Leafs earn first signature win of the young season

By Paul Bruno

We won’t bore you with details of the Leaf’s exciting romp of the perennial Cup contenders from last night’s game at the ACC, except to say what it could mean to the Leafs.

They are now on a hot streak where have gained points in seven straight games and posting a 3-0-4 mark, good enough to vault them to within six points of the final playoff spot, currently held by the Islanders, who have played two more games than the Leafs.

So, all has not been lost by the team’s terrible start. In fact, the tem has rallied and seemingly bonded, where the players have now found a sense of success, with a high-energy style of play that has not relied on one or two players to carry the load.

Certainly, it has not hurt to benefit from the consistent (and sometimes spectacular) play of rookie puckstopper Jonas Gustavsson. The Monster has provided the Leafs with the kind of goalkeeping that any team hopeful of contending for post-season play has to have.

The defense is starting to gel, with good depth, to boot. We have previously identified that group.

But now, guys like John Mitchell and Jason Blake are starting to step up. Mitchell is proving to be strong on the puck and has just recently started to find the score sheet. Blake seems to have shaken a season-opening funk and is starting to look like the guy who led this team in scoring last year. His uptick has coincided with the insertion of Phil Kessel to form a high-octane pairing of these first line wingers. Alexei Ponikarovsky is bent on providing a solid net presence that any good power-play needs.

It seems as though a number of other players are similarly settling into roles and the team is finding a real groove.

The recent resurgence has many good characteristics, punctuated by better defensive play and three potential scoring lines backed by a robust fourth energy line, all of whom are have players who can skate well enough to keep up with any opposing club in the league.

The newest element that is creeping into the Leafs’ overall play is confidence. That can certainly help to extend this current hot streak.

Who knows, maybe, they’ll start scoring that elusive first goal a little more often…

Tags: John Mitchell