No hanging chads in Florida this time

 We'll , we are 2-0 in Florida this trip, but down one defense man. All in all a sucessful journey. They pulled it out, actually they gutted out a strong road effort against their chief rival in the race to get into the playoffs.

William Nylander scored the go-ahead goal midway in the third period to lift the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Florida Panthers 5-3 on Thursday night.
Auston Matthews, Kasperi Kapanen, Mark Hyman and Justin Holl also scored for Toronto. Frederik Andersen stopped 24 shots in his sixth straight start.
Mike Hoffman, Noel Acciari and Mark Pysyk scored for the Panthers, while Sergei Bobrovsky made 24 stops..

With the score tied at 3, Nylander put the Maple Leafs ahead when he grabbed a loose puck in front and put it past Bobrovsky with 11 minutes left in the third.  Nylander had a heck of a road trip.
Holl’s empty-net goal with 20.8 seconds remaining stretched the lead to 5-3.
Toronto has won three of their past four games. The Panthers have lost three of four.

Each team scored three goals in a wild first period.  Trailing 3-1, the Maple Leafs closed to 3-2 when Kapinen’s shot from the left circle beat Bobrovsky with 2:17 left in the first. Matthews tied it when he poked in a rebound with 1:02 left.

With the score tied at 1, Hoffman put the Panthers ahead 2-1 when he found a rebound in front and shot it into the open net at 7:25. Acciari’s shot from the right circle hit the post on the far side and went in at 12:36 and made it 3-1.

The Panthers took a 1-0 lead when Pysyk one-timed a pass from Aaron Ekblad from the right circle 2:23 in.
The Maple Leafs answered 1:09 later after Hyman poked a rebound past Bobrovsky to tie it at 1.

NOTES: Maple Leafs C Denis Malgin, acquired from the Panthers on Feb. 19, was a healthy scratch. … Toronto D Jake Muzzin will miss four weeks with a broken hand sustained in a 4-3 win at Tampa Bay on Thursday. … Florida’s Joel Quenneville became the 2nd NHL head coach to reach 1,700 games. Scotty Bowman coached 2,499 NHL games. … Ekblad’s assist on Pysyk’s goal gave him a career-high 39 points. … Panthers F Erik Haula played his 400th NHL game.

Leafs strike Lightening

One game after losing to a 42-year-old emergency goaltender on home ice, the Toronto Maple Leafs found redemption on the road with a 4-3 victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night. What sh%% show that was.


John Tavares scored twice, William Nylander scored his 28th and Fredrik Andersen stopped 26 shots for Toronto. Jake Muzzin also scored, though he missed the third period after taking a puck off his right hand late in the second period and will be examined on Wednesday, according to Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe.

Toronto scored a pair of power play goals while killing off all three Lightning chances, holding Tampa Bay to one shot.

"I think we've seen when it's been against us and when it's for us what a difference maker it can be," Tavares said of the special teams. "In a game, especially this time of year, 5-on-5, even strength everything is so tight, so competitive. [Power plays] are real opportunities to build momentum in a game."

Nikita Kucherov scored his 30th of the season, Pat Maroon notched his eighth while Yanni Gourde picked up his ninth as Tampa Bay lost its season-long third consecutive game in regulation and had an 11-game home winning streak ended.
Andrei Vasilevskiy finished with 19 saves.

2 goal Johnny

Lightning captain Steven Stamkos left the game after the second period and did not return.
"Some things that have been bothering him in the past go to him today and he couldn't come back," Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said.
Kucherov put Tampa Bay in front at 9:45, one-timing a feed from Steven Stamkos, who shook Toronto defenceman Rasmus Sandin loose to open the lane for the pass.

The Maple Leafs responded at 12:48 as Muzzin stepped into a loose puck from the centre point that hit Vasilevskiy in the glove and dropped in off the bottom of the cross bar to tie the game.
Tavares tipped a Tyson Barrie shot from the centre point on the power play to put Toronto in front at 16:42.
Tampa Bay tied it on Maroon's deflection at 11:54 in the second period but a Tavares backhander from the slot 31 seconds later put the Leafs back in front. Nylander scored a between-the-legs goal at the top of the crease on the power play at 14:21 to give Toronto a 4-2 lead.

"I can't really see anything, so I'm going to by feel," Nylander said. "But obviously you have to get it up there if you want to score."
Tampa Bay cut the deficit to one goal when Kevin Shattenkirk's rebound bounced off Gourde into the net at 7:27 of the third period.
"Three games in a row with a loss, that's really not ideal," Gourde said. "I think we need to be better in defending and bringing some energy every single shift."

It was a great night for the Leafs but their work in Florida is half done. Now it's time to take on the Florida Panthers.

Ayres triumphs

     Where do I begin. Ok, I have made my first coffee of the day.

Steady myself for the blog ahead.  Ooh what a night it was. A 6-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.





A loss that should have been a resounding win for the home squad. What happened, well I'll tell you what happened. It started after both Hurricane goalies were injured into the second period. Slavin knocked out Reimer, and Kyle Clifford's collision with Mrazek in a chase for the open puck. Panic set in on the Canes bench, until a Zamboni driver for the Toronto Marlies, a 42 year man named David Ayers stepped into the cage.

And to his credit, he stopped one puck and surrendered two goals as the second period ended. CBC anchor Ron McLean asked Eliot Freidman what he thought would happen, and Elliot thought it would end badly for the Canes, likely 10-4. Oh how wrong he was, for the Leafs put in the century's worst offensive effort, and were shut out by the 42 yr old Zamboni driver, and sometimes practice goal tender completely in the third period.

Worse results include

The 200 foot shot against Toskala
The 4-2 lead in the third period against the Bruins
The Ballard "bag on the head" of Roger Neilson
And now the 42 year old Zamboni driver garnering the first star of the game.

After defeating the Pittcburgh Penguins on Thursday 4-0 , one would expect an honest effort from the Leafs. Nope, you would be sadly mistaken. Dog Sh** said Mith Marner, that's what he said of his performance.

 Oh and byt he way, The Toronto Raptors called, and they would like their game ball back.

I will recover from this shame, and I hope the Leafs can too, otherwise it's stoop and scoop for the season.

Leafs Dominate

 Well, I must admit to being a little stunned at last night's game.

Seems all I had to do was make a wee wager with the wife. I had $5.00 bucks on them to lose Tuesday night, and I went double or nothing on them last night. Boy they sure came out a winner.

The difference in Toronto’s play in Tuesday night’s 5-2 loss in Pittsburgh compared to their victory in the back half of the home-and-home series versus the Pens was Jekyll and Hyde-like.

The Leafs showed little fight in Pittsburgh and they were taken to the woodshed by the talented Penguins as a result.
However, Toronto played like a completely different team in their return engagement at Scotiabank Arena.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe’s team paid attention to the finer details — something they have not done with any regularity this season — were much more engaged shift after shift, responsible in their own end and then used their speed in transition, and got wonderful goaltending from Frederik Anderson.

