Updates from Hockey

  • Hockey

    Leafs battle Flyers but come up short

    Gordon Anderson

    Posted by Gordon Anderson at 11:10 pm on March 7, 2010
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    Simon Gagne and Daniel Briere scored 1:16 apart, late in the second period, and Michael Leighton stopped 27 shots as the Flyers won a hard fought 3-1 decision over the Leafs at the Wachovia Center on Sunday night.

    Gagne scored at 17:09 on a quick wrist shot and Briere converted a cross-ice pass from Braydon Coburn at 18:25.
    (More …)

     
  • Hockey

    Leafs take the fifth round in the Battle of Ontario

    Gordon Anderson

    Posted by Gordon Anderson at 12:07 am on March 7, 2010
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    It doesn’t seem to matter what the standings say, the Leafs always play the Senators tight and Saturday night was no different.

    Phil Kessel scored in regulation and had the shootout winner as Toronto brushed by Ottawa 2-1 in a chippy affair at Scotiabank Place.

    Kessel scored in the first round when he came from the right boards and skated to the middle of the ice, cut back and beat Pascal Leclaire with a backhand. Nikolai Kulemin scored the other shootout goal for the Leafs.
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  • Hockey

    Bruins end 10-game home winless streak with a win over the Leafs

    Gordon Anderson

    Posted by Gordon Anderson at 11:47 pm on March 4, 2010
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    It was an uninspiring game between two teams looking for a win.

    Miroslav Satan scored in regulation and got the shootout winner, as the Boston Bruins squeezed by the Leafs 3-2 at the TD Banknorth Garden on Thursday night.

    Satan faked Jean-Sebastien Giguere to his knees, skated around him and threw the puck into the empty net before Giguere could get his skate to the left post.
    (More …)

     
  • Hockey

    A national holiday/obsession?

    Gordon Anderson

    Posted by Gordon Anderson at 3:54 pm on March 3, 2010
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    Only 2:53:55 to go and I am counting the digital minutes.

    The 3 p.m. (EST) deadline is closing and I am live blogging.

    I have too much time on my hands in Canada.

    Today is NHL trade deadline day and it is an unofficial national holiday in the land of toques and Timbits.

    (More …)

     
  • Hockey

    Leafs flatline in a loss to the Hurricanes

    Gordon Anderson

    Posted by Gordon Anderson at 1:19 am on March 3, 2010
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    With the trade deadline less than 16 hours away, and trade rumours swirling around the Leafs, they looked like a team waiting for the hammer to fall.

    It showed in a distracted and dispirited effort as Toronto lost 5-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night at the Air Canada Centre.

    Jussi Jokinen got the winner just 46 seconds into the second period when Ray Whitney feathered a saucer pass to Jokinen streaking down the slot, the winger let a quick wrist shot go that beat Jean-Sebastien Giguere to the glove side for his 24th goal.

    Brandon Sutter, Tuomo Ruutu, Sergei Samsonov and Chad Larose also scored for Carolina (25-30-7) as they extend their winning streak to six games. Justin Peters (3-0-0) stopped 32 shots in his third NHL start.
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  • Hockey

    Leafs look uninispired in last game before the Olympic break

    Gordon Anderson

    Posted by Gordon Anderson at 1:28 pm on February 13, 2010
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    Look on the brights side of things Leafs’ fans: you don’t have to watch them for the next couple of weeks.

    In their last game before the Olympic break, Toronto looked less than interested in a 4-0 loss to the St Louis Blues on Friday night.

    Andy McDonald netted the winner at 14:22 of the first period on a 3-on-1 break. Jean-Sebastien Giguere stopped Erik Johnson on the initial shot but the rebound went to Patrik Berglund, who fed McDonald at the right post for the tap in.
    (More …)

     
  • Hockey

    Leafs show lots of heart but come up short

    Gordon Anderson

    Posted by Gordon Anderson at 11:32 pm on February 8, 2010
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    The Leafs looked good against the NHL’s best road team but it wasn’t enough.

    Ryane Clowe scored the winner at 13:21 of the third period and Evgeni Nabokov stopped 32 shots as the San Jose Sharks defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 at Air Canada Centre on Monday night.

