From 1981 to 1993 the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks were in the Norris Division and one-time bitter rivals. Tonight in the Windy City the Leafs and ‘Hawks renew the rivalry. Toronto is coming off a tough home loss to the Minnesota Wild. Before that the Leafs had collected points in seven straight including a Saturday night win over the Detroit Red Wings. Much can be attributed to the play of first-time Leafs Phil Kessel and Jonas Gustavsson. Although Kessel was shut out in his first game, he’s scored two goals and added two assists over the last three games. Over nines games, Gustavsson has a 2.77 GAA and a .912 save percentage. More importantly he’s earned the confidence of the players in front of him, making many of the tough stops. Chicago’s won two straight at home and looks to make it three tonight. The Blackhawks have benefited from the return of their captain Jonathan Toews. Toews missed two weeks with a concussion and since his return he’s registered points in both games. Chicago is sitting a top the Central Division in the West. They’re one point ahead of the Red Wings.
I didn’t see much from the Kessel debut, however I did see this:
Don’t know about his shoulder- but welcome back buddy- better keep that head up. From all accounts it sounds like the general consensus was that he by FAR the best forward on the ice for the Maple Leafs and that Matt Stajan shouldn’t be too comfortable with his place alongside Kessel.
Lebrun has as good an overnight review of the game as anyone else I have seen:
“The 22-year-old star winger was downright dynamite Tuesday night in his Maple Leafs debut, dazzling the home fans with his speed and skill and launching 10 shots on goal at the Tampa Bay net, more shots than Lightning stars Vincent Lecavalier, Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis combined.”
Downright dynamite. I love it. In time a percentage of those will either end up in the net or result in assists for Kessel.
“The former Bruins star did everything but score on this night, launching 19 shots in total toward the net, seven blocked by Lightning players and two missing the net. The puck was following him around all night.
I’m stunned he looked this good after missing all of training camp, preseason and the opening month of the regular season, recovering from shoulder surgery and, oh, playing his first game with a new team and new linemates.
In just one game, you see what kind of dimension Kessel brings to a Leafs lineup essentially devoid of top-six, high-end offensive talent. Tampa’s blueliners were backing up in a hurry when Kessel wheeled out of his zone with the puck. He opens that much ice around him thanks to his sizzling speed.”
Kessel is the offensive threat that the Maple Leafs haven’t had since, well, since ummmm, Doug Gilmour maybe?????
The problem facing Kessel, Brian Burke and Ron Wilson is that there is only one Phil Kessel on the Leafs. This team is now 1-12. So despite what anyone is saying with respect to positive signs, things improving, they can’t hide from that record. They are 1-12. In terms of timing, the schedule is fairly favorable to the buds. They don’t play again until Friday when they travel to Carolina to take on Paul Maurices ever struggling team before taking on the Red Wings at the unfriendly ACC. The Burke’s bunch has 7 games to play before they hit the 20 game plateau, the time when GM’s take stock in what they have and what they need. Right now it is hard to fathom how Burke sees nothing but holes in his lineup. 1-12 speaks volumes and despite what some in the MSM are saying, the Toronto Maple Leafs have a long way to go should they wish to be playing meaningful games after the holidays, let alone be anywhere near a playoff spot.
I have to believe by the way, that barring injury, the Finger experiment is going to come to an end with the Leafs pretty soon. They can’t keep a guy making that much dough with the club and in the press box. It’s too much money to be blowing under the cap to not have him in the minors. If he is not good enough to play with this group as a top performer than he should be down on the farm.
The word on the street was that a certain off season acquisition was to make his Blue and White season debut, but unfortunately that will not be the case. Leaf fans will have to wait one more day to see Phil Kessel play his first game. The Leafs are coming off an unsuccessful five game road trip and they welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning to the ACC tonight. The Lightning are second in the Southeast, but come in losers of their last two. One thing going right for Tampa is the play of Steven Stamkos. Stamkos has scored in six straight games and has eleven on the year. Expect goaltender Jonas Gustavsson to be between the pipes for Toronto in this one. Gustavvson’s last start was in Buffalo on Friday night was good even though it ended in a lose. Defenceman Tomas Kaberle was named the NHL’s first star of the week last week. In four games he had two goals and ten assists. The Leafs will need him to keep it up if they want to get that elusive second win.
Ok, now that the disclaimer is out of the way, let’ talk about Phil Kessel, whom the MSM is ready to appoint on our behalf as the man who is going to deliver us to the promise land. Forget for a second that the Buds have actually won a game. Before the savior arrives, the Toronto Maple Leafs will have played games against Buffalo and Montreal. So the best the Buds cold be is 3-7-2 when Kessel is rumored to appear. At worst, 1-9-2. Either way, Kessel is, at least the last time I checked mortal. The expectations by the MSM on this guy (allegedly on our behalf) is going to be insane. Can you imagine the horror if he doesn’t score a goal in his first game? Sheer panic if that extends to 2 and god help us if it goes even further.
Sportnet has the Kessel Returning? (returning? what is he returning from? He has never appeared!) story on the cover of their website as we speak. Other outlets will, if they already haven’t follow.
