Yes everyone, here's the introduction of the Leafs' new offensive strategy. Instead of putting a man in front to screen the goalie, let's sneak a rag of the stuff in the mask of the guy, he'll never expect it! At this point I think that's a last resort if I've ever heard of one, but I'm starting to be so annoyed by this team that I have trouble watching the whole game.
But in all seriousness, I have a couple very short points to make:
1) I've found myself disliking every line composition that involves Kessel. No matter how much he passes and creates plays, his defensive faults are too painful to watch. When he was with Blake and Stajan I disliked the line and I still dislike it with Kulemin and Bozak. If anyone is an avid enough reader of mine to be with me since the very beginning of my bloggerhood, they would know that my first call as a line was Blake, Bozak and Kessel. I'm still very much an advocate of that line since Blake is still on the verge of converting his chances into numbers. Last night, his speed excited the team after some depressing goals in both the first and second periods.
2) So Chloroform is the new strategy for the team, but here's the new strategy for Leafs fans and TV watchers - tune in during the third period. It really is the only necessary period to watch. The Leafs are painful to watch for the first two and they start to work to tie it up once the opposition has a false sense of security. We've stolen five or six points this year like that.
3) Hey Ron, have you noticed that Wallin is bad? Like, I mean really bad. Keep him out of the line up. I don't care if he's friends with Gusto. He may be rated "81" in NHL 2010 while Hagman is an "80" but I saw through the bullshit. Sit him like you did yesterday.
4) Don't trade Mayers until the last possible day. If he's going to play like he did last night to fight for a trade, I would love to keep him as long as possible. Although Primeau can't accept a pass to save his life, Orr can!! That goal last night made him seem like a goal scorer; a slow, hard hitting, scary human being of a goal scorer. Orr was running around hitting everything that moved last night and scored an absolutely great goal. Very happy to see that guy playing the way he has this year. He's for sure one of my favourites. His ability to fight along the boards for the puck definitely took me by surprise.
5) Message to Burkie - don't look into Kovalchuk. I seriously don't like him and if we lose one more first rounder I'm going to start cheering for Stamkos and the Lightning who have a future.
Anyway, let's hope it picks up and this new strategy is put into place.
Go Leafs Go
Bone
Showing posts with label Blake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blake. Show all posts
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Most Improved: Schenn, Blake Or(r) Kulemin?
Leafs Nation is obsessing over our newfound ability to win, especially with a statistic like 7-2-1 in our last 10. It's always nice to know we're winning but this might be a little premature knowing the teams we're playing. In the past 10 games, we've beaten Columbus, NY Islanders, Montreal, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Florida, and an unexpected overtime win over Washington. However, we've lost to Boston, NY Islanders (in OT) and Buffalo.
In the list of teams the Leafs have beaten, Washington is the anomaly being the only elite NHL team we've stolen a win from. Montreal is in a playoff spot and so are the Thrashers but neither are likely to make the playoffs come the end of the year. Washington, Buffalo and Boston are the three actually good teams we've played in this rush and we have that many loses. Washington was a win due to an incredible game by Beauchemin and White, while the other two teams beat us.
Buffalo and Boston are divisional teams which makes winning against them all the more important. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem likely at all. Furthermore, we play both teams 2 more times each in December alone. Also, in December the Leafs only have 2 more games against teams that are not in a playoff seed currently. Those teams are the Oilers and the Islanders. Instead, our Leafers are up against Buffalo twice, Boston twice, Washington, Pittsburgh, and the Pheonix Coyotes of Hamilton (...I wish).
What I'm saying is not that the Leafs should have been 10-0 in their last 10 games, but that they need to win games against great teams if they're going to make a run for the playoffs. they have a very hard month coming up and they need to steal some games from elite teams like they did against Washington.
What I hope for from the past 10 games is a confidence booster from players like Schenn, Kulemin, Blake and Colton Orr.
Schenn has been outstanding during this ten game stint, which is being shown by his plus/minus statistic. In the last 5 games alone, Schenn is a +6. He's had games with about 10 minutes of ice time, some with 15, and 2 with 19 minutes. Ron Wilson is beginning to trust the sophomore defender and it seems he's finally finding his confidence.
Kulemin's statistics look quite mediocre for the year, having only 8 points on the year and a -3 to show for it. However, last 5 games, he has 1G and 1A and is a +1. Still, seems pretty mediocre. What everyone's talking about however, is his defensive abilities. This kid has been stellar in his defensive play, throwing his weight around, fighting for the puck while being a disciplined power forward. His development is not close to being over but he's definitely a good player to have on this Leafs hockey team. The looks of some statistics can be awfully deceiving.
