Playoff Push Resumes Tonight

   The quest for the playoffs will continue tonight against the New York Islanders. The Islanders have been on a hot streak since trading for Al Montoya. The Islanders who sit behind the Leafs in the standings are still optimistic about making a playoff push. The Leafs who are sitting tied with the Florida Panthers at 57 points are sitting 7 points behind the 8th place Carolina Hurricanes. Tonight is a must win for the Leafs who will have a tough week ahead following this game. A divisional rival is up next on Thursday for the Leafs when they take on the Habs, then it is Pittsburgh on Saturday and the Atlanta Thrashers on Sunday. The Leafs want to win as many of those games as possible if they want to get into the playoffs.

   The Leafs got some good injury news Colby Armstrong and Mike Brown will both be in the line-up tonight against the Islanders. Those two players will add some much need grit and determination to the already tough Leafs line-up. The Leafs also got good goaltending news today, J.S. Giguére returned to the ice and is optimistic about a return by the weekend. That will be huge for the Leafs who play back to back on Saturday and Sunday. For the time being Ben Scrivens backs up rookie netminder James Reimer.

Tyler Revoy
@Revoy10 on twitter.  

Injuries mounting up for the Leafs.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been sellers so far this season but now they may be buyers. With injuries mounting up on the blue-line Leafs GM Brian Burke has made it clear that he is looking to add a defenceman to the roster. However adding a defenceman capable of playing in the NHL right away will come at a cost. One of the Leafs biggest assets right now is Clarke MacArthur, but are the Leafs willing to lose a potent offensive threat? The Leafs are not completely out of the playoff picture and have plenty of good defencemen in their minor league system, so why doesn't Burke call one of them up. Whatever the case may be, it will be closed within the next week.

The Leafs will take on the red hot New York Islanders tomorrow night, this is a must win if the Leafs want to continue their push towards the playoffs. Having got 5 out of 6 points last week the Leafs will want the same thing this week. The Buds will take on Montreal and Pittsburgh after the Islanders. The Islanders who added Al Montoya have been on fire. That has a lot to do with Michael Grabner the Leafs will want to shut him down if they plan on winning the game tomorrow night. The Leafs will be relying heavily on Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul to finally pose an offensive threat like they were suppose to do when they were brought into the team.

Tyler Revoy
@Revoy10 on twitter

Leafs lose in a Shootout.

   The Toronto Maple Leafs dropped the latest installment of the battle of Ontario last night 1-0 in a shootout. Jason Spezza was the only one to beat a goalie last night scoring in the second round of the shootout. The Leafs goalie James Reimer stopped all the shots he faced in regulation and overtime and went 1 for 2 in the shootout. Reimer who will be counted on to take the majority of the starts as the season continues due to injuries in the goaltending rotation. The back-up last night Ben Scrivens finally got to wear the Leafs jersey despite sitting on the bench. Ottawa's newly acquired goalie Craig Anderson picked up the victory in his first start as a Senator.
   The Leafs are off for the next two days in preparation for their Tuesday evening tilt with the New York Islanders. The Islanders are one of the NHL's hottest teams right now having won their past 5 games. The Leafs can't take the Islanders lightly if they want to win. Currently sitting 7 points out of 8th in the East the Leafs are going to want to step it up before the trade-deadline or else they will be sellers as they continue their rebuild.
   Leafs newly acquired sniper Joffrey Lupul will look to finally score in a Leafs jersey. Hopefully he can get it on the road against the New York Islanders. The Leafs schedule is tougher this week then weeks past. The Buds will play the Islanders, Canadiens, and Penguins before they have a rare Sunday night game. The Leafs will want to win at least 2 of their next 3 games if they want to continue towards their playoff hopes.

Tyler Revoy
@Revoy10 on twitter

Leafs Begin New Life Without Kaberle

   The Toronto Maple Leafs will begin life without Tomas Kaberle tonight as they take on the Ottawa Senators in a battle of Ontario. The Leafs shipped Kaberle to division rival Boston yesterday, as part of the rebuilding phase. The Leafs were able to acquire another first round pick in this year's draft, giving them two now. The Leafs may look to give up those picks and move up in the draft, or just keep them and take two late first round picks.

   Kaberle was the longest serving Leaf on the roster having spent his whole career there. His depth on the blue-line will be missed but it will give guys like Carl Gunnarsson, Luke Schenn, and Keith Aulie a chance to play crucial minutes down the stretch and on the powerplay. The Leafs may have given up a key guy on the blue-line but the package they got back in return will allow them to keep getting younger and build towards that powerhouse team they want. Kaberle will be a nice asset to the Boston Bruins powerplay, he will do what he did in Toronto with McCabe, in Boston with Chara. Kaberle will take over for Reechi on the first powerplay unit and that will become a top unit in the league.

