Post by Amoroq on Dec 20, 2008 11:39:33 GMT -5
Hockey Night In Pittsburgh
All Leaf players need to watch their backs and protect their groins when the goon Sidney Crosby is on the ice.
I can't believe he didn't get a suspension.
Alec's Pre-Game BLog.
After stringing together an impressive three-game winning streak on the back of much-improved defensive play, the Maple Leafs skated into the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston and hit a wall in the form of eight goals against, their worst defensive effort of the season.
It was a combination of defensive mistakes and very unsure goaltending (moreso goaltending) that found the Leafs down 5-1 in the second period in Boston. Showing incredible resilience, the Maple Leafs held their own offensively in battling back from a 5-1 deficit to narrow the gap to one. But again, an inability to keep anything out of their own net made the Leafs’ valiant come-back efforts all for naught. Neither Curtis Joseph or Vesa Toskala looked able to stop a beachball Thursday night, and that’s a recipe for disaster when you’re lining up against the best offensive team in the Conference. Credit to the Leafs’ offense for putting five behind the best defense in the Conference and an in-form Tim Thomas.
The Maple Leafs all too routinely this season have found themselves fighting uphill battles after conceding early goals. Slow starts, exacerbated by generally poor goaltending, are spoiling many of the Leafs’ otherwise strong efforts this season. Vesa Toskala’s up-and-down season is continuing at high revs (the Finn’s positioning resembled a fish-out-of-water Thursday, pun intended) and CuJo is providing anything but a reliable back-up option.
Toskala's Leafs will look to get back to winning ways tonight in the Mellon Arena in their second of four meetings with the Pens. The Mellon Arena hasn't exactly been Leaf-friendly in recent times as the Penguins have defeated the Leafs in four out of their last five meetings in the 'Burgh.
The Pens haven’t been in top form as of late (4-5-1 in their last 10), but are boosted by the return of Marc Andre Fleury after a five-week injury lay-off. In his first game back in five weeks, Fleury didn’t appear to miss a beat in a 6-3 win over the Atlanta Thrashers Thursday night. Fleury is 5-1-1 all-time against the Leafs.
The Maple Leafs are going to have to somehow find a way to quiet Evgeny Malkin and Sydney Crosby, both of whom are red-hot at the moment. Malkin has recorded five points in his last two outings while Crosby has 21 in his last 11 appearances. Typically, Crosby has been less of a problem for the Leafs than Malkin. In the two teams’ first meeting back on October 18, the rangy Russian was in on all four goals in the Pens’ 4-1 win. All-time, Malkin has recorded eighteen assists in nine games against the Leafs. He also recorded his first career hat-trick against the Blue and White last January. The guy is a downright Leaf killer.
The Leafs will be encouraged by the return of Niklas Hagman to the line-up, probably the team’s best all-around forward this year. To accommodate his return, TSN is projecting that Nik Kulemin will be bumped down to the fourth line to play alongside John Mitchell and Ryan Hollweg.
Mike Van Ryn is out after suffering his second concussion of the season in Boston. According to Sportsnet, he will return for the Dallas game. Jonas Frogren will play in his place.
This is the anticipated line-up per TSN:
Forwards:
Ponikarovsky - Stajan - Antropov
Hagman - Grabovski - Stempniak
Blake - Moore - Williams
Hollweg - Mitchell - Kulemin/Deveaux (game-time decision)
Defence:
Sifers - Finger
White - Van Ryn (Out, Frogren In)
Kaberle - Kubina
Ron Wilson has decided to re-unite Ponikarovsky and Antropov atop the line-up. With Hagman returning, that means one of the Leafs’ top six has to be shifted down the bench. The Blake-Moore-Williams line has been effective and thus has been kept in tact. Kulemin appears to be the fall guy here. To me, Stempniak has been the top nine player that’s been the least effective lately, but I guess trading two former first rounders for a player and then demoting that player to the fourth line doesn’t project well. Still, there’s nothing wrong with sending a message. If things aren’t going well tonight, I would imagine Kulemin will find his way back up the order.