Our local MMA hockey player Colton Orr has certainly picked up his play defensively. The whole fourth line has been able to hem the opposing team into their own end and apply enough pressure that the opposing team doesn't pose a threat. In the game against Washington, Mayers, Wallin and Orr kept Ovechkin and his team in their zone for a couple shifts while the Leafs first line had time to rest. Orr has even potted a game-winning goal recently, tying his NY Rangers statistic last year with 1G all season. This 4th line fighter is only a -3 and has been much better in this 10 game stint.
Last but not least, the player that seems to be the most hated on all of the Maple Leafs, Jason Blake. I only put him on this list because he has finally found his scoring touch. In the last 5 games, Blake is a +6 and has 3G 1A on 20 shots. He's a +2 on this Leafs team and scored the winning goal last night against his old team. Everyone in Leafs nation has been hard on him this season but I still must disagree. Although he hasn't been scoring until recently, he has had incredible speed all year that penetrates the opposing zone and allows the team to set up in a dangerous way. He is also a surprisingly great physical presence behind the opposition's net. Look for him to keep up his scoring.
These are the players that have picked up their play the most in this previous 5-10 games and have hopefully really gained confidence from the Leafs' winning. Honourable mention to Vesa Toskala and Wayne Primeau.
Go Leafs Go
Bone
Since we're playing the Caps soon and I spoke of our win over them a while back, I thought I'd include my favourite Washington youtube clip. Ever.
In the list of teams the Leafs have beaten, Washington is the anomaly being the only elite NHL team we've stolen a win from. Montreal is in a playoff spot and so are the Thrashers but neither are likely to make the playoffs come the end of the year. Washington, Buffalo and Boston are the three actually good teams we've played in this rush and we have that many loses. Washington was a win due to an incredible game by Beauchemin and White, while the other two teams beat us.
Buffalo and Boston are divisional teams which makes winning against them all the more important. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem likely at all. Furthermore, we play both teams 2 more times each in December alone. Also, in December the Leafs only have 2 more games against teams that are not in a playoff seed currently. Those teams are the Oilers and the Islanders. Instead, our Leafers are up against Buffalo twice, Boston twice, Washington, Pittsburgh, and the Pheonix Coyotes of Hamilton (...I wish).
What I'm saying is not that the Leafs should have been 10-0 in their last 10 games, but that they need to win games against great teams if they're going to make a run for the playoffs. they have a very hard month coming up and they need to steal some games from elite teams like they did against Washington.
What I hope for from the past 10 games is a confidence booster from players like Schenn, Kulemin, Blake and Colton Orr.
Schenn has been outstanding during this ten game stint, which is being shown by his plus/minus statistic. In the last 5 games alone, Schenn is a +6. He's had games with about 10 minutes of ice time, some with 15, and 2 with 19 minutes. Ron Wilson is beginning to trust the sophomore defender and it seems he's finally finding his confidence.
Kulemin's statistics look quite mediocre for the year, having only 8 points on the year and a -3 to show for it. However, last 5 games, he has 1G and 1A and is a +1. Still, seems pretty mediocre. What everyone's talking about however, is his defensive abilities. This kid has been stellar in his defensive play, throwing his weight around, fighting for the puck while being a disciplined power forward. His development is not close to being over but he's definitely a good player to have on this Leafs hockey team. The looks of some statistics can be awfully deceiving.
Our local MMA hockey player Colton Orr has certainly picked up his play defensively. The whole fourth line has been able to hem the opposing team into their own end and apply enough pressure that the opposing team doesn't pose a threat. In the game against Washington, Mayers, Wallin and Orr kept Ovechkin and his team in their zone for a couple shifts while the Leafs first line had time to rest. Orr has even potted a game-winning goal recently, tying his NY Rangers statistic last year with 1G all season. This 4th line fighter is only a -3 and has been much better in this 10 game stint.
Last but not least, the player that seems to be the most hated on all of the Maple Leafs, Jason Blake. I only put him on this list because he has finally found his scoring touch. In the last 5 games, Blake is a +6 and has 3G 1A on 20 shots. He's a +2 on this Leafs team and scored the winning goal last night against his old team. Everyone in Leafs nation has been hard on him this season but I still must disagree. Although he hasn't been scoring until recently, he has had incredible speed all year that penetrates the opposing zone and allows the team to set up in a dangerous way. He is also a surprisingly great physical presence behind the opposition's net. Look for him to keep up his scoring.
