the tying goal. ...

Fake Game #6 Senators vs Leafs

September 27, 2011

Marco Perruzza

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Following two days of practice and a round of roster cuts the Leafs are back in action tonight against the Ottawa Senators. The Leafs are coming off of back to back losses at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres, leaving them with a 2-3-0 preseason record. A record, it should be said, that many people are taking too seriously. The Senators are looking to rebound from a loss last night against the Winnipeg Jets.

With the final week of training camp upon us, look for the games to be slightly more intense. Veterans generally ramp it up this week, and rookies push to make an impression. Expect fewer turnovers and a focus on special teams execution.

Lineups

Leafs

Lupul...

Sabres Take Down Marlies

September 24, 2011

Marco Perruzza

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The Buffalo Sabres remained perfect with a 3-2 victory Saturday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Sabres swept a weekend home and home series against the Leafs on the strength of two one goal victories. Pretty much playing their expected opening night lineup, the Sabres managed to capitalize with the man advantage scoring all their goals while on the power play. The Leafs iced a heavy AHL team, and were certainly overmatched on this night. Considering the quality of the two teams the Leafs still managed to be in this game until the final whistle.

Jonas Gustavsson still had some problems positionally on the night, but he managed to keep the Lea...