Enjoy the game tonight.
All Leaf players need to watch their backs and protect their groins when the goon Sidney Crosby is on the ice.
I can't believe he didn't get a suspension.
Alec's Pre-Game BLog.
After stringing together an impressive three-game winning streak on the back of much-improved defensive play, the Maple Leafs skated into the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston and hit a wall in the form of eight goals against, their worst defensive effort of the season.
It was a combination of defensive mistakes and very unsure goaltending (moreso goaltending) that found the Leafs down 5-1 in the second period in Boston. Showing incredible resilience, the Maple Leafs held their own offensively in battling back from a 5-1 deficit to narrow the gap to one. But again, an inability to keep anything out of their own net made the Leafs’ valiant come-back efforts all for naught. Neither Curtis Joseph or Vesa Toskala looked able to stop a beachball Thursday night, and that’s a recipe for disaster when you’re lining up against the best offensive team in the Conference. Credit to the Leafs’ offense for putting five behind the best defense in the Conference and an in-form Tim Thomas.
The Maple Leafs all too routinely this season have found themselves fighting uphill battles after conceding early goals. Slow starts, exacerbated by generally poor goaltending, are spoiling many of the Leafs’ otherwise strong efforts this season. Vesa Toskala’s up-and-down season is continuing at high revs (the Finn’s positioning resembled a fish-out-of-water Thursday, pun intended) and CuJo is providing anything but a reliable back-up option.
Toskala's Leafs will look to get back to winning ways tonight in the Mellon Arena in their second of four meetings with the Pens. The Mellon Arena hasn't exactly been Leaf-friendly in recent times as the Penguins have defeated the Leafs in four out of their last five meetings in the 'Burgh.
The Pens haven’t been in top form as of late (4-5-1 in their last 10), but are boosted by the return of Marc Andre Fleury after a five-week injury lay-off. In his first game back in five weeks, Fleury didn’t appear to miss a beat in a 6-3 win over the Atlanta Thrashers Thursday night. Fleury is 5-1-1 all-time against the Leafs.
The Maple Leafs are going to have to somehow find a way to quiet Evgeny Malkin and Sydney Crosby, both of whom are red-hot at the moment. Malkin has recorded five points in his last two outings while Crosby has 21 in his last 11 appearances. Typically, Crosby has been less of a problem for the Leafs than Malkin. In the two teams’ first meeting back on October 18, the rangy Russian was in on all four goals in the Pens’ 4-1 win. All-time, Malkin has recorded eighteen assists in nine games against the Leafs. He also recorded his first career hat-trick against the Blue and White last January. The guy is a downright Leaf killer.
The Leafs will be encouraged by the return of Niklas Hagman to the line-up, probably the team’s best all-around forward this year. To accommodate his return, TSN is projecting that Nik Kulemin will be bumped down to the fourth line to play alongside John Mitchell and Ryan Hollweg.
Mike Van Ryn is out after suffering his second concussion of the season in Boston. According to Sportsnet, he will return for the Dallas game. Jonas Frogren will play in his place.
This is the anticipated line-up per TSN:
Forwards:
Ponikarovsky - Stajan - Antropov
Hagman - Grabovski - Stempniak
Blake - Moore - Williams
Hollweg - Mitchell - Kulemin/Deveaux (game-time decision)
Defence:
Sifers - Finger
White - Van Ryn (Out, Frogren In)
Kaberle - Kubina
Ron Wilson has decided to re-unite Ponikarovsky and Antropov atop the line-up. With Hagman returning, that means one of the Leafs’ top six has to be shifted down the bench. The Blake-Moore-Williams line has been effective and thus has been kept in tact. Kulemin appears to be the fall guy here. To me, Stempniak has been the top nine player that’s been the least effective lately, but I guess trading two former first rounders for a player and then demoting that player to the fourth line doesn’t project well. Still, there’s nothing wrong with sending a message. If things aren’t going well tonight, I would imagine Kulemin will find his way back up the order.
Enjoy the game tonight.
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