Toronto Maples Leafs off to a perfect start
As things stand, the Toronto Maple Leafs are leading the NHL standings. They have won all three of their regular season games so far. Not those lesser known teams that one could just shrug off. Toronto beat three of the leagues’ elite franchises to open
the 2010-2011 season.
They started off the season handing a 2 goals against 3 defeat to the Montreal Canadiens. It was the kind of game that one wouldn’t expect the Maple Leafs to come out victorious from, at least not last year.
Brian Burke’s new assortment of NHLers has proved to be a different team altogether and the older Leafs are showing improvements. Burke’s overhaul has been so extensive that only six players on the ice had played for Toronto last year.
The Leafs had a goal’s lead in the final period when the Canadiens started to beef up the pressure on Toronto’s net. Jean-Sebastian Giguere pulled through for the Leafs and stopped the Canadiens desperate efforts to score the equalizer with some beautiful
saves. “He made two or three big saves on me there at the end”, Brian Gionta said. “I thought I had it, but he found a way to get his pad on it”.
Toronto ran a tight shift and gave away just 3 penalties against 5 from Toronto and successfully killed off every one of them. The Leafs had been tinkering with the lines to get the feel right during the preseason. They have come a long way since last year
when their special teams just couldn’t have been any worse. Their penalty killing wasn’t a fluke. They would come back against the Ottawa Senators as the same well oiled penalty killing machine that they were against Montreal.
In their second game both sides conceded quite a bit more penalties, 8 on both sides. However, the Leafs didn’t give away a single power play. In fact they hardly let the Senators get on the offensive. Ottawa took 18 shots on goal against 38 from Toronto.
The Leafs defence was in the zone and the offense was scoring goals one after the other. If it wasn’t for a late 3rd period goal from Jason Spezza, the Senators would have been shut out. The one goal against 5 from Toronto still gives testimony
to the strength of the new Maple Leafs. If beating the Canadiens and the Senators does not prove what the Leafs are made of then their 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins certainly should.
The Leafs skated into the Penguins home and came out with a victory. The Leafs scored the first goal of the game in the fifth minute but Pittsburgh came back with two of their own in the first quarter to take the lead.
The first of the two came off a power play, the first power play goal that the Leafs allowed this season. The Leafs were sluggish offensively taking just 14 shots on goal in the whole game but made them count. Pittsburgh wasn’t doing particularly better
either. They two first period goals that they scored came off just 5 shots on goal. In the end Toronto’s 14 shots proved more potent than the Penguins 25 on goal. The Leafs won 4 against 3.
Their penalty killing efficiency is higher than it has been in ages, their offence is in high gear and their defence is making the job easier for their goaltender. The Leafs are looking good. Most though are just waiting for them team to just crumble in
the coming weeks. There isn’t a great deal of confidence in the Leafs ability to keep on this track.
“Everyone keeps bringing up last year”, Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf said. “Well, it doesn't really matter right now. We're focused on this group and this year”.
The 3-0 start for the Leafs is the best they have had in a decade. Burke has been on a rebuilding quest since he took over and maybe finally he has got it somewhat right. Hockey mad Toronto certainly hopes so, they have been aching for a playoff run for
years now. If Burke can give them that, they might just build monuments for him Toronto.
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