 From the opening faceoff to the final horn, the Maple Leafs looked like a complete hockey team that is a no doubt Stanley Cup playoff participant.

But while the Maple Leafs have a little more spring in their step today, the hockey world is left wondering whether they have suddenly flipped a switch and will play this well for the remainder of the year, or if the players will just fall back into the bad habits that we’ve witnessed throughout the 2019-2020 campaign.

 The team’s next opportunity to answer that question comes Saturday night when Toronto hosts the Carolina Hurricanes, another team who is in a dogfight for a playoff spot.

And do you know who wasn't a factor on the scoresheet...Auston Matthews did not light the lamp, begging the question, what happens when he gets going.

Leafs are falling

It is getting rather critical lately, these Maple Leafs are lying down now and playing dead for opponents.

For the past few weeks, as the Maple Leafs have been sliding — winning only two of their last five games and seven of their last 17 — I have consistently heard from a group of fans who have a somewhat radical message.

They have been plying stinky hockey for 3 weeks, and it's got to stop or I just might jettison the whole lot of them.

They are a minority, sure, but they are not complete wingnuts, peddling obscure fantasies.
No, in fact, what they are doing is giving up on the season. And they want Kyle Dubas to, too.
The Leafs are on pace to make the playoffs right now. They have the 14th best record in the league, and they have been better since changing coaches back in mid-November. They score a ton of goals, even with all their injuries.
But, yeah, some members of the fan base want them to sell before the Feb. 24 trade deadline.
Their argument isn’t entirely without merit. They just don’t see the 2019-20 Leafs as being competitive enough to win, especially given their path goes through Boston and Tampa — if they can make the playoffs.
They see an injured team that is wholly inconsistent, going long stretches with inept defensive play combined with a No. 1 goaltender having the worst season of his career. They see a young club that isn’t well-built to win in the playoffs and a roster with a bunch of pending UFAs (namely Tyson Barrie, Jason Spezza, Kyle Clifford and Cody Ceci) who they could get something for before the deadline.
If you’re not going to win the Stanley Cup, they reason, why not save your bullets to take a run in a year when you will?
Why not get some futures that you can use to build up towards something that matters?
Tampa did this just three years ago. They started selling before the deadline in 2017, dealing away Brian Boyle, Ben Bishop, Valtteri Filppula and a couple other pieces and getting back some useful futures like Erik Cernak, who is playing a key role on their blue line now, when they’re a powerhouse.
They, too, were supposed to be a contender that year and instead ran into a pile of injuries and were in tough to make the playoffs. (Curiously enough, after trading away those pieces, they had a strong stretch run and missed the postseason by only a point, finishing just behind that rookie-filled Leafs team that faced Washington that year.)

There’s also the example of the Blues trading away Paul Stastny for a first-round pick at the 2018 trade deadline, when they were still in position to be a playoff team. (Coincidentally, that first rounder ended up being used on Rasmus Sandin, after the Leafs traded down to 29th spot.)
So it does happen, that teams move key assets even when they may still make the postseason. More now that the pre-cap era, to be sure.
I do not think, however, that it makes sense for the Leafs. For two reasons.

No. 1: The Leafs do not have a ton to sell right now.

Almost all of their players of value are under contract. Their four best forwards are all signed until 2024 or beyond. Alex Kerfoot, Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson are all locked in two or three years beyond this one. They’ve got Zach Hyman and Frederik Andersen up in 2021, but are they really going to unload them now?
Hyman they probably want to keep. Andersen just isn’t going to be in demand, given the season he’s had and the thin market for goalies this late in the year.
Any trade you can cook up, that doesn’t involve their few pending UFAs, makes way more sense in the off-season, when they can more fully reconstruct their roster. And it makes sense as part of a package deal to improve where they’re weakest, which is on the right side of their defence.
Dubas is already trying to get better there, before the deadline if he can, but he wants to do so on a deal that makes sense long term. The Leafs aren’t out searching for rentals right now, so it’s not as if they’re mortgaging their future at this deadline. They’re trying to solve longstanding needs by making a hockey trade.
So if they’re going to be sellers, what exactly are they selling? Tyson Barrie?
For what — a second-round pick that has a 20 percent chance of playing in the NHL four years from now?
There’s no Ben Bishop-like asset on this roster, a player who created a no-brainer situation where there was (a) a ready-made replacement in house who Tampa wanted to turn the keys over to anyway and (b) the opportunity to get something for someone who would walk as a free agent. Barrie quite likely will walk, but that’s spilled milk — you’re not getting back a Nazem Kadri calibre player for him now.
You’re not getting much. So little, in fact, that you are probably better off holding onto him.
That’s because…

No. 2: The Leafs are not as bad as the critics are making them out to be.

They’re in the midst of an ugly stretch right now, absolutely. And Sunday’s loss in Buffalo. But you can’t let a month-long, injury-riddled skid define their season. Especially given how brutal the goaltending they were getting from Michael Hutchinson was. (He had an .892 save percentage under Sheldon Keefe. Andersen is down at just .905 under the new coach, too.)

Since they made the coaching change, the Leafs have the fifth-best record in the NHL. They lead the league in scoring over that time frame, by a considerable margin. They’ve been great on special teams. And they have the sixth-best goal differential league-wide, trailing only Tampa, Boston, Colorado, Columbus and Pittsburgh.

In fact, most of the Leafs underlying numbers under Keefe are as good or better than they were in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, when most considered Toronto to be a contending team.

That Keefe’s Leafs have produced those results despite a far higher number of injuries than any recent season is also important. Keefe hasn’t had Ilya Mikheyev, Morgan Rielly and Andreas Johnsson for nearly half the games he has coached. Jake Muzzin missed 10 of those 37 games as well. They’re currently expected to have everyone back by mid-April — save for perhaps Ilya Mikheyev — so that’s another argument in favour of trying to stick with the season.
So, too, is the strong initial play from new backup Jack Campbell, who has greatly improved their results early on with a .919 save percentage and 3-0-1 record.

Had Campbell been on the roster all season, it’s fair to argue the Leafs would be in a much different position right now — with at least several more points and a near-lock on a playoff spot. And no one would be talking about selling at the deadline.
Does any of that mean the Leafs would be the favourites in a series against the Bruins or Lightning?
This would be a harder call if they were on the outside looking in and had a key pending-UFA piece that could fetch a huge return on the trade market.. And I get why some Leafs fans felt left out, given it’s possible their GM doesn’t do anything — despite the on-ice struggles — before Monday’s deadline.
Selling doesn’t really make sense, though. Not when they’re more likely than not to make the playoffs. Not when they’ve just added an upgrade in goal. Not when they’ve got one of the best goal scorers in the NHL, the best power play in the league and their best defenceman is set to return from injury in a dozen games.

Kyle Dubas

That said, these next five games are going to be a huge test for this depleted roster. The Leafs have been struggling to get much from their depth forwards or their defencemen who are playing higher in the lineup; they’re going to need more from that group to get through this Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh-Carolina-Tampa-Florida stretch with even a 2-2-1 record.

