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kphockeyblog-blog · 13 years ago

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Blue Note Preview: Toronto Maple Leafs

I JUST HAD STEEEECKS!!!

You might think I'm crazy by saying this but at one point in this short season, The Toronto Maple Leafs were FIRST in the league. Yes, seriously. Toronto is buzzing (and I'm not even talking about the new Drake album). The Leafs haven't reached the postseason since 2004 but came just shy of making it in last season. So what happend?

The Leafs (9-5-1) are an extremely young and talented club (the oldest player being Tim Connolly at 30) and are already the division leaders. The Northeast Divison, that is that consists of defending Stanley Cup Champs Boston, Buffalo, Ottawa and Montreal. While Boston and Montreal are in a little bit of a slump, Buffalo and Ottawa have safley secured a spot in the top 10 in the Eastern Conference along with Toronto.

F Phil Kessel is not just leading the Leafs in points and goals, but also the league with 11G and 11A. Even though Kessel is pointing up the points, the Leafs have struggled in net for the past two games with G Jonas Gustavsson and Ben Scrivens. Scrivens started Saturday in the 7-0 loss to Boston at the AirCan while Gustavsson started in Tuesday's 5-1 loss against Florida. Head Coach Ron Wilson has not mentioned who would be in net for Thursday's game and did make a comment about his goalies. “It’s up to them to work on this,” Wilson said. “It’s tough when you don’t give up a scoring chance and the puck still ends up in your net.” Another question that pops up is "What about James Reimer?" You know, "Optimus Reim", "Reim Time", "Reim and Punnishment", etc. Unfortunately, Reimer is on the injured reserve and there hasn't been much word on when his return might be.

Recently aquired F Tim Connolly is also on the injured reserve for about a week with an upper body injury, making room for former Fighting Sioux and Hobey Baker Award runner-up F Matt Frattin. Frattin is just a down right fun player to watch. Take a look right here. Frattin scored his first NHL goal in a shootout in the October 19 4-3 SO win vs. Winnipeg. Oh, and did I mention it was the game winner? He has a bright future ahead of him and I see a lot in Frattin but believe he can progress with with Toronto's AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies.

As for the Notes, G Brian Elliot might get the start but there is not certainty until tomorrow. Blues are coming off an amazing performance at Scottrade as they shutout Chicago in a 3-0 victory. G Jaroslav Halak stopped all 29 shots on a night where he and the Blues honored former Blue Notes Pavol Demitra and Igor Koralev in a pregame special ceremony. The most impressive player of the night had to have been D Ryan Reeves with his massive hit on Chicago's F Patrick Kane and then getting solid jabs in a scruffle with F Danny Carcillo. The Blues now improve to 7-7-0 on the season.

It was a great win for the Notes as they honored two fallen teammates in September's Lokomotiv tragedy that killed everyone onboard. Hawks Head Coach Joel Quenneville shared his thoughts about Pavol Demitra. "Great guy. I loved Pav, loved coaching him," Quenneville said. "He was one of those guys that we had a good rapport, a good relationship. I knew all the signs of how we communicated without having to say anything. He'd sit on the bench and look back when he wanted to get back out there and I'd put him out there. He wanted to make a difference in the game. I like guys that love to score and he was a competitive guy, a great player."

Not to mention it was also a fresh start as new head coach Ken Hitchcock made his debut. Hitchcock was named the head coach Sunday night after former head coach Davis Payne was released by the club. During Monday's press conference, Hitchcock addressed all the weaknesses the Blues are encountering and trying to build this club back up from the ground. You can view the full press conference right here. After the game, he shared his thoughts on his first game as the Notes coach.

"It was a playoff game," he said. "That's what it felt like. I think both teams went at each about as hard as you can go. Chicago is a heck of a hockey club, obviously, and they played with a lot of passion right to the end, and we did the same. I think far and away the weakest player was me." Even though it has only been one game, I believe Hitchcock does have a lot to offer here in St. Louis. He has the leadership with F Jamie Lagenbrunner and the experience with GM Doug Armstrong, I believe the Notes may have found their man...for now.

#StLouisBlues #torontomapleleafs #PhilKessel #nhl #KenHitchcock #JamesReimer

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