    Devin Setoguchi’s centring pass deflected off Luke Schenn’s skate and went to Clowe, who fired the puck into the open net for the margin of victory.

    Nabokov made the lead stand up making two huge goal mouth saves on Viktor Stalberg with less than 10 seconds remaining in the game.
    (More …)

     
  • Hockey

    Leafs too much for the streaking Senators

    Gordon Anderson

    Posted by Gordon Anderson at 11:15 pm on February 6, 2010
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    The third time is the charm for the Leafs.

    After blowing two third-period leads in their previous three games, Toronto opened up a 3-0 spread after one and cruised to a 5-0 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night at the Air Canada Centre.

    Prior to the game, there was a moment of silence for Brendan Burke. The son of Leafs general manager Brian Burke, Brendan was tragically killed in an auto accident on Friday afternoon in Wayne County, Ind.
    (More …)

     
  • Hockey

    More lessons learned for the Leafs

    Gordon Anderson

    Posted by Gordon Anderson at 5:33 pm on February 6, 2010
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    Another game and another third period meltdown for Toronto.

    The Devils scored three consecutive goals late in the third period to squeak out a 4-3 win over the Maple Leafs on Friday night.

    Travis Zajac and Dean McAmmond scored before Jay Pandolfo capped the comeback at 19:41 of the third when he deposited a rebound behind Jonas Gustavsson.

    Gustavsson made a right leg save on a shot from the point but the puck went right to Pandolfo who fired it into the empty net before Gustavsson could get back into position.
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  • Hockey

    The Leafs meltdown in the third against Vancouver

    Gordon Anderson

    Posted by Gordon Anderson at 12:33 am on January 31, 2010
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    The script was different on Saturday night but the denouement was tragically the same for Toronto.

    On Armed Forces tribute night, the Leafs built a 3-0 lead after twenty minutes but watched it melt in a horrifying 5-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks.

    Daniel Sedin got the winner with 2:02 remaining in the third when he went to the net and tipped in a Henrik Sedin pass between the arm and body of Vesa Toskala. Daniel Sedin had two goals on the night.

    In the third period, Alex Burrows and the Sedin brothers dominated play, combining for three goals and four assists.
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  • Hockey

    Leafs rally but fall short in the end

    Gordon Anderson

    Posted by Gordon Anderson at 11:41 pm on January 29, 2010
    comments 1 Comment

    Toronto displayed some moxie in this one but it made no difference in the end.

    After the Leafs rallied from a two-goal deficit, Travis Zajac buried the power play winner at 4:14 of overtime as the New Jersey Devils won 5-4 at the Prudential Center on Friday night.

    22 seconds after Luke Schenn took a hooking penalty, Zach Parise fed Zajac who blasted a one-timer through the legs of Vesa Toskala.
    (More …)

     
  • Hockey

    Even Lanny and the ‘Tiger’ can’t stop the losing streak

    Gordon Anderson

    Posted by Gordon Anderson at 1:32 pm on January 27, 2010
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    The Toronto Maple Leafs have made several attempts to reminisce on past glory but the aimlessness that is the present-day Leafs, is something worth forgetting.

    With fan favourites Lanny McDonald, Dave ‘Tiger’ Williams and Norman Ullman on hand for a love in and ceremonial face off, Toronto lost its fourth consecutive in a 5-3 setback against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night.

    The winning goal came at 12:37 of a three-goal second period for the Kings when Dustin Brown took the puck off Wayne Primeau and centred it to Jarret Stoll who beat Jonas Gustavsson with a backhand. (More …)

     
  • Hockey

    Kessel’s first goal of the year gives Toronto a much needed win

    Gordon Anderson

    Posted by Gordon Anderson at 1:02 am on January 19, 2010
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    Phil Kessel broke a eight game scoring drought and Jonas Gustavsson stopped 28 shots as the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Nashville Predators 4-3 on Monday night.

    After blowing a 3-0 lead, Kessel bailed the Leafs out with the winner at 14:12 of the third period when his wrist shot went through the legs of a screened Dan Ellis. (More …)