Kyle Dubas is squarely sitting on the hot seat, and Brendan Shanahan will remove him ifthe Leafs fall out of the playoffs. Lou , where are you ?? His brand of "smart skilled play" just hasn't worked out, the Leafs couldn't compete for the Ice Capades these days.


They’re going to need a whole lot better effort than what they offered up in Buffalo.
The good news is I believe they can do that because, for long stretches this season, they’ve been a very solid hockey team. They also seem to elevate when they play tough competition.
That’s worth keeping in mind, as the deadline approaches and all the first-round picks start getting thrown around. The Leafs will be left out of that mix — but with good reason. They’ve still got a shot to shoot here, on the ice.
And who knows? Maybe they can find a way to add an impact defenceman over the next six days and improve their odds against the juggernauts they’re likely to face in April.

Sabres rip the Leafs

 Stink, stank...stunk.

Sheldon Keefe stood in front of the assembled reporters near the visitors’ dressing room in the KeyBank Center and spoke slowly with a clear intention.

The Maple Leafs put forth a brutal effort in a 5-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, that much was obvious.
But the loss was part of a larger, more concerning stretch:


The Leafs have just one regulation win in their last nine games, and that was against the lowly Ottawa Senators.
And the Leafs’ head coach didn’t try to sugarcoat matters.
“This is the worst we have been in a very long time,” said Keefe. He ain't lying.
There was no feeling of resolve, or the “just keep grinding” ethos of his predecessor.
Just exasperation.

“We weren’t good at all,” said Keefe, “but I was impressed with Buffalo today.”
It was a change of pace from the normally thoughtful coach, who often chooses his words carefully in postgame news conferences.
Not long after Hall & Oates’ “You Make My Dreams” blared postgame in a clever bit of irony from the KeyBank Center DJ, Keefe didn’t try to detail what might come next in the search for a rebound performance.

Instead, he was blunt. I wouldn't have been blunt, but brutally honest comes to mind.

“It just seemed like we played, and defended, tired for most of the game,” said Keefe.
And he looked for answers.
“It is tough to put a finger on it other than to say that we have to be better,” said Keefe. “We have to deal with the adversity, the things we’re going through, a little bit better. We need to find more solutions to our depth. Injuries and things that we’ve had, we’re fighting some challenges on our third and fourth lines and on our defence. In the back-to-back, the schedule the way it’s been, it really revealed itself today against a team as deep as Buffalo is.”
After a decent start, the Leafs ended up allowing 16 shots in the first period.
Frederik Andersen largely looked sharp, covering for continued defensive miscues.
“Probably the one positive I’ll take from the game is that Fred was able to get a lot of work today,” said Keefe.
In a search for positives, that Andersen had to face 36 shots sets a pretty low bar. But such was the state of affairs after the loss.
“This one, it’s still not a one-off because we haven’t really put our game together for quite some time, but this one was different today because, for most of the game, it didn’t feel like we were in the building at all,” said Keefe.
There have been understandable reasons for the Leafs’ struggles at times this season. Injuries to key players, including Morgan Rielly, have played a factor, as has poor goaltending.
But on Sunday, Keefe sounded like he had a lot to unpack over their recent stretch.
“We haven’t been able to get the results that we are capable of getting, but it seems like each game has been a little bit different in terms of what the issues are,” said Keefe.
Beyond the exasperation, is there a common thread? Why has a team that won 15 of its first 20 games under Keefe not looked nearly as dominant this month?
Captain John Tavares had some thoughts.
“We just haven’t been able to put a full 60 together,” he said. “I think at times, we haven’t held leads very well. And then tonight’s a night where we just didn’t play very good overall, which we, I don’t think, we’ve really had. But considering the sense of urgency we need to have and the points, how crucial they are, it’s disappointing especially once we got ourselves an opportunity in the third to win it, to not find a way and raise our game at that point.”
Though it was the Leafs’ third game in four nights, no one was biting on the idea that scheduling was the reason they looked sluggish and did not defend well.
“That’s the nature of our league, especially January, February and March,” said Tavares. “The schedule is backloaded that way and every team faces those challenges.”
“Everybody plays 82 games. Three in four doesn’t matter,” said Zach Hyman.
Asked for a common thread through the Leafs’ uneven performances in February, Hyman answered quickly, echoing his coach’s sense of frustration.
“Well it’s hard to win hockey games, clearly,” said Hyman. “Teams are good and we have to be better, clearly. We’re not proud of that, obviously, and all these games matter. It doesn’t matter who you’re playing, if you’re playing Buffalo, you’re playing Tampa, you’re playing Florida. It doesn’t matter. You’ve got to come to the rink prepared and you’ve got to be awake.”
Still, as sloppy as they looked for most of the game, when they pushed back to tie the score when Hyman scored early in their third period, it was hard not to be reminded of how quickly things can turn for a team as talented as the Leafs. Even Egor Korshkov got in on the action with his first goal in his NHL debut.

There were stretches in the first period and to start the third period when the Leafs looked capable of maintaining momentum. Mitch Marner was one of the few Leafs players who put forth a strong and noticeable effort all evening. He was one of just three Leafs players, including linemates Hyman and Auston Matthews, who had a positive expected goals for percentage on the night at 56.29.
But those stretches were far too short, and the Leafs remain difficult to predict.
“We got ourselves back in a game we probably really didn’t deserve to be in,” said Tavares.
As has been the case throughout February, the Leafs let momentum swing the other way too easily.
“It’s a tough time of the year,” said Jason Spezza. “Teams are going to take momentum. I don’t think you’re going to get 60 minutes of dominant hockey many nights, but I think you’re going to have to understand that you’ve got to control momentum swings a little better than we did.”
In the end, it was fascinating to watch the patient and analytically inclined Keefe speak so brazenly about his players’ performance.

Consider how resolute and focused on the Leafs’ growth as a team he sounded the day after a 3-2 loss to the Dallas Stars. “That is really what the challenge is here for us — to be able to develop and show that we are an upper-echelon team,” he said then. “I believe those teams are the ones that don’t get fazed by an injury here or an injury there. We’ve just got to stay focused on what we need to do well as a group and where we need to continue to grow.”
Keefe has established himself as a coach who can connect with his players on an empathetic level. But on Sunday, he was necessarily direct about a team that, so far this month, has not produced the kind of results it did in earlier stretches.
“To me, it was pretty apparent from about the 10-minute mark in the first period on that we didn’t have it today,” said Keefe. “Frankly, I was a little stunned that we even had the surge that we did to start the third (period). Just because we just didn’t seem to have it today.”
The change in tone from Keefe was warranted. It will be interesting to see whether Keefe’s message resonates enough to spark a larger momentum swing for the Leafs in the final quarter of the season.
“We’re in a battle here,” said Hyman. “Every point matters. This is the final stretch. This is game 60. Twenty-two games left. We’ve got to get going.”

