Before the season started, many pundits and experts, when talking about the Leafs, were asking the same question, “Outside of Phil Kessel, who’s going to score?” In the preseason, that answer was Nikolai Kulemin. At the start of the regular season, that answer was Clarke MacArthur. Now, we find ourselves asking that question again.
The Leafs have scored just 7 goals in their last 6 games, including a goal that shouldn’t have counted. They have not scored a goal in over 122 minutes of hockey, being shut out 2-0 by both the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers last week. Kessel, with 7 goals, leads the team, while MacArthur is not far behind with 6. Their 13 goals make up 56% of the Leafs 23 goal total after 10 games.
Tim Brent and Colton Orr are tied for third with 2 goals each. Armstrong, Versteeg, Kulemin, Beauchemin, Komisarek and Bozak have one each. The power play is a woeful 12%, and players like Mikhail Grabovski and Kris Versteeg seem snakebitten. However, not all is lost this early on in the season.
Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas has been an absolute machine this year. After shutting out the Leafs, he stoned the Senators in a 4-0 Bruins win. Back to back games against the high-powered Washington Capitals saw Thomas allow just one goal against in each game. He’s 6-0-0 on the year with a sub 1.00 GAA. The Rangers are also off to a good start defensively, with Henrik Lundqvist playing a strong game, and the Rangers went into suffocation hockey mode after losing their top offensive stars. These two teams are tough to score on for any team in the league, not just the Leafs.
This week will be a solid test for the boys in blue, starting tonight as they host the Ottawa Senators. The Leafs pasted the Senators with a 5-1 beating the last time they met, and the Sens defensive struggles have been well documented this year. Something will have to give between these two, and it almost always results in an entertaining tilt.
On the defensive side, the Leafs have some positives. At 2.30 goals against per game, the Leafs are the seventh best defensive team in the league, and the difference between 7th and 3rd is a lousy 0.03. Both Giguere and Gustavsson have had solid performances, and the Leafs have done a good job limiting opposition shots. Wednesday’s nights road game against the Washington Capitals will give us a good idea of what this defensive unit is really capable of.
And, to wrap up the week, the woeful Leafs power play gets its shot against one of the league’s worst penalty killing units in the Buffalo Sabres. All three games spotlight various strengths and weaknesses of this Leafs club, and it will be a good early season evaluation of the group, as Burke and Wilson will have some benchmarks to measure against. If the team can score when it’s supposed to, against weak defensive teams like Ottawa and Buffalo, and if it can keep the high powered Capitals offense off the scoresheet, or at least minimize the damage, these are things the club can build on.
A 2-1 record through these next three games would put the Leafs at 7-5-1 and solidify their chances in a tight Eastern Conference group. Victories over their division rivals will be particularly important. While no one should be expecting any measures to ‘fix’ the club’s problems at this point, a poor performance by the Buds this week could force GM Brian Burke’s hand, as he knows that his team will need to maintain a consistent offensive presence to remain competitive.
Nazem Kadri’s play has been admirable with the Marlies, but it’s just too early to justify a call up at this stage. The Marlies have struggled offensively as well and are off to a losing start as so many new players (the Marlies boast 12 new players that weren’t with the club last season) joined the fold; it will take time for these players to develop any chemistry. Still, the quickest and easiest solution is to insert the offensively creative Kadri into the lineup for a few games to see how he responds.
This is a big week in Leaf Nation, one that could very well determine our course going forward. At the very least, I hope the Leafs can stay Brian Burke’s hand just a little longer, as Burke will need time and patience to maximize the return on any deal he wants to make.
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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 looks like something gave all right….
No kidding. It’s great to see too. Maybe we can actually ahve some competition in the Adams (NorthEast? Please) division outside of who wants to finish last.
Yep, it was a big week for them and they collapsed. Showed some fight against Washington but the other two games were disappointments. Burke is going to have to make a move at this point.