Tonight, the Toronto Maple Leafs visit the brand new Consol Energy Center to take on Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins in what should prove to be the club’s first major test of the new season. After holding on to claim victory in the season opener against a shorthanded Montreal Canadiens squad, and following up that performance by walking all over a listless Ottawa Senators team in a 5-1 romp that wasn’t even really that close, the new defense corps will get its first taste of one of the league’s higher octane offensive units in Pittsburgh.
The 2-0 Leafs haven’t won their first two games in a season since 1999. Last year, it took them 14 games to reach 2 wins, with a 3-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on November 6th. While expectations still need to be tempered with this relatively inexperienced group, the club is showing early signs of promise and has given us a preview of what a Brian Burke team looks like.
They have been aggressive on the penalty kill, forcing turnovers and reducing shots, and as a result they are a perfect 7 for 7 on the season so far. They are hard-hitting and tough to play against. Confidence in their goaltending seems to have gone a long way to allow for the defenders to be more aggressive in joining the rush, with Tomas Kaberle being particularly effective with his outlet passes so far this year. The goaltending of J-S Giguere has been solid, preserving the lead late in the Montreal game and allowing but one goal against an offensively gifted Senators team.
Having said that, there are still things they need to work on. While proving to be dangerous, the power play has only cashed in once, on a 5 on 3, in 9 opportunities so far. Kaberle has shown a willingness to shoot more, but the point shots need to be more accurate in order to be effective. They don’t have a big body down low unless they remove Dion Phaneuf from the point and everyone seems to want to deliver the puck to a trigger man like Phil Kessel or Phaneuf, even if the play isn’t there.
Some players, like Carl Gunnarsson and Mike Komisarek, still need to find their legs. Jonas Gustavsson, who didn’t really impress in the pre-season, will get his first NHL start tonight, and Brett Lebda gets into his first game as a Leaf, replacing Gunnarsson on the third defense pairing. Following the old adage that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, Wilson will go with the same forward lines that have found success in the previous two games.
Can the new look Leafs rise to the occasion against a Pittsburgh team that has stumbled out of the gate, losing their first two at home before getting a win against a short-staffed New Jersey Devils squad? The Penguins will be without Jordan Staal, but they still boast two of the most dangerous offensive talents in the league with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. The addition of Paul Martin on the back end to the talents of Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski mean the Penguins will have a solid transition game and it will be up to the Leafs to cut off the passing lanes.
The overall team speed of the Penguins forward group will mean that the Leafs forwards will have to be dedicated to the back check and be very careful about giving up odd-man rushes. Gustavsson’s tendency of giving up rebounds will be put on display tonight, and it’ll be up to the defenders to make sure they don’t end up in the back of the net. The perfect penalty killing will need to show the same tenacity as it has in the first two games as the Leafs will be forced into taking more penalties.
I’m sure both Wilson and Burke have had this date circled on their calendar for a long time. You can only get better by playing the best, and you can only see what your team is made of when you put them up against the elite. In the post-lockout era, it doesn’t get much more elite than the Pittsburgh Penguins. So be sure to tune in to tonight’s game Leafs fans, as it’s going to be a benchmark by which we can measure this new look club.
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Born and raised in Northern Ontario but currently living in Toronto, Tyler wouldn't have it any other way. Home to his two favourite sports teams, Tyler revels in the day to day sports experience that is Toronto. 
Well I guess Leaf fans now have to ask “Who is the next test?”
With the way things are going, you’d wonder if there is anyone else. Toronto had two games with teams that had no offense to speak of, but Pittsburgh….ya….not so much.
It wasn’t the Penquins that’s for sure. Especially Fluery. Seems this whole team cant’ wait to get on the road, because they sure seemed to be almsot cursed at home.
So no talk of a parade this year?
Surprisingly not. You would think the zealots of Leaf Nation would already have Yonge Street blocked off for late June, but there’s hardly been a peep about that tired old joke.
Well when you get Sens fans proclaiming the same thing with their first win, it’s proof that joke is well past its’ expiry date.