It's time to put on your big boy pants and win some damn games.

Call me "Soupy"

Jack Campbell hasn't been with the Toronto Maple Leafs for very long, but he's already made an impact.
Campbell stopped 24 shots in a 4-2 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night to improve his record to 3-0-1 since being acquired Feb.5.
    With the Leafs trying to hold on to their playoff spot, every point counts and Campbell — who his teammates affectionately call Soupy — wants to be a part of Toronto's winning equation.

"Soupy was great for us. He made some huge saves," said Auston Matthews, who also scored for the Leafs. "I mean, you see him in there and he's having so much fun. He just loves to compete and loves to battle for the guys, he came up with some big saves and obviously a big two points for us to pull out."
Jake Muzzin, William Nylander and Mitch Marner scored for the Leafs (31-20-8), who put space between them and Florida in the Atlantic Division after the Panthers lost to Edmonton 4-1 earlier in the day.
Nylander's goal chased Senators starter Marcus Hogberg from net in the second period.
"Soupy played a good game for us today. I thought our team played a good hockey game," said Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe. "I thought we had a really good second period, they pull the goaltender, it changes momentum a little bit and I didn't like how we responded for that final segment in the second period."

   Connor Brown and Cody Goloubef scored for the Senators (19-28-11), who are now 1-5-2 in their last eight games. Hogberg was pulled after giving up three goals on 16 shots. Craig Anderson stopped all 14 shots he faced in relief for the Senators.
"I don't think it's on (Hogberg) at all," said Senators coach D.J. Smith. "I just think pucks found their way in and a couple bad bounces. I just thought it was time to change the momentum for us, more than it was a pull because he didn't have it going."
While Toronto games have always brought a number of Leafs fans to Canadian Tire Centre, on this night it was hard to find a Senators jersey through entire sections of the building. The 18,544 on hand was the biggest crowd of the season.

Matthews pots his 42nd goal

  "It is what it is," said Brown. "Obviously a lot of blue and white fans, but we kind of fed off it and it was nice to see the building full and it was a fun environment to play in."
The Senators average just 12,050 fans a game for the lowest average attendance in the league leaving players with few opportunities to play in front of a packed house.

"The energy in the building definitely helps as far as getting up for the game or having that extra juice in your system," said Anderson. "It's unfortunate there's so many Leafs fans, but we'll take the full building and use that energy and I thought we did a great job towards the end pushing back and giving it our all at the end."

   Trailing 3-1 the Senators made it a one-goal game midway through the third as Goloubef scored his first of the season. It was the 30-year-old's first goal since Nov. 17, 2015.
Goloubef has been in and out of the lineup this season, this was just his 21st game, and getting the opportunity to contribute in a big game was rewarding.
"It had been a while," admitted Goloubef. "It feels good. You just do what you can to try and get the guys back into it and it got us back within one. It felt good."
Marner sealed the win with an empty-net goal with just over one minute remaining inregulation. He flipped the puck into the net from deep within his own zone, launching it over the Senators defence.Nylander's goal was his 26th of the season, tying his father Michael's career best with the 2006-2007 New York Rangers.
"I have a way better shot than what he had so I should be getting a couple more than him," Nylander said with a grin
   With Mark Borowiecki sidelined with an ankle injury Thomas Chabot was given the "A". Mikkel Boedker was the lone healthy scratch for the Senators. Toronto cancelled practice on Friday because of a flu bug making its way through the team.
  Now, it's onto Buffalo, many a site of Leaf failure in the past, but here'shoping for a win.

Leafs down the Desert Dogs

Jack be Nimble, Jack be Quick, Jack stopped 35 pucks last, well I know it doesn't rhyme, but this is a blog not poetry.

Up until the Maple Leafs acquired young Jack, their back up goaltender had amassed a mere 9 points. 9...I mean that's freakin' terrible.
So, since the acquisition of young Jack, in the 3 games, he has got them 5 points.
Not bad, eh.
The Leafs defeated the Arizona Coyotes 3-2 in OT last night, in a dust up at Scotia Bank Arena. Well, it wasn't without drama.

Derek Step On was charged with goalie interference on the Arizona supposed OT winner, but Jack Campbell complained to the refs, saying Derek Stefan bumped on his way thru the crease. The judges ruled he was correct and the game continued, until a breakout by Kasperi Kapanen and his lightening speed and eventual goal ( his first since January 2nd, 2020, ended the night on the right side for the home squad.
The Leafs were coming off a week where they blew three third-period leads and collected only three out of a possible eight points. That raised some questions, both inside and outside of the dressing room.
On to remarks from the coach...
“Well, we think that we had a bad week in that regard,” said Keefe. “And sometimes when it happens like that, it can be something big that maybe snowballs. You want to control it; you want to be aware of it.”

The head coach rolled out William Nylander, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner to start Tuesday’s game and then saw Arizona open the scoring on the second shift. It was a sign of the slog to come. Despite playing the second half of a back-to-back against a rested opponent, the Coyotes were hard and fast and difficult.

They didn’t allow Toronto’s skilled forwards to generate much speed through the neutral zone, which helps explain why Hyman twice scored to tie the game. He battled to get to the front of the goal and had Tyson Barrie’s point shot bounce in off his quad muscle before burying a gorgeous spinning feed from captain John Tavares to make it 2-2 early in the third period.
The Nylander-Matthews-Marner line didn’t produce any magic in its trail run — although the fact Nylander was returning from four days off of skates because of an illness surely played a factor in their lack of crispness.

Still, let’s remember what this represented.
This was Keefe going to his nuclear option in a big moment and it’s likely foreshadowing for what we’ll see as the games take on even more meaning. Particularly if the Hyman-Tavares-Alex Kerfoot trio continues to show promise behind it.
“[Scoring balance is] something I’m conscious of, but I’m also trying to find — is the offset worth it?” said Keefe. “Can you have one line that’s really dominant there? I felt very confident with the Tavares line, they had been dominant in their own right, so there’s still pretty good balance there.

The flu bug is meandering around the Leafs dressing room,touching Tavares, and then Justin Holl,but they recovered just in time to make puck drop.

Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack jumped over Mike Hutchinson's stick. 

Well,I had to make it rhyme, didn't I.

Let's play "Ask the Beaver"

 Well, the Oscar were handed out in Hollywood last night, so we thought that we should ask the Leafs about their favorite movies...and the envelope please..
Let's ask the beaver to conduct some in depth interviews with Leaf players.

 In this time, we’ve discovered Tyson Barrie’s first concert was the Backstreet Boys, Auston Matthews wears the number 34 as a tribute to his dad and Frederik Gauthier might have  become a football player had he not found hockey.


“I haven’t been to a theatre in two or three years,” said Leafs captain John Tavares, and he’s not alone.


So instead we opted to quiz players on their favourite movies of all time, as well as their favourite actor.

We learned that there’s a vast difference in the types of movies the Leafs love — but there’s one thing that unites them: They really love Leonardo DiCaprio.
Grab some popcorn and enjoy. And for Marilyn and Gary, roll the dice.