   Only time will tell what team wins the trade, however Brian Burke is basically the GM of the Leafs, Bruins, and Ducks as those are the two teams he trades with the most. Brian Burke has said since day one the team will get younger and better, so far so good.

   The Leafs will continue their playoff push tonight at home against Ottawa. The Senators are trading everything except for the washing machine. Craig Anderson will get his first start as a Senator so he will look to impress the GM and coach. The Leafs will counter with James Reimer who appears to be the only healthy goalie on the roster, Ben Scrivens will back-up. The Leafs should be able to win this one and continue their second half surge into 8th place in the East.

Leafs Finally Win Buffalo.

    It was a big day for the Leafs last night in Buffalo for the first time since 2008 the Leafs won a road game in Buffalo against the Sabres and Ryan Miller. The Leafs who got the scoring going five minutes into the second period when Phil Kessel got his 3rd goal in 2 games. Half-way through the third period Joey Crabb broke free on a short-handed rush and was able to put one by Miller giving the Leafs a two goal lead. That was Crabb's first goal as a Maple Leaf and turned out to be the game winner. The Leafs went on to win the game 2-1. That victory was over-shadowed by the fact the J.S. Giguére went down yet again with what is being described as a "lower-body injury". Giguére who has a history of groin injuries looks like he may be gone for a while again. James Reimer came in and got the victory for the Leafs.

   The Leafs have earned a day off today before they get back on the ice tomorrow in preparation for their "Battle of Ontario" game on Saturday with the Ottawa Senators. The Leafs are currently 6 points out of 8th place in the East and with the teams above them in the standings struggling the Leafs indirectly hold their playoff fate in their own hands. The Leafs next two games are winnable and they will want to do that if they want any hope of making the playoffs. The Leafs will take on the Islanders next week and follow that up against the Canadiens.

   The trade talks are still going on in Leaf-land as they are every day. The big question is will the Leafs trade d-man Tomas Kaberle or keep him for a playoff push. Also who is the first goalie to be on their way out the door? Whatever the questions are we will find out our answers within the next week and a half.

Tyler Revoy

@Revoy10 on twitter

Leafs look to surge in Buffalo

The Toronto Maple Leafs are in Buffalo tonight to tangle with the Sabres. The Leafs have had their struggles of late while in Buffalo. The Leafs can't seem to beat goaltender Ryan Miller.Miller is 24-8 life time against the Leafs. This year like years in the past the Buds will have to look-out for the always dangerous Buffalo offence. Recently a new sniper has emerged of late. Drew Stafford has recorded 4 hat-tricks in his last 22 games. This earned him second star honours last week in the NHL.

The Leafs snipers are starting to find their way in the NHL. Phil Kessel got of the snide last night in Boston and since he scores in bunches look for that streak to continue tonight. Also the man they call "Grabo" is lighting it up of late. With 24 goals on th season he is key part of this Maple Leaf offence.

If the snipers can't do it, it will be up to J.S. Giguére to shut the door in the pipes tonight. Giggy has been playin great as of late for the Leafs. Maybe he is playing well so his stock rises at the trade-deadline, or maybe because James Reimer is pushing him, whatever it is the Leafs will want him to keep up the good work.

Tyler Revoy
@Revoy10 on twitter

Leas Head To MSG Looking to Grab a Wn

Tonight the Toronto Maple Leafs will battle the NewYork Rangers in an original six match-up. The Leafs will look for their 5th win in their last 7 game. Now more then ever games against conference rivals are critical for the Leafs if they want to get back into the playoff race. The Leafs still have time to finish first in their division which will probably be 3rd in their conference. The Leafs have a lot of games left against divisional rivals which will allow them to move up in the standings.

The trade deadline is fast approaching and the Leafs will look to make moves to help bolster their line-up as they strive for the playoffs. Brian Burke has already said that he will only make a trade that adds to the Leafs line-up. So who will be the first to go a Goalie? Defenceman? Forward? Either way any trade that Brian Burke makes will be well worth it.

The All-Star game is coming up and all early predictions are saying that Phil Kessel will be the last on selected when the draft takes place. This is probably going to be wrong because all though Kessel doesn't back check, he is a scorer. Just imagine Kessel playing along side Henrik Sedin finally he will have someone to just pass him the puck. Either way the game will be unique in its own way.

Tyler Revoy

@Revoy10 on twiter follow.

Leafs Lose in a Shootout and Bad News on Injury Front.