Now, to be clear I am not bashing the guy in any sense. We have to be realistic though. In 3 NHL seasons (yes he is that young) Kessel has never scored at a goal per clip rate. Last year was his best where he averaged .5 a goal per game (again, I am not saying that isn’t alot or an accomplishment). In those same 3 years he has never scored at a point per game clip . Last year he came close, .85 pts per game, preeeeeeeeeety damn good. Ironicaly enough if Kessel comes back when he is rumored to do so he will be able to play in just as many games as he played last year, 70. In those 70 games he scored 36 goals for 60 points.
Where would that 60 points fit in to this club? Well, I think we have to assume that Tomas Kaberle isn’t going to stay at his current pace, which would take him to just under 90 points. Hagman is on a pace to score around points. Stajan is next at around 60.
So, I don’t think there is anything wrong with hoping for the best. Hell I hope he breaks every record out there. We do have to be realistic. He is one guy on a what has all the makings of a mediocre team at best right now. Hopefully he shows up and he has the Gretzky effect; making everyone around him that much better (and no I am NOT comparing him to Gretzky). I just think we need to all cheer the guy on like crazy, but realize that he is one guy. He alone isn’t going to but this team on his back (and I never mentioned his injury) and carry them by himself. The onus will be on the rest of the team to over perform. The onus will be on the coaching staff to over perform and perhaps more importantly, the onus will be on Brian Burke to deliver the best supporting cast to this stud. Kessel isn’t the Messiah the MSM is going to make him out to be. He also isn’t going to be the goat they will make him out to be should be stumble.
I love this quote by the way in tomorrow’s Globe and Mail:
“You’ve got to have confidence in all your teammates, especially your goaltender,” Leafs defenceman Ian White said. “If you bobble a puck, you know he’ll be there to make a save for us.”
That is precisely what you have been reading here. No matter what he does short term, Vesa has lost that confidence from his teammates. They are so sure that every “bobble” is going to end up in their net that they are “bobbling” way more than normal. Gustavsson, despite his age and inexperience has earned that confidence. That tells me a ton about the psyche of the players in the lockeroom but that’s a different discussion. The truth is, this team, at least right now plays with a ton more confidence in front of Jonas then the did at any point with Toskala last season or this. That, for Brian Burke and Ron Wilson is a HUGE problem.
TSM
@yyzsportsmedia
Ian White’s quote is from this article in the Globe and Mail
7 games does not a season make. 7 games may not even be enough for a trend. So Leaf fans, when does it? I mean at what point to your start to worry, or dare I say panic? Clearly the guru’s have told us now is not the right time, so when is the right time?
It seems to me that this week off should be exactly what the doctor ordered. A week of good hard practices where all the things the coaching staff need to work on can be addressed.
If the Leafs don’t show up in their first game back, then I think it’s time to be concerned. If they don’t have the jump, the fight in their game and just plainly get smoked then it would certainly seem to suggest that there is something amiss here with the Leafs.
That is not to suggest that win is a must in the next game. What is necessary is effort from the Leafs. Effort that hasn’t been there in the last several games. Effort that means an attempt to be first to the puck, to win the battles and compete. If that isn’t the case in the next couple of games then I think it is time to be very worried. If those things aren’t present then the coaching staff simply can’t reach this group.
Today is an important day. No, really it is. Today is an important day for both myself and little TSM. Today he and I share a right of passage. Tonight, little TSM will see his first Maple Leafs game LIVE. It is hard to believe how much time has flown since he and I watched our first game on television. He was 2 days old, the Leafs were playing the Habs, in Montreal. He had just come home from the hospital and before he went down for his part of the night, we sat on the couch as Travis Green scored his first of the year from Nik Antropov and Tom Fitzgerald. I have to admit, I don’t remember my first game at the old Maple Leafs Gardens. I remember going a lot as a kid. I actually can remember the smell of the old barn. I remember so many of the games that I saw there, but I can’t really remember my first game. So I hope that he will remember tomorrow night, his first experience at an NHL game, at a Maple Leafs game.
Don’t get me wrong, I have taken him to lots of sporting events. We used to go to lots of Plymouth Whalers games. Then it was the Barrie Colts. He’s been to a few Raptors games, one ARGO’s game and to a couple of Blue Jays games (both here and in Detroit) and yes to a Marlies game, a TFC match and even the Rogers Cup. This will be his first Maple Leafs game. I am not sure who is more excited, him or me.
So hopefully the boys show up. Hopefully the scalpers, I mean brokers are in full force. Hopefully the organ is loud. Hopefully he gets an autograph or three, or maybe catches a puck. Hopefully, he has fun and asks to go again.
Coming out of today there will only be four women left to battle for supremacy in the 2009 edition of the Rogers Cup. The first game of the day kicks of with the number four seed Elena Dementieva taking on one of the few serve-and-volley style players Samantha Stosur. Toournament favourite Serena Williams takes the court next. Williams faces Lucie Safarova. In the first late game Alisa Kleybanova and fifth seed Jelena Jankovic mix it up at centre court. While Agnieszka Radwanska and Maria Sharapova close the night off. It should end up being Williams, Dementieva, Jankovic and Sharapova in the semis, but the way this tournament has gone you should really expect the unexpected.