---

Frederik Andersen: “The Wolf of Wall Street,” and “This Is the End.” When they actually go to the party, that’s hilarious. It’s funny because they’re really playing themselves, but in a very exaggerated way. So that’s really funny.
Denzel Washington. I also like Brad Pitt. He’s great in a lot of movies.
Tyson Barrie: “The ‘Burbs” is a classic for me. Early Tom Hanks, it’s a fantastic film. It’s supposed to have a little bit of action, a little bit of comedy, I think it’s hilarious. But I also think “Catch Me If You Can” is a great movie. I love Tom Hanks. He’s the man.
But I was also a big Paul Walker guy. RIP. Fast and the Furious, he was just the coolest guy. I liked him away from movies. He’s a big conservation guy, he loved working with sharks. He’s a cool dude.
Adam Brooks: I really like “Shawshank Redemption.” I’ve always enjoyed those films when you never really know what’s going on until the end. I also, for some reason, enjoy prison movies. My favourite (TV) show is probably “Prison Break.” I really like the idea of it. Obviously I don’t want to go to jail (laughs).
Oh, gosh. I really like Adam DeVine. I just think he’s funny and I enjoy everything he’s in.
Cody Ceci: “Interstellar.” Unreal movie. I like the whole storyline. And it’s got a great soundtrack to it, too.
I like Leonardo DiCaprio, but that’s because he’s in a lot of great movies.
Travis Dermott: Probably “Seven Pounds.” It kind of hit me. Just the story and how they portrayed it, with Will Smith. You don’t really know the full premise of the movie and you’re just meeting these people as he’s convinced himself that he’s going to kill himself, but he’s going through and meeting all these people and seeing who he can donate his organs to. You don’t really understand what’s going on and why he’s meeting these people until the end. And then it just comes together and everything starts making more sense. The first time I watched it I was pretty blown away.
I gotta say Will Smith, but Will Ferrell is up there with the comedies. There’s way too many one liners from him. I love the Wills I guess?
Pierre Engvall: I was asked this before the season, as a question from fans. But it’s hard! I’m a big “Pirates of the Caribbean” fan. I like all of them.
Johnny Depp, he’s just cool. You never know what’s going to happen with him. He’s so unpredictable.
Frederik Gauthier: It’s a tough one. I really like “Remember the Titans” and “Shawshank Redemption.” Those are two really good ones. The way they’re made, you know movies based on true stories are always good in some way. War movies like “Saving Private Ryan” are also always good.
I always thought Denzel Washington was very good. 
Justin Holl: This is a question I never really have the answer to. But for comedy movies, I’d say Billy Madison.

Filmed in my hometown.
No way! Where?
Oshawa.
There you go. I think it’s really funny. I feel like a lot of comedies these days are trying to be as raunchy as possible and they’re not that funny. This is funny without being over-the-top raunchy.
And I’d say “Inception” is up there. It’s a really original idea. There’s never been a movie like that, which I respect.
Zach Hyman: All time, No. 1? Oh boy. There’s so many good ones.
“Shawshank Redemption” is great, but I wouldn’t put it as much No.1. You know what, I’ll go with “Saving Private Ryan.” If it’s ever on, I’ll watch it. The acting is amazing, I love Tom Hanks. It’s a war movie, the story is great, it’s intense, just an unbelievable movie.
Have you seen 1917?
Not yet, no.
What about Dunkirk?
I didn’t like Dunkirk.
(Exasperated sigh)
I didn’t hate it, it just didn’t blow me away. But it didn’t have the same effect that I hoped it would. I thought it was good but the way I perceived it was going to be on the same level as “Saving Private Ryan.” I love war movies but maybe I had too high expectations. It’s a high bar.
Let’s go with Tom Hanks. He’s great.
Michael Hutchinson: “Semi-pro.”
(Quizzical look)
The Will Ferrell basketball movie! It’s one of those movies you can turn on at any time, turn your brain off and it gets funnier and funnier each time I watch it.
And Tom Hanks. I’m a big “Saving Private Ryan” fan. It’s so long, and I always think it’s going to end before it does. You forget little details and then you remember them. It’s one of those movies that you can watch at any time. You don’t see it for months, years and then you watch it again and you just love it.
Andreas Johnsson: “Inception.” I’ve probably seen it 10 times. If I have nothing to do, and it comes on, I’m like, ‘Oh, I need to see this.’ It’s a little bit different. I like movies that are a little outside the box and show a different way of thinking. And I like Leonardo DiCaprio a lot.
Did you see The Revenant?
That was a good one. I like “The Beach” too. 
Kasperi Kapanen: “Casino Royale.” The Bond movies are my favourite movies of all-time. They’re so classy. It’s almost like art, watching those movies. It’s shot really well. It’s beautiful to watch. All those Bond movies with Daniel Craig are my favourites.
Tom Hardy is my favourite actor.
You told me once that you wanted to be an actor.
I still do. Hopefully that works out for me one day. But yeah, Tom Hardy is my favourite.
What did you think of him in the Dark Knight Rises?
I was actually watching it last night! I think he did a phenomenal job. Not a lot of actors can pull off a role like that, playing the whole movie with a mask on.
You should see him in Dunkirk. Same thing with the mask. 
I’ll check it out.
Alex Kerfoot: Everyone’s said just one? I’m a good fan of “Good Will Hunting.”
Of course.
But a recent one I really like was “Molly’s Game.” It’s a good one, you should check it out. I mean I’m not going to say it’s my all-time favourite though. That’s “Good Will Hunting.” It’s just such a classic movie. I like Matt Damon and Ben Affleck together. I like “The Town,” that’s another good one. In terms of comedies, I like Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson movies.
Martin Marincin: Oh my God, so many movies! “Joker” is new, that’s the one I like. I like Joaquin Phoenix.
Tyson Barrie, sitting beside Marincin: “He’s his favourite actor and he doesn’t even know his name!”
Justin Holl, sitting on the other side: “It’s just the full ‘Joker’ sweep here.”
Mitch Marner: This is always a hard one. I love movies. I have a lot of favourites. But anything with Will Ferrell, I love.
I like the Rock and Kevin Hart a lot too. I like how they’re in movies together a lot. Definitely those three guys.Go see Jumanji.
Auston Matthews: It’d probably have to be “The Dark Knight.” That’s a hard one to beat. Heath Ledger, his acting, and everything that went into that was unbelievable. If it’s a comedies, I’ll go with “That’s My Boy.” I’m a big Adam Sandler fan. That’s another hard one to beat. I can watch (Adam Sandler) movies all the time. They’re such an easy watch. Those movies are right up my alley as far as comedies go. Auston farts and excuses himself.
William Nylander: I thought “Bohemian Rhapsody” was fuckin’ really good. I watched the movie and then I was like, ‘I’ve gotta start listening to their music!’ I didn’t even know they wrote “We Are the Champions” and “We Will Rock You.” I didn’t know who that was.
I also really like a lot of Leonardo DiCaprio movies. I think “Catch Me If You Can” is a really good one. “The Great Gatsby,” “The Wolf of Wall Street.”
That scene when they take the Quaaludes…
That’s the best scene ever.
Morgan Rielly: “The Lion King.” Everything about it. That’s the one I’ve enjoyed for the longest.
Christian Bale is my favourite actor. And favourite actress? Frances McDormand.
She was incredible in Fargo. 
She was great in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.”
I haven’t seen it yet.
Oh, you’ve got to.
Rasmus Sandin: That’s a tough one. That’s a really tough one. The last good movie I saw was “A Star is Born.” I just like how it turned out, and what it was about. My favourite actor is Leonardo DiCaprio.
So many guys have named him…
He’s just a good-looking guy and a great actor.
Jason Spezza: Oh boy. Tough question. If it’s like a serious movie? Nothing that I want to crown my favourite movie and be stuck with the rest of my life, through your article. I’ve made that mistake before, answering something off the cuff and the next thing you know, that’s who you are.

