Leafs drive alive; