Toronto Maple Leafs hope to stay undefeated against New York Islanders
There are currently only two undefeated teams left in the National Hockey League, and the Toronto Maple Leafs are one of them. The Leafs’ start to the 2009-10 season has surprised many,
as the hockey experts have picked them to finish near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings once again.
The Leafs have silenced many of the naysayers with a string of four consecutive games to start the season. Key elements like solid goaltending, a great defence, and an unlikely scoring
hero in winger Clarke MacArthur have all factored into the Leafs’ early successes. MacArthur has been a big surprise in Toronto, scoring in each of the Maple Leafs’ first four games, setting a franchise record in the process.
Jean-Sebastien Giguere has been stellar in the Leafs’ net, winning all three of his starts. He brings with him minuscule goals-against average of 1.98, which is good for fifth place among
goalies that have started at least three games.
The Leafs’ defence has been amazing as well, as they have only given up nine goals thus far. Veteran Tomas Vokoun leads the charge on defence, along with rising stars Luke Schenn, Mike
Komisarek, and newly-named captain Dion Phaneuf. The Leafs have also made a minor change to their defence, with Brett Lebda starting over Carl Gunnarsson, who has been struggling as of late.
In addition, the Leafs have also been strong on their penalty kill, and players who struggled last season are now producing, much to the delight of head coach Ron Wilson. Wilson employs
a style that most refer to as “old-school”, although he has introduced technological innovations like an on-bench tablet computer, which he and the coaching staff use regularly to plan and execute play strategies.
The Islanders have also had a decent start to the new season, earning at least one point in four out of their first five games. Despite that, however, the Islanders have lost some of their
key players early on due to injuries. Forward Kyle Okposo and defenceman Mark Streit are both out, as are wingers Blake Comeau and Trent Hunter. Comeau suffered an injury after being knocked to the ice by a Kris Letang hit during a recent game against the
Pittsburgh Penguins, while Hunter is currently nursing a foot injury.
However, the Isles did receive some good news when sniper John Tavares returned to the line-up after having suffered a mild concussion in a game against the Dallas Stars on 10 October,
2010. Tavares scored a goal in his first game back after missing three games.
“I felt pretty good,” Tavares said of his return to action. “My legs felt good, and my conditioning and timing were pretty good. (I also) Made some plays. I felt all the ice was pretty
responsible. The more games you play the better you feel, so I’m excited for the next one.”
Last season, the Islanders won three of their four meetings with Toronto, but lost by a score of 3-2 in their fourth game against the Maple Leafs on 9 December, 2009. The visiting Isles
hope to put an end to Leafs’ impressive winning streak at all costs.
Goaltender Rick DiPietro will don pink pads in this game to support breast cancer awareness, and the Islanders will certainly be in the pink if they win tonight. The game is slated to
start at 19:00 from the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.
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