John Tavares: We had this discussion a lot last year because Tyler Ennis used to love dissecting movies. Me and him used to talk a lot about how much we enjoyed “Interstellar.”
I used to go to a ton of movies in my first few years. But if I have free time, I guess I’d just rather do something else. That’s the other thing: I don’t want to go to the theatre and be disappointed. I try to wait for a few reviews and then wait to see if it comes on Netflix. Leonardo DiCaprio and Matthew McConaughey are two actors I really enjoy. Alright alraight alright.
Dmytro Timashov: I like the Rocky movies.
All of them?
I like the first three when they’re a little bit older movies.
They’re a bit before your time, no?
I know, but I’ve watched them so many times, I just love them. I’ve been watching them since I was young. They’re just really motivational movies.
There’s a couple of Russian actors. Like Olga Buzova. She’s pretty big in Russia.

Hero Time

The Toronto Maple Leafs secured a crucial victory Friday night, defeating the Anaheim Ducks 5-4 in overtime.

You could say they needed a saviour.

Well, they had one.

The game was a must-win for Sheldon Keefe’s squad, who jumped back into a playoff position with the win. 

It was also the first game in a Leafs uniform for newly acquired goaltender Jack Campbell, who who earned the victory and the game puck from his teammates in the post-game celebration.

Campbell was sturdy through the first two periods, before sloppy turnovers and odd-man rushes led to the Ducks scoring three in the third. When Derek Grant scored the equalizer with 58 seconds to go, it almost seemed like the nightmare week for the Leafs was about to continue.
But any momentum started by the Ducks was stopped in overtime. The Leafs dominated the extra period, which was spent mostly in Anaheim’s zone. And the final goal, which saw Matthews, Tavares, and Marner all play a part, brought the trio’s tally to ten points on the night combined.

The Leafs do not have much time for celebration – they play Montreal tomorrow night, as part of Rogers Hockey day in Canada lineup. Inspired by the quick turnaround, here are four quick thoughts on what we saw tonight – and what it could mean going forward for the Leafs.

Just last Saturday, Michael Hutchinson had seemingly turned the corner. He had just won an important Saturday night game, and his play in overtime against the Ottawa Senators had raised the team’s confidence. But 48 hours later, Hutchinson was forced into the starting role with an injury to Frederik Andersen, and his play in the next two games clearly showed a lack of stability.

A move had to be done, and, for the moment, Kyle Dubas looks like a genius.
Yes, Campbell’s third period was a little alarming – but many of those goals were set up by poor defensive play – they would have been problems for anyone between the pipes.
Watching the Leafs interact with Campbell post-game, it’s clear they feel comfortable with him in net – there isn’t the “walking-on-egg-shells” feeling that a Hutchinson start would suggest.
The full extent of Andersen’s injury is still not known, but he has been confirmed to be out Saturday. Campbell could, and should play Saturday. He was acquired to limit the need to go to Hutchinson, and he just won his debut. Keep the mojo going.

Kyle Clifford had a fairly decent debut, the kind that Sportsnet analyst Kevin Bieksa said would quickly make him popular in the dressing room.
Yes, he stayed off the scoresheet, but that is not why they acquired Clifford.
He roughed up the opposition, recorded four hits, four penalty minutes, and even took a few shots. More importantly, he stood up for teammates after the whistle, showing that he would already go to bat for them.
The Leafs can use that toughness and grit going forward – it’s what playoff hockey is all about. And while the Leafs do not have many players with championship experience, Clifford played 24 playoff games for the Kings on their way to their second Stanley cup in 2014.
He knows what it takes, and seems to be a good addition to the room.

With his goal tonight, Auston Matthews scored his 40th of the season, equalling his total from his rookie year.
That season, (2016-17), Matthews played all 82 games. This time around, he reaches the mark with 27 games to go.
Barring some kind of injury, Matthews should easily surpass 50 goals, and if he even throws a couple of two-goal games in there, he could have a real shot at Rick Vaive’s single-season record of 54.
Matthews play is another nail in the coffin of Mike Babcock, who fair or not, never seemed to trust his young centre in the high-pressure points of the game. Keefe has no such hesitations, as Matthews again played on the overtime power play, and rewarded his coaches trust with a four-point night.
If the Leafs are going to make the playoffs, they need to win an absurdly high percentage of their remaining points. That can only happen if their stars step up – and make no mistake, Auston Matthews has stepped up all year.

The Leafs had a great night from their veterans. Captain John Tavares scored the game-winner, and for the 11th time in his career, has a 20-goal season with a chance for 30.
Jason Spezza also found the back of the net in the third, in what in hindsight became a crucial goal.
Keefe said post-game that he’s worried the late-game collapse could be indicative of some hesitancy or lack of confidence when things aren’t going well, but the response from his veterans were just the remedy to stop the bleeding and get the win.
These remaining 27 games are going to be high stress, physical, and demanding, and will take a mental toll on the Leafs as they scrape and claw for the remaining playoff spots. There are three other teams either tied or a point behind the Leafs, and all of them have played less games. They need the veteran play to continue.

Out goes Hutch, in comes Jack

Kyle Dubas couldn’t wait any longer.

About an hour after his team had another two points get away, largely because of more ineffective goaltending from Michael Hutchinson, Dubas sprung into action on a hopeful solution. Just before midnight on Wednesday night, the Leafs acquired 28-year-old Jack Campbell from the L.A. Kings, along with big, heavy depth forward Kyle Clifford. Trevor Moore and two third-round picks (one of them conditional) went the other way in the deal, which will see the Kings eat 50 percent of Clifford’s $1.6 million cap hit and salary.

The move was overdue, and also the second time Dubas has dealt for Campbell, a first-round pick of the Dallas Stars nearly a decade ago. When he was still running the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, Dubas took a massive swing on Campbell — two players and six draft picks went to Windsor — that ultimately backfired with the Greyhounds missing the playoffs.
Now the Leafs GM, Dubas is counting on Campbell, who’s yet to live up to his draft-day hype in the NHL, to stem a longstanding point of weakness.
Campbell carries a cap hit of only $675,000 this season. He’s signed for two more seasons after that at $1.65 million on the cap.