These are the players that have picked up their play the most in this previous 5-10 games and have hopefully really gained confidence from the Leafs' winning. Honourable mention to Vesa Toskala and Wayne Primeau.
Go Leafs Go
Bone
Since we're playing the Caps soon and I spoke of our win over them a while back, I thought I'd include my favourite Washington youtube clip. Ever.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Another Win Thanks to Dr. Phil
It's nice to know that there's now some distance between the Leafs and Carolina. Even though it's only 4 points, it's hard being thought on the same field as the Hurricanes minus Staal. That's like the Leafs without Kessel, pretty terrible. Also, their lack of Ward is pretty noticeable as well. Superiority complex aside, let's get down to last night.
It's nice to know who our scorers are since it's the same players every night. Kessel, Hagman, Ponikarovsky and Stajan. It's always these 4, except for the odd time Kulemin or White put one in the net. But that's okay, as long as we're getting the points, I don't mind where the goals are coming from. I'm truly starting to like how the Leafs look on a nightly basis - past the 10 minute mark. It's still frustrating to see the Leafs shots directly at the chest of the goalie, but for the last couple games, they've have been able to capitalize on the goaltenders' mistakes because they're putting pressure on them in close and not just taking shots from the perimeter. There have been bodies in front of the opposing teams' net that have finally been resulting in goals. Except for Blake, he just won't score.
Kessel is kinda good, has anyone else noticed this? The one of two forwards with more than 20 minutes on the ice last night, he can really play until the final buzzer. It was his goal in the first period that got the Leafs fired up and by the end of the period it was very likely that the Leafs were going to win. That's one of the very few aspects of Toronto's game that cannot be contested, they know how to make a comeback. With 4 or 5 this year (that mostly ended up with a loss in OT), the Leafs have enough character to stick in the game until we have absolutely lost for sure. Maybe soon we'll actually fight hard enough to get the first goal of the game on a regular basis - that could be asking for too much.
Few things to notice from last night's victory. First of all, I really like this Hanson guy. Yes he was on for a couple goals, but the speed he can generate even with his size is quite useful. On Hagman's winning goal, it was Hanson who dumped it in, won the footrace, qicked it into the corner for Hagman, and then went to the net after Hagman just in case there was a rebound. I haven't seen him play with the Marlies, but I can see that with the style of play he has, points just follow him around because he puts the other team in awkward situations down low. A couple minutes later, he won another footrace for the puck down low that didn't result in a goal but still shows the kid can play.
Ponikarovski was a +3 last night. With a 4 point night (1G, 3A) - he was always in the right place. He used his size in front to gain a solid position in front of Vokoun and got the puck to ricochet off of him into the net. Not the prettiest goal, but he'll take it. He's not going to reach his 61 point total that he reached last year, but this year his plus/minus is his impressive stat with a +4 on a losing team. I've been quite a critic of the guy this year because he doesn't shoot to score but as long as he can plant himself in front of the net like he did last night, he can score a garbage goal from time to time.
Luke Schenn has probably been one of the biggest disappointments for the Leafs this year. We've had a number of them with Blake, Komisarek for the first bit, Beauchemin for the first bit, Stalberg not panning out yet, etc. but Schenn's bad play is finally starting to be dealt with. His minutes are being kept small so he can get his shit together and play like the Luke Schenn the Leafs know and love. He got an assist last night and only played about 12 minutes and +1. If he continues to improve, hopefully we can rely on him the same way we've been relying on Carl Gunnarsson for the past couple games. Wearing my hockey number of #36, he's been repping it perfectly, allowing Wilson to have confidence in him enough to put him out there in all situations. He's the perfect 23 year old to have on a rebuilding team. In the 7 games he has played this year, he's a +4 and has only played one game with under 20 minutes of ice time.
I think having Gunner up with the big club will force Schenn to play like he has to. Wilson has already guaranteed Gunner's place on the team and so when Komi comes back, there's a good chance that Exelby and Finger will be fighting for Schenn's last spot on the D line.
Anyway, riding a 2 game winning streak, the Leafs have two nights off to rest up, sharpen those skates and perfect that familiar Leafs Strategy - GET IT TO PHIL!
Go Leafs Go
OH, I almost forgot. Have you seen this Stamkos kid? He's making it really hard for the rest of Team Canada hopefuls.
...Yea, these Stamkos posts are going to get preeeeetty frequent. As frequent as his goals! HA.
