Red flags return

Do you remember the staples that were a part of the Leafs’ odorous eight games that began this season?

Terrible goaltending, a passive defense and an inefficient offense were all characteristics of that stretch.

Well, they are all back in full view over the last two Leaf games.

They cannot afford to revert to that formula for another extended string of games.

Concentration. Goalie Vesa Toskala had a You Tube moment in the second period last night where he almost completely fanned on a Toni Lydman wrister from well out, a shot that may have been wide and high of the Leaf goal, but he dropped into the net for the tide-turning eventual game winner. While more spectacular than many of the goals this guy has surrendered, it’s been symptomatic of his periodic lack of awareness and concentration. He let in four goals on only 10 shots and, for a second straight game, he allowed four goals in one period. Brutal.

Positional play. The Leafs defensive positioning was awful, punctuated by a number of sequences when the defense pairings have been spread so far apart that you could drive a 747 through their gap. An awareness of the defense partner’s positioning seems to have vanished as veteran blueliners (Mike Komisarek, Garnet Exelby and Jeff Finger, in particular) have been way out of position for no good reason on several occasions.

Offensive pressure and shot selection. Last night, the Leafs outshot the Sabres 42-27 but you would be wrong to say they had many great chances to score. Other than Phil Kessel, they don’t have shooters who will blow pucks by goalies on a regular basis. When they bring pressure, it needs to be down with a net presence. Shooters like Lee Stempniak and Alexei Ponikarovsky have not being going to the goal in the last two games, while others like Jason Blake and Viktor Stalberg took a number of low percentage shots, instead of looking for better opportunities.

The warning signs of a second slump are all there. The Leafs’ other divisional nemesis, the Boston Bruins, is ready to pounce on Saturday night at the ACC.

Tags: Garnet Exelby, Lee Stempniak, Mike Komisarek, Phil Kessel, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vesa Toskala