No Surprise: Maple Leafs Eliminated
Following sports on the web or watching the Toronto Maple Leafs this past weekend, people will be aware that the Boston Bruins officially eliminated the Leafs from the playoff dance on Saturday night at the Air Canada Centre.
There was no surprise there as for all intent and purpose Toronto had no realistic shot at a playoff birth anyway.
It was just a matter of time and now with six games remaining they find themselves 11-points out of the last playoff position, with four teams ahead of them in the mix.
Boston was playing their first game in a week and did not look to sharp but the Leafs goal tending let them down again.
Justin Pogge started for Toronto and was not sharp, seeming to be fighting the puck and going down early and Curtis Joseph had to come in to relieve him. It was the same scenario for Curtis Joseph the previous evening in Buffalo.
He was going down early and only stopped five out of nine shots before Pogge was called upon. Maybe, they should have switched starts with each other.
The results were a 7-5 Boston win and a 5-3 Buffalo victory. Toronto deserved to beat Buffalo but could not overcome Josephโs shaky start.
Who would have thought that a team would miss Martin Gerber when the Leafs picked him up off waivers from the Ottawa Senators?
To give Gerber credit he has been very steady in the net for the Leafs and given them a chance to win every game he has been in. Thatโs all you can ask for from a goalie.
He is making the Leafs brass think about a contract renewal, but it still wonโt be like the money he got from Ottawa.
The reason, if you missed it, that the Leafs are missing Gerber is that he got himself suspended for three games in the Leafs shootout win over Washington.
He ended up loosing it and making contact with Mike, โlet go of my Leggo,โย the Ref, which is an automatic three game suspension.
I canโt blame Gerber much though as Leggo was out to lunch on the goal Washington scored to tie the game. The Capitals player, Brooks Laich pitchforked Gerber and the puck into the net and Leggo let the goal stand.
There was not a chance in hell that Leggo could see the puck from his vantage point and the whistle should have gone.
If not that then Laich should have received a goaltending interference penalty on the play, but hey, inferior officiating is what we have to put up with in Garyโs NHL Get that extra Ref on the ice so you need twice as many of them and put them into a game they have no business being in.
Some of these guys could not ref junior, never mind the NHL Ron Shick and Don Koharski is really going to be missed when they retire.
The Leafs ended up winning the game 3-2 in a shootout, thanks to Curtis Josephโs heroics.
Getting back to the Bruins for a minutes hear, that week they got off just before they played the Leafs could be great for a long run in the playoffs.
I like Bostonโs chances, Allsports thinks they have the most depth in the east and they are a big strong team that will be tough to play a seven game series against.
They have played good team defense all year and if their goaltending holds up they should come out of the east. Mind you Martin Brodeur may have something to say about that.
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โNo Guts No Gloryโ