It’s still unclear how long Frederik Andersen will be sidelined with a neck injury that kept him out on Wednesday night in New York. Regardless of whether it’s through the weekend, with a back-to-back looming against the Ducks and Canadiens, or longer than that, the Leafs had to find someone more capable than Hutchinson. The 29-year-old surrendered three goals or more for the 11th time in 15 appearances this season in the most recent loss to the Rangers.
In nine of those games, including Wednesday night, opponents scored three or more in one period.
It was the fourth goal in particular at Madison Square Garden that really burned the Leafs. Auston Matthews had just cut a 3-1 deficit to one when, 34 seconds later, Pavel Buchnevich flung a shot straight through Hutchinson’s pads.

It was the kind of shot that’s gone in too frequently on Hutchinson.
 “The fourth goal was pretty defeating and devastating, frankly,” Sheldon Keefe said after the 5-3 loss, which kept the Leafs outside the playoff picture. “We just didn’t have anything from there.”

Two days earlier, stepping in for an injured Andersen for the final two periods, Hutchinson couldn’t keep the puck out in a game the Leafs lost but dominated. The fact that it was two points lost against the Panthers, a team the Leafs are battling for a playoff spot, made it all the more damaging.
The Leafs couldn’t keep taking chances on Hutchinson that way. Their postseason hopes are too tenuous for that. And Hutchinson’s stumbles, coinciding with sometimes leaky defensive play, has cost them games on at least a handful of occasions. This was not a recent concern, but one that’s been simmering all season. The Leafs even sought another option before things got going, but Michal Neuvirth, a goalie with a history of injuries who was signed to professional tryout, couldn’t stay on the ice at training camp in Newfoundland.
Hutchinson got the job by default. And struggled.

Then the Leafs coach, Mike Babcock, apparently had enough of Hutchinson by the second week of November. A day after the goalie helped cost them a chance at two points with a wobbly effort in Chicago, Hutchinson was placed on waivers. Kasimir Kaskisuo, who hadn’t played a game in the NHL, was recalled from the Marlies to take his place, and it was the Finn who ultimately started Babcock’s penultimate game as head coach.
That night, in his NHL debut, Kaskisuo got rocked for six goals in Pittsburgh. Hutchinson was recalled soon after Keefe replaced Babcock and while he turned a slight corner, he was clearly overmatched for what the Leafs really need from a backup: a goalie who can absorb some of Andersen’s load, and not just on certain nights against certain opponents in ideal conditions.
That the Leafs front office didn’t spring into action sooner has put their season at risk. It might just cost them a playoff spot even if Campbell is able to solidify the position.

It’s also been an area of concern for the organization for two seasons now, ever since Curtis McElhinney and Calvin Pickard were both plucked off waivers in the fall of 2018. Then in his first season as Leafs GM, Dubas chose to protect Garret Sparks, the reigning goalie of the year in the AHL, a decision that while process-approved (a 25-year-old up-and-comer over an aging career backup) ultimately backfired.
Sparks produced a lowly .902 save percentage and was banished (temporarily) just before the playoffs while McElhinney shined elsewhere.
And while Hutchinson did OK last season in a handful of starts after he was acquired from Florida, he had no recent track record of NHL success and looked questionable right from the first days of the preseason this past fall.

All told, since the start of last season, the Leafs’ collection of backups has produced a 14-22-2 record, for a miserable .395 points percentage, with an ugly .896 save percentage.
Overlooking the backup has been costly that way.
The Leafs’ front office might argue that what was out there wasn’t much better, if better at all, than Hutchinson. And there might be some truth to that, with Casey DeSmith, who was available on waivers at one point this season, posting a mediocre .905 save percentage in the AHL so far this season. They’re also paying four core stars a huge chunk of money, and had one of those contracts (Mitch Marner) up in the air until mid-September.
But there had to be a better solution than Hutchinson and perhaps that guy will be Campbell.

Hailing from Michigan, Campbell was picked 11th overall in 2010 by Dallas — one spot before Anaheim grabbed Cam Fowler at No. 12 and five picks before St. Louis took Vladimir Tarasenko at 16.
It didn’t pay off.
Campbell made it into only one game for the Stars before getting crumbs behind Jonathan Quick with the Kings in recent years.
He shined with a .928 save percentage in 31 appearances last season before coming back down to Earth with a .900 clip in 20 games this season. He stopped 26 of 28 shots in his last start for the Kings on Jan. 30, a win over Arizona.
The Leafs might need him to shoulder a serious load if Andersen is out more than a few days, the kind of stretch that could just determine their playoff fate. They really just need a goalie who can give them a chance to win most nights, not one who costs them games with weak goals at inopportune times. Can Campbell be that guy? An upgrade on Hutchinson?
Dubas is betting he can be.
That Campbell is signed beyond this season increases his potential value to the Leafs — if he can do the job.

Campbell is under contract for one year longer than Andersen, whose deal with the Leafs expires after next season. It’s perhaps in part why Dubas preferred him over some of the other options out there, most of them rentals; the organization gains an extra layer of security. Their two goaltenders for next season are now pinned down for $6.65 million on the cap, a very reasonable price tag provided Campbell can do the job behind Andersen. (He’s easily buried if not.)
For the time being, Campbell will slide into the starter’s role. Once Andersen is healthy enough to play, Campbell becomes the No. 2 and Hutchinson lands back in the No. 3 hole he’s more suited to play — an emergency option for NHL duty who plays most of his games in the AHL.
Clifford replaces Moore, meanwhile. He’ll bring the Leafs a different element up front, a bigger body (6-foot-2, 211 pounds) with two Stanley Cups worth of experience.

 He’ll be an easy choice for fourth-line duty and might even chip in with the odd bit of offence (six goals, 14 points this season).
But this was about Campbell, and a trade Dubas needed to make.

It might be too late. It might not work. It might also end up saving the Leafs season.

Leafs blow a tire in th third

Every NHL team that has visions of raising the Stanley Cup at the end of the season must have an elite No. 1 goalie.

Not only must that goaltender be a force who helps his team clinch a playoff spot. he also has to step up huge when the chips are down in the post-season.

On Monday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs lost a big game against the Florida Panthers — and some ground in the playoff race — in part because starting netminder Frederick Andersen went down with what the team is calling an upper-body injury.


The 30-year-old Leafs veteran endured a blow to his head and neck area in the first period when he was bumped by Florida’s Frank Vatrano and did not return for the start of the second period.
He will be reevaluated Tuesday morning, but if Andersen is forced to miss an extended period of time, you might as well stick a fork in Toronto’s playoff chances. As glowingly as the players in the Leafs dressing room speak of backup Michael Hutchinson, I don’t think he is capable of carrying the load for the team.

