Can the Leafs afford another slide?

By Paul Bruno

Just when you thought the Leafs were going to creep back into a respectable spot in the standings, they have headed south on a three game losing streak.

Losses to Chicago and Calgary on the weekend have sent the Leafs reeling into another tailspin.

It seems that the alarming tendency on giving up the first two goals has continued to bury this club. Sure, they came back to make a game of it on both nights against these top notch clubs, but what is it that keeps the Leafs from getting a good start.

Friday, they were deluged by a Chicago onslaught and Vesa Toskala, in his first start in over a week, held the Leafs in the game, but not before surrendering a couple of goals in a 20 shot onslaught.

On the positive side, Phil Kessel showed why he could be worth the princely sum that the Leafs paid to get him. He attacked the Hawks relentlessly and had the Hawks on their heels almost every time he touched the puck. That allowed him to score both Leaf goals on this night. The trouble is that nobody else found the back of the net.

Once the Leafs found their legs, over the final two periods, they buzzed around the Hawks’ goal, outshooting the home side by a 19-14 margin.

It was a matter of too little, too late.

The next night at home against the Flames, Jonas Gustavsson was victimized for three goals before the ten minute-mark of the first frame. It was the first time you could blame him for the loss, after a string of steady games.

Toskala stepped in and the Leafs ramped up their attack, once again, dominating the next forty minutes of this game, too. In fact, Calgary’s coach, Brent Sutter, criticized his team’s lack of effort, crediting goalie Mikka Kiprusoff with stealing this win.

And, so it goes, for the Leafs who continue to find little solace and reward for good efforts during parts of games, while paying a high price for slow starts and short-term breakdowns.

To say that the natives, in Leafs Nation, are restless, is an understatement. The current record of 3-10-5 is awful. There’s no way to sugar-coat that. That has left a huge challenge for this team.   

Who knows if they will find a way to stop the bleeding that has them mired in 14th place in the Eastern Conference Standings.
Things could get real ugly if they don’t (soon) improve dramatically.