The Toronto Maple Leafs lost another close game last night to the Calgary Flames. After tying the game with 13 seconds left on the clock the Leafs fell in the shootout in the fourth round. The Buds who just got back from their Western road trip look slow at times and had only 11 shots through 2 periods. The Leafs got great goaltending from J.S. Giguire who made his first start in nearly a month. The Leafs now have a record of 4-1-1 in their last six games.

On the injury front Kris Versteeg and Freddie Sjostrum both missed their second consectutive game with injuries. This isn't good if the Leafs want to make the playoffs. The Leafs need all their bodies able and ready to go when they play the Anaheim Ducks to start this week off.

After coming back from injury in the Phoenix game Mike Brown got suspended 3 games for what the league is calling a head check. Brown who wasn't upset with the leagues decision is eligible to return to the Leafs line-up on Saturday. In his absence Marcel Mueller has been called up to replace Brown on the Leafs 3rd line. Mueller who was one of the last cuts at training camp did fairly well on Saturday against the Flames. Only time will tell if the Leafs can get back into the thick of things.

Tyler Revoy
@Revoy10 on Twitter

All Good Things come to an End

To quote a Peterborough Liftlock Star he said "A winning streak is like havig a hot girlfriend. Sooner or later it's going to end." That is what happened to the Leafs four game winning streak tonight in Phoenix. But instead of dwelling on the loss tonight why not look at the positives from the road trip.

1) Won 3 out of 4 games on this tough road trip. Playing superior teams in the NHL's Western Conference the Leafs flourished against them.

2)Got great offensive numbers from their top two lines.When called upon the Leafs snipers answered scoring quickly to seal games and blow them wide open.

3)Great goaltending as we have seen James Reimer come into his own with this club. To bad he will be sent back to the minors soon.

4)Coach Ron Wilson picked up his 600 career coaching victory in his old stomping grounds.

5)The Leafs aquired Fabian Brunnstrum from Dallas in a trade earlier today.Young player who will gel quite quickly and well with this Leafs team.

All in all you can say the Leafs are back to where they were before this trip but getting out of the city and country did them some good. They bonded more as a team and will be strong down the stretch run of the season.

Tyler Revoy

@Revoy10

Reimer shines in potentially his final start with the Leafs.

It was the way the Leafs wanted to start their four game road trip back to back wins with their third goalie in net. James Reimer has won his past two starts and is making a serious statement that he wants to be with the big club this/next year. The 22 year old rookie is 3-1 in his four starts this season. Reimer is playing the way the Leafs would like their goalies to play and isn't showing signs of slowing down. With the Leafs playing San Jose tonight it is unlikely that Reimer starts back to back games but if he does look for it to be a low scoring game.

The Leafs got scoring from 9 different players no body scored two points. All three lines were firing and the fourth line had a number of good offensive checking shifts. The Leafs are starting to look like a serous contender in the East. Being only 13 points back of Boston with half of the season left don't count them out yet. Many teams are struggling in the East just as the Leafs are starting to heat up. It should be an exciting finish to the season.

Tyler Revoy
Twitter @Revoy10

Reimer, MacArthur here to stay??

With the Leafs getting set to take on the Los Angeles Kings, it could be James Riemer's last start. If it was up to me I wouldn't be sending him back to quickly. Reimer in his three starts has played like a vetern of the league. The rookie should be a part of either a 2 or 3 man goalie system. The Leafs are enjoying the way Reimer is playing and are hoping for more of the same tonight.

In a similar situation Clarke MacArthur's contract is set to expire at the end of the and he will be looking for a bit of a pay raise. This brings up the question why not sign players to a one year deal with a club option? If he plays well the contract is already in stone and there is no need to give him a pay raise. At any rate the Leafs have been known to sign players to "BIG" contracts after a breakout year. Hopefully the Leafs are able to resign him and not have to give him half their cap. However with lots of cap space it might be time to sign a big name free agent. Either way MacArthur has earned his playing time on the first line.

The Leafs have always had troulbe with secondary scoring, but may have found it this year. His name Phil Kessel. Kessel who many would say is the top guy in Toronto has taken a bak seat to a guy name Mikhail Grabovski. Grabo has been Toronto's most dangerous offensive player. He has instant chemistry with MacArthur and Kulimen. With his offensive output it takes pressure off of Kessel because now other teams are trying to stop Grabo. The top two lines are now starting to become deadly in the NHL.

Tyler Revoy

follow on twitter @Revoy10

Off Day Well Deserved for the Leafs

Saturday was a travel day for the Leafs as the team left Atlanta on route for Los Angeles. The team didn't skate yeserday bu will today in preparation for their Monday game against the Kings. This is the annual West coast road trip an the Leafs will play Los Angeles, San Jose, and Phoenix before returning home.

