October 30, 2011, improved Toronto Maple Leafs column for HockeyPrimeTime.com

Kessel, Leafs rising in the East

Columns

Written by Denis Gorman

Thursday, October 27, 2011 22:36

Nobody is planning a championship parade down Yonge Street, but something is different about the 2011-12 Maple Leafs. Where some recent editions might have wilted under adversity, this year's team is fighting back. The moment was not one associated with a recent Toronto Maple Leafs team. The Maple Leafs found themselves trailing 2-1 29 seconds into the second period of last Saturday night’s game against the Montreal Canadiens. Jonas Gustavsson, who replaced an injured James Reimer in goal before opening faceoff of the period, had surrendered a ridiculously quick goal to Andrei Kostitsyn that sent the Bell Centre into hysterics. In the not-too-distant past, perhaps the specter of Kostitsyn’s goal would have caused the Leafs to commit acts of self-defeat and selfishness. On this night, to the delight of Leafs Nation, there was resilence. It was started by perhaps the Leafs’ most important player and their biggest star, Phil Kessel. As he skated up the right-wing wall into the Montreal zone, Matthew Lombardi lost control of the puck. It skittered behind the net and onto Josh Gorges' stick. The defenseman began carrying the puck up ice when he was pressured from behind by Lombardi. Gorges lost concentration for a moment. He also lost the puck to Kessel. Two strides later, Kessel found himself directly in front of Carey Price with all the time in the world. Snipers do not require much time to do their job. With an imperceptibly quick flick of his wrists, Kessel lifted a shot over Price’s glove and just under the crossbar. It was a goal scorer’s goal and it tied the game at 2-2 with 19:10 remaining. Kessel’s tying goal was one of the five that the Leafs would score on Price, with Mikhail Grabovski spinning the overtime winner. Yes, it was only one goal and it was only one game, but at first glance the Leafs look and feel like a completely different team than the ones that compiled a 228-206-68 post-lockout record. The Leafs and Florida are the only two NHL franchises not to qualify for the playoffs since the work stoppage. Toronto’s last playoff appearance was a six-game, second-round series loss to the Flyers in spring 2004 with a veteran roster featuring Ed Belfour, Ron Francis, Brian Leetch, Alexander Mogilny, Joe Nieuwendyk and Mats Sundin. The Leafs left New York with a 6-2-1 record after a 4-2 win over the Rangers. After scoring the tying goal with 1:20 remaining in the second period and getting three more in the third, the Leafs have the third-best record in the NHL. “It’s a big start,” Dion Phaneuf told HockeyPrimeTime.com after the Leafs’ Thursday. “We want to keep going. The biggest thing is consistency throughout the full year, not just a good start and fall off. You want to keep going and stay as consistent as possible. That’s what we’re going to try to do.” To attempt to dissect why some teams win and others lose is a fool’s errand. There are countless variables and sports, like life, is fluid; the indefinable formula that leads to success in one year may not provide positive returns in another. “It’s probably a combination of things,” Joffrey Lupul said when asked to analyze the Leafs’ start to the season. “From myself, personally, it was just being healthy and ready to go at the start of the year. Also I’m benefitting from getting a shot on the first line and Phil Kessel is playing at a really high level right now." Yeah, you could say that. Kessel’s nine goals and 16 points lead the NHL in both categories while Lupul has 10 points in nine games. “A lot of times we’re just looking to get him the puck and he’s making something out of nothing,” Lupul continued. “If you look at the stats, teams are going to pay more attention to him as the season goes, if he keeps this pace up. My job on the line is to take some pressure off him – I can shoot the puck as well – and just go in there, forecheck, win some battles and try to get more opportunities for him.” It was only one goal and one game, but at first glance the Leafs look and feel like a completely different team than the ones that compiled a 228-206-68 post-lockout record. Still, there is a danger in being overly reliant on one player or one line. Look at the New York Islanders for proof. Secondary scoring forwards Lombardi, Grabovski, Clarke MacArthur, Nikolai Kulemin and Tyler Bozak have combined for eight goals, 10 assists, 18 points and a plus-3 rating. Even more concerning for the Leafs is Reimer’s long-term medical condition. He left the Hockey Night in Canada win over the Canadiens after being clipped in the head by a Brian Gionta elbow exactly one minute into the game. He played for the remainder of the first period before being replaced by Gustavsson. Reimer did not play in Toronto’s 4-2 loss in Philadelphia on Monday night. Gustavsson allowed all four Flyers goals and had a .867 save percentage. Toronto’s Monster has been ghastly in the three games this season. He is 2-2 with a 4.09 goals-against and .876 save percentage, numbers that slightly improved after a 28-save performance in New York. Coach Ron Wilson told reporters Thursday morning that Reimer said he didn't feel well after practice Wednesday. The Leafs’ decided to “shut him down for a day,” Wilson said, and call up Ben Scrivens from the AHL Toronto Marlies. Before the game, Reimer was placed on injured reserve with whiplash. When told that Gustavsson hinted that Reimer may have suffered a concussion on the play, Wilson grew sarcastic, as he is wont to do. “The doctors haven’t said that to me,” Wilson snarked. “Last time I checked, I don’t have a medical degree and I don’t think the Monster does, either. So until we’re told something like that, this is a day-to-day thing.” For a city that last celebrated a Leafs’ Cup championship 16,249 days prior, those last four words could be interpreted as either a positive or a negative. What they do know is that the day of May 2, 1967, grows in significance with every moment. No one has ever won a Cup after nine games, and it is not worth discussing whether 2011-12 is the Leafs’ year. But what can be said is that this edition has fight. On Twitter: @HockeyPrimeTime and @DenisGorman Photos by Getty Images

Last Updated on Friday, October 28, 2011 00:06

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