Justin Pogge Shows a Lot Despite Ugly Leafs Loss in Buffalo

There have been losses this season. Tough ones. There will be more losses before the season is over.  More tough ones.  At this point of the Maple Leafs' rebuilding effort, sometimes losses aren’t that hard to swallow.

Efforts like last night’s game in Buffalo, however, are.

Not even able to use the tired excuse—Buffalo had just returned from a tough road trip—the Leafs left Justin Pogge out to dry, as the Sabres, led by Thomas Vanek, pummeled the Leafs 5-0.

Always a shame when the Leafs lose in Buffalo due to the large contingent of Blue and White fans who make the trip.  The Leafs didn’t only lose the game; they lost everything along the way.

They lost every battle.  They lost every foot race.  It was simply an effort that surely should have the coaches and players embarrassed.  It’s one thing to lose, but it’s an entirely different thing to not compete.

However, it wasn’t all a lost cause for the Toronto Maple Leafs last night in Buffalo.  Though people who didn’t catch the game and simply relied on the TSN ticker will surely look at me like I am crazy, I saw something last night.  Something that can’t be read in a box score. 

What I saw, I think, was assurance that Justin Pogge is going to be a N.1 goalie for the Toronto Maple Leafs, sometime very shortly.

Now, I am a fan of Vesa Toskala, and I am not jumping off his bandwagon just yet.  He is simply having an off year and is really fighting injuries right now.  Still, I think he is a good goalie, and hopefully some time off can help out his ailing groin.

Having said that, I think it’s fair to say—based on what we have seen this season against Dallas, and last season against a few teams—that if Toskala had been in net last night, the score likely would have been in the neighbourhood of eight or nine goals for the Sabres.

Despite having his pants pulled down yet again by his teammates, Justin Pogge stood tall last night.  He did let in five goals, there is no disputing that.  However, he made several great saves and continued to battle until the end of the game, no matter the score.

He also showed mental toughness. It would have been very easy for Pogge to pack up his tent and head home for the night after the first period, when it was clear the Leafs didn’t have it.  But he didn’t.  He bent, but wouldn’t break.  He continued to trudge on, choosing not to give up in a battle he was destined to lose.

As someone put it to me last night, Marty Brodeur wouldn’t have won that game for us.  Far be it us to expect a rookie goaltender to be able to complete the mission impossible that was last night’s lackluster effort at the HSBC.

For many fans and writers, it has been a bit of a roller coaster ride for Pogge.  A Canadian junior hot shot, Pogge became a national hero and rose to fame when he led Team Canada to the 2006 World Junior Gold Medal.  Pogge, drafted 90th overall by Toronto, finished the tournament a perfect 6-0-0 between the pipes for the Red and White.

However, it wasn’t as rosy of a picture this time last year, in the opinion of some.  

A subpar season with the Toronto Marlies saw some people begin to lose confidence that Pogge was the man who could lead the Maple Leafs in the crease to better times.  Whether he was truly struggling or was just a victim of unrealistic expectations is still up for debate.

Nevertheless, Pogge appears to be on track to be the goalie the Leafs can count on in the future, possibly as early as next season.

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