With days off it is a good chance to look back at the previous two games the Leafs played. Playing a struggling St. Louis Blues team on Thursday the Leafs came out flying. They were able to build a three goal third period lead before the Blues came back to tie it. However a great shootout goal by Grabo and a big save by Gusty sealed the win for the Leafs. The Leafs the travelled to Atlanta to take on the Thrashers in what was suppose to be a close game. That was anything but. The Leafs came out flying and didn't look back on their way to a 9-3 victory. James Reimer was huge making 41 saves in this game.

Should the Leafs send Reimer back? With Giguire close to returning to the Buds line-up and Gusty already playing well is there room for Reimer. One would say send him back and let him develop more. I however say the Leafs are about to gt rid of Giggy. Teams like NYI, NJD, and Ott are all in desperate need of picking up a good number 1/2 goalie. The Leafs no longer need him and with his conract up at the end of the season they can get rid of him and get some prospects back in return. Giggy in my mind is worth a pick and a prospect, this could be where th Leafs pick up a piece to play longside Nazem Kadri who will be a centerpiece next year on the Leafs. So I would look for the Leafs if they don't trade Giguire, to roll with a three man goalie system for a bit. With the way Reimer is playing there is no need to send him down. Not yet at least.

Tyler Revoy

Follow on Twitter @Revoy10

Leafs Win in a Romp

The Toronto Maple Leafs went to Atlanta last night an thrashed the Thrashers. A 9-3 win was in store for the Leafs, however no good game goes without a bad spot. Colby Armstrong got sucker punched by Ben Eager. If no suspension by the NHL I would look for the next meeting a Leaf to take discipline ino their own hands. That aside it was a great game by the Leafs. The Buds let their offensive side come out and play. Scoring 9 goals is their highest goal output since 2007. The team finally got their offense going and showed the rest of the league that the Leafs are the real deal.

Now all the Leafs need is a couple more champioship pieces before they will be considered a contender. I say within 3 years us in leaf-land will be at a Stanley Cup parade in downtown Toronto. The Leafs got some good news last night on goaltending as James Reimer showed he has what it takes to backstop this team to wins. The line of Grabo MacArtur an Kulimen have proven to be the best line for the Leafs this year as the produced last night in the win.

With the team off this weekend they will be able to get re-focused for the Los Angeles Kings on Monday as the embark on th Westrn California road trip. The Leafs would like to go perfect on this road trip but in reality the Leafs will probably go 2-1 which is still good for a team that is trying to move up he standings and maybe get the 8th playoff place. Burkie still believes the Leafs will make the playoffs and so do I.

Tyler Revoy

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Leafs Blow Lead But Win in Shootout

Last night we seen a both Leafs teams show up to play. In the same game. The Leafs built a three goal lead early in the third period before going to the Leafs of old and allowing the St. Louis Blues to tie it at five and take it to a shootout. In the shootout it was a goal by Tyler Bozak that sealed the deal for the Buds. The Leafs now take their one game win streak into Atlanta tonight, it's believed James Reimer will get the start for the Leafs tonight.

Now that the winter roster freeze is over who will be the first one outof Leaf-land. Many would say that Kris Versteeg is going out... Why would Brian Burke trade the guy he aquired through the summer trade. Two people I would like to see leave quickly are defencemen Mike Komisarek and Brett Lebda. Those two have been factors in all the Leafs losses. Brett Lebda was a waste of money by Brian Burke he was a sixth defenceman in Detroit, and the Leafs want him to be a top four guy. He is useless and needs to go. As for Komisarek I don't think he knows what team he is playing for. He has tonnes of turnovers that lead to goals and odd-man rushes. In two years Montreal fans coudn't be happier that the Leafs took him away from them. The Leafs have lots of talent in the minors such as Keith Aulie so they can afford to get rid of one of these older defencemen.

Another thing the Leafs should do is bring back Mike Zigomanis. That guy is fearless and wasn't afraid to block shots. He was intrumental on the penalty kill for the Leafs. The Leafs penlty kill with him was top five in the NHL, without him it plumets back down to the bottom three. I don't know who you would sit out or scratch but Ziggy needs to come back.

Finally on the goaltending front it may be time for J.S. for go. Giggy has been injury prone the last month and with the way Gusty and Reimer have been playing lately there is no need to have him back on the team. His contract is done at the end of this season. The Leafs should be able to get at least a second round pick in return for the goaltender.

I will enjoy your feedback so comment and follow on Twitter @Revoy10

Tyler Revoy