-Bone
It's nice to know who our scorers are since it's the same players every night. Kessel, Hagman, Ponikarovsky and Stajan. It's always these 4, except for the odd time Kulemin or White put one in the net. But that's okay, as long as we're getting the points, I don't mind where the goals are coming from. I'm truly starting to like how the Leafs look on a nightly basis - past the 10 minute mark. It's still frustrating to see the Leafs shots directly at the chest of the goalie, but for the last couple games, they've have been able to capitalize on the goaltenders' mistakes because they're putting pressure on them in close and not just taking shots from the perimeter. There have been bodies in front of the opposing teams' net that have finally been resulting in goals. Except for Blake, he just won't score.
Kessel is kinda good, has anyone else noticed this? The one of two forwards with more than 20 minutes on the ice last night, he can really play until the final buzzer. It was his goal in the first period that got the Leafs fired up and by the end of the period it was very likely that the Leafs were going to win. That's one of the very few aspects of Toronto's game that cannot be contested, they know how to make a comeback. With 4 or 5 this year (that mostly ended up with a loss in OT), the Leafs have enough character to stick in the game until we have absolutely lost for sure. Maybe soon we'll actually fight hard enough to get the first goal of the game on a regular basis - that could be asking for too much.
Few things to notice from last night's victory. First of all, I really like this Hanson guy. Yes he was on for a couple goals, but the speed he can generate even with his size is quite useful. On Hagman's winning goal, it was Hanson who dumped it in, won the footrace, qicked it into the corner for Hagman, and then went to the net after Hagman just in case there was a rebound. I haven't seen him play with the Marlies, but I can see that with the style of play he has, points just follow him around because he puts the other team in awkward situations down low. A couple minutes later, he won another footrace for the puck down low that didn't result in a goal but still shows the kid can play.
Ponikarovski was a +3 last night. With a 4 point night (1G, 3A) - he was always in the right place. He used his size in front to gain a solid position in front of Vokoun and got the puck to ricochet off of him into the net. Not the prettiest goal, but he'll take it. He's not going to reach his 61 point total that he reached last year, but this year his plus/minus is his impressive stat with a +4 on a losing team. I've been quite a critic of the guy this year because he doesn't shoot to score but as long as he can plant himself in front of the net like he did last night, he can score a garbage goal from time to time.
Luke Schenn has probably been one of the biggest disappointments for the Leafs this year. We've had a number of them with Blake, Komisarek for the first bit, Beauchemin for the first bit, Stalberg not panning out yet, etc. but Schenn's bad play is finally starting to be dealt with. His minutes are being kept small so he can get his shit together and play like the Luke Schenn the Leafs know and love. He got an assist last night and only played about 12 minutes and +1. If he continues to improve, hopefully we can rely on him the same way we've been relying on Carl Gunnarsson for the past couple games. Wearing my hockey number of #36, he's been repping it perfectly, allowing Wilson to have confidence in him enough to put him out there in all situations. He's the perfect 23 year old to have on a rebuilding team. In the 7 games he has played this year, he's a +4 and has only played one game with under 20 minutes of ice time.
I think having Gunner up with the big club will force Schenn to play like he has to. Wilson has already guaranteed Gunner's place on the team and so when Komi comes back, there's a good chance that Exelby and Finger will be fighting for Schenn's last spot on the D line.
Anyway, riding a 2 game winning streak, the Leafs have two nights off to rest up, sharpen those skates and perfect that familiar Leafs Strategy - GET IT TO PHIL!
Go Leafs Go
OH, I almost forgot. Have you seen this Stamkos kid? He's making it really hard for the rest of Team Canada hopefuls.
...Yea, these Stamkos posts are going to get preeeeetty frequent. As frequent as his goals! HA.
-Bone
Sunday, November 22, 2009
I Bleed Blue and (Ian) White - Leafs/Caps Post Game
Sorry for the long hiatus in posts, it's been a long week with a whole lot happening. Plus I was tired of writing "yet another disappointment from our Leafers". Instead, after a crazy game against Ovie and the Capitals I can say "Finally a win for Toskala and the Leafs". What a game it was. Ron Wilson seems to have a new idea for all his disappointing players - put them on the same line. Grabovski and Blake, who have been nothing but mediocre this season were grouped together with Hagman who can dazzle at times but was a healthy scratch approximately a month ago. Grabo and Blake were brought onto the team to be our offensive strength but Blake, a former 40 goal scorer is at 2 goals right now and Grabo is at 4. The speed on this line was able to keep the Caps stuck in their zone for shifts at a time, shifts that Ovechkin was on the ice for and couldn't get close to our goalie.
