Toronto Maple Leafs' Week in Review: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly Dec 24-31

What an awful way to ring in the New Year.

Just when it seemed the Maple Leafs were ready to turn the corner and get back into the upper reins of the Eastern Conference, they ended the month with three straight losses. The Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes and Winnipeg Jets gave Leafs nation a reason to be worried as they head towards the second half of the NHL season.

The Maple Leafs picked up one point in the three games. Although they sometimes played like they should have picked up more, they didn't play that way for a full 60 minutes in any one game. Here is this week’s Week in Review.  

The Good: Secondary scorers scoring

While the two main offensive machines, Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul, had a goal each this week, the Leafs got extra scoring from players who haven't lived up to expectations thus far.

First and foremost was Nazem Kadri who added another goal while continuing to make great passes and show great awareness in the offensive zone. But even better than Kadri was seeing the second line of Mikhael Grabovski, Nikolai Kulemin and Clarke MacArthur putting in at least a goal each this week(Grabovski actually had two against the Panthers on Monday).

The trio saw their line broken up a few weeks ago due to lack of production, now they are approaching 20 points each, which means the whole line has almost given the Leafs 60 points over the course of this year. It is a very good stat, but you wonder where they could have been if they where playing at this level all year.

While the secondary scoring wasn't enough this week, it was good to see these four contribute every night, the Leafs will need that the rest of the year.

The Bad: Reimer's goaltending

Reimer has not looked good since coming back. He has had maybe one or two good games (against LA and Buffalo). I stated in a different article last week that it may be time to give him a rest and let Jonas Gustavsson take the bulk of the work until Reimer really gets back to himself.

This week maybe proves that scenario more. He was pulled in the game against the Panthers, he gave up soft goals to Carolina to allow them to get back into the game, and he didn't help his team maintain a lead or give them a chance to pull ahead (he let in two goals in the first five minutes of the second and a third goal just three minutes after the Leafs tied the game).

I know the goalie can't be blamed for every goal, especially considering that the defensive core is very young and a few main cogs are injured. However, Reimer needs to be able to stop those game changing plays. He needs to shake out the rust and get back into the form that won him the starting job in the first place.

He is a great goalie, he needs to show it or the Leafs will be on the way to an early summer vacation.

The Ugly: From First to Worst

In a span of about eight weeks, the Maple Leafs have gone from the top team in the East to not even being in the playoff picture. They have let their guard down and have lost some big games, culminating in this week in which they were facing a division leader, a cellar dweller and a playoff position rival.

They failed to meet the expectations of thriving under pressure in the latter two of these games. They had a chance to put some distance between themselves and the Jets by playing a weaker team and the Jets themselves.

It's these situations that you need to take control of and play a full 60 minutes and come out victorious. There was no excuse to lose against the Hurricanes when you have a two goal lead in the third period with less than ten minutes to play. You should be focusing on playing the trap and not allowing the opponents to get any fast breaks; instead, the Leafs did the opposite.

In the game against the Jets, they need to show more urgency in the offensive zone. Ondrej Pavelic made some fantastic saves, but the Maple Leafs need to find a way to get it past him. In the game against the Panthers, plain and simple they can't get behind early, which unfortunately is what they have been doing for the most part this season, especially the last month.

That inevitably is what has brought them down to this spot in the standings, and the more they do this, the further they will slide.

Looking Ahead: Tampa Bay Lightning, Winnipeg Jets, Detroit Red Wings

The start to 2012 won't be an easy one for the Maple Leafs. Although it will start with a three-game home stand, the visitors will not be very friendly as the blue and white will host the Tampa Bay Lightning, Winnipeg Jets and Detroit Red Wings

The Lightning have surprisingly struggled this year. They sit in 12th place in the East with just 38 points. They were pounded by the Leafs at home 7-1 back in November and have not been able to find any consistency.

The Jets are 1-1 with the Leafs this year, including that New Year's Eve showdown in which the Jets came out victorious. The Leafs beat the Jets at the ACC 4-3 in October. Recently the Jets have found some steam and have surpassed the Leafs in the conference standings.  

The Red Wings are once again, the Red Wings. 49 points which is good enough for fourth in the Western Conference. It will be an original six match up on Hockey Night in Canada, and the Leafs are going to be desperate for a win in front of the home crowd

Last week, I said the Leafs should have been able to pull out four points, but they managed just one. This week, I think the Leafs might only be able to pull out two points, maybe three with a win and an OT loss. The Leafs have the benefit of being at home for all three games, but again they did not look good last week and they are going to be pressing.

Hopefully, I'm wrong and the Leafs pull themselves back into the playoff hunt.