Entering Monday’s game, Andersen has a 24-9-6 record with a 2.87 goals-against average and .910 save percentage and has averaged 35 wins a season in his three-plus years with the Leafs so it is easy to see how valuable he is to the organization.


As of right now, the Maple Leafs are on the outside of the playoff race, one point behind Florida for third place in the Atlantic Division and one point behind the New York Islanders for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.



 Toronto dominated the Panthers in the second period, allowing the visitors only three shots on net, but then imploded in the third period by allowing four goals on 10 shots.

 Now, not all the blame should be shouldered by Hutchinson, who is now 4-8-1 on the season, but the Leafs are a different team — and a non-playoff team — without Andersen between the pipes.

Poetic Justice

The Hero of the night

 First , I'm still pretty pissed at that bogus call made by the refs in OT, there is no way Tyson Barrie deserved that penalty, no friggin way.

Now Karma is a bitch sometimes, and boy did it come back to bite the Senators in their collectives asses.  Mitch Marner scored the OT winner from a shot from the point during a payback penalty call, a legitimate one against Ottawa.

I call it poetic justice. Nuff said, no..okay I'll continue.

Now onto the game capsule, Jason Spezza was in the middle of the action back then on the other side with the Ottawa Senators.

The winger scored on a power play at 3:54 of overtime as Toronto defeated Ottawa 2-1 on night where Michael Hutchinson made 24 saves and Spezza turned back the clock with a virtuoso performance than included an end-to-end rush and a stunning equalizer.

 After the Leafs (28-17-7) killed off a penalty in the extra period where Senators defenceman Thomas Chabot rattle the post, Toronto got a man advantage of its own and Marner — known more for his vision and play-making ability — blasted his 14th on a one-timer off a feed from William Nylander.

“I don’t think anyone really thinks I’m going to shoot that,” Marner said. “Luckily it went in.”
Mark Borowiecki replied for the rebuilding Senators (18-24-10), who got 34 stops from Craig Anderson after losing 5-3 at home to Washington on Friday.
“We stayed with it,” Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “We knew it was going to be a really hard game, and it was.”
Hutchinson, who got the call in place of No. 1 goalie Frederik Andersen with Toronto playing its first of five games in eight nights, improved to 4-0-0 over his last four starts after going winless in his first seven outings this season.
“I’ve been positive all year,” he said. “We have a lot of confidence and our whole team has that swagger back.”

The 29-year-old from Barrie, Ont., used to settle down in front of the television to watch Toronto and Ottawa go to war back in the 2000s, and was excited to be part of the action for the first time.
“It was a little extra added atmosphere,” Hutchinson said. “It’s also cool having Spezza on our side of the Battle of Ontario now. I grew up watching him on the other side of it.
“To be a part of it was pretty cool.”

Hutchinson was impressed with Spezza’s performance, which was accentued by a bullet slapshot to tie the game in the second period.
“He was great,” Hutchinson said of the 36-year-old nicknamed “Vintage” by teammates. “He turned back the clock with some of those dangles, flying through the neutral zone and that shot.”
Spezza, meanwhile, tried to downplay his ties to the Toronto-Ottawa rivalry.
“It’s a huge honour for me to play here for the Leafs,” Spezza said. “This Battle of Ontario’s ingrained in me. I’ve been on the other side and used to like coming in here and trying to win games.
“But I’m really not trying to focus on all the nostalgia.”
Saturday’s other big storyline was the Leafs’ decision to scratch winger Kasperi Kapanen — the move wasn’t injury-related and he watched from the Scotiabank Arena press box — with Dmytro Timashov taking his place in the lineup.

Keefe left a lot open to interpretation at his post-game news conference.
“Internal accountability is really what it is,” he said. “You (media) will get a chance to talk to him when we get together again on Monday.” Odd, really odd.

Tied 1-1 through 40 minutes, Anderson robbed the red-hot Nylander, who entered with goals in five straight contests, 36 seconds into the third on a power play when he reached back with his glove to deny the winger.

The lightning-quick Anthony Duclair then had an opportunity at the other end that Hutchinson turned aside.
Anderson then stopped both Justin Holl and Auston Matthews on chances in close as Toronto started to come in waves before John Tavares hit the post and Alexander Kerfoot was stopped off the rush.
Zach Hyman then saw the puck bounce over his stick in the dying seconds of regulation with Anderson way out of position.

After the Leafs had a couple of good looks in front of Anderson early in the second, Borowiecki scored his seventh at 6:08 on a shot through traffic to give Ottawa a 1-0 lead.
Hutchinson was forced to make big saves on Chris Tierney, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Brady Tkachuk in quick succession before Spezza struck against his former team on the power play.
The Toronto native took a feed from rookie defenceman Rasmus Sandin and ripped a slapshot upstairs, shortside on Anderson for his eighth goal in 40 games — and first on this side of the Battle of Ontario — to match his total from each of the last two seasons with Dallas.

Spezza, who was selected second overall by Ottawa at the 2001 NHL draft and played parts of 11 seasons in the nation’s capital, suited up against the Senators in blue and white for the first time after former Toronto head coach Mike Babcock scratched him in the clubs’ first meeting on opening night.

And now we bring on the Florida Panthers, who had held the last playoff spot until Saturday's heroics by Marner, and a shut out defeat by the Montreal Canadiens.

The battle for Ontario rages still

Just when you thought it was safe to go out, another battle is looming.

Just beside this writing is a picture of Senators goalie Craig Anderson, a veteran of many skirmishes, battled and sometimes bloodied.
If coach DJ Smith elects to put him in net tonight, he will no doubt be a reminder of epic battles between these two hockey teams.

Now the Ottawa Senators are going in a different direction than The Toronto Maple Leafs. On the rebuild they go, drafting young prospects, unloading expensive vets for promising youth, and finishing as low in the overall standings as they can. But when it comes to  playing Toronto, they can rekindle their blood lust very quickly, and revert back to primal urges, and put on war paint and hunt the high salary cap giants, as well as any team.

Their core is getting better, headed by Thomas Chabot, a great young defense man and Brady Tkachuk up front, with memories of father Keith Tkachuk coursing thru his veins.

Chabot & Tkachuk

And then there are traded players ,Connor Brown and Cody Ceci, who's allegiance has been swapped like a Star Trek cross beaming thingy.  Almost gone is the memory of Darcy Tucker challenging the entire Ottawa team to come out onto the ice to take him on in mortal combat.
 Come to that,I can remember the music to Mortal Combat being played during these tussles.

Back in the 90's, these two teams faced each other annualy for the right to pursue Lord Stanley's Mug.


Who can forget Patrick Lalime, or Fightin'Ray Emery, or even Dominik Hasek.  Well I'd like to forget Hasek, but remember Lalime,cause we creamed him.

Such epic battles , and especially in the playoffs with Jacques Martin coaching. We never lost, not with Cujo in net, or Potvin, or Belfour.

Tonight we watch for another battle royal but expect just another skirmish.