When Ovechkin did get the puck, White was almost always there to shut him down or save yet another goal by blocking a shot behind Toskala. White is every goalie's best friend - other than the post, which bailed Toskala out late in the 3rd period as well. The difference between the shots that Varlamov and Toskala faced is that still, Leafs shooters are taking shots that mostly are at the crest rather than making him move laterally. Toskala had to throw himself at Ovechkin more than once to cut down the angle on him and shut him down. In the first period, Laich had a shot that, if shot harder would have been in the net because Backstrom passed cross-ice. However, also in the first period Stajan made a cross-crease pass to Kessel who couldn't finish the play and hit the post.
I still can't give the upper hand to the Leafs in this game because of the type of chances that the Caps got compared to the Leafs. When the Leafs play elite teams like the Caps, you can see how real scorers look for openings in the net, but thankfully Toskala had a great performance to shut it down. Ponikarovski, Blake and Grabovski are still shooting at the goaltender and need to make the goalie scramble for the puck.
But I digress, there are certain parts of last game that must also be discussed. For example, Beauchemin getting over 27 minutes of ice-time and Ian White's 26 minutes. This defensive pairing was on for the goal against and it was a mistake on Ian White's pinch and Beauchemin being caught with his pants down around his ankles. I have no idea what Beauchemin was doing, but he had no idea where Ovechkin was when he committed to taking Greene. Too bad the pass was wide open and the Leafs went down 1-0. I guess the argument can be made that when you're on for more than 26 minutes each, you're bound to make one or two mistakes, but that can't happen when Ovechkin is on the ice and ends up getting a wide open shot. He never misses those.
November has unfortunately been a month filled with easier teams to play against standings-wise and we haven't gotten the wins we need. Yes we've beaten the Caps but losing to Minnesota and Carolina is unacceptable. December is quite a frightening month, playing 12 teams that currently have a playoff spot. That includes both Washington and Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and most excitingly because I get to go see the game on December 19th, Phil Kessel's old team the Boston Bruins.
Something that I must leave you with, as I stated in my biases in my first ever post, is the beauty and skill that is Steven Stamkos.
Go Leafs Go.... and Stamkos.
When Ovechkin did get the puck, White was almost always there to shut him down or save yet another goal by blocking a shot behind Toskala. White is every goalie's best friend - other than the post, which bailed Toskala out late in the 3rd period as well. The difference between the shots that Varlamov and Toskala faced is that still, Leafs shooters are taking shots that mostly are at the crest rather than making him move laterally. Toskala had to throw himself at Ovechkin more than once to cut down the angle on him and shut him down. In the first period, Laich had a shot that, if shot harder would have been in the net because Backstrom passed cross-ice. However, also in the first period Stajan made a cross-crease pass to Kessel who couldn't finish the play and hit the post.
I still can't give the upper hand to the Leafs in this game because of the type of chances that the Caps got compared to the Leafs. When the Leafs play elite teams like the Caps, you can see how real scorers look for openings in the net, but thankfully Toskala had a great performance to shut it down. Ponikarovski, Blake and Grabovski are still shooting at the goaltender and need to make the goalie scramble for the puck.
But I digress, there are certain parts of last game that must also be discussed. For example, Beauchemin getting over 27 minutes of ice-time and Ian White's 26 minutes. This defensive pairing was on for the goal against and it was a mistake on Ian White's pinch and Beauchemin being caught with his pants down around his ankles. I have no idea what Beauchemin was doing, but he had no idea where Ovechkin was when he committed to taking Greene. Too bad the pass was wide open and the Leafs went down 1-0. I guess the argument can be made that when you're on for more than 26 minutes each, you're bound to make one or two mistakes, but that can't happen when Ovechkin is on the ice and ends up getting a wide open shot. He never misses those.
November has unfortunately been a month filled with easier teams to play against standings-wise and we haven't gotten the wins we need. Yes we've beaten the Caps but losing to Minnesota and Carolina is unacceptable. December is quite a frightening month, playing 12 teams that currently have a playoff spot. That includes both Washington and Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and most excitingly because I get to go see the game on December 19th, Phil Kessel's old team the Boston Bruins.
Something that I must leave you with, as I stated in my biases in my first ever post, is the beauty and skill that is Steven Stamkos.
Go Leafs Go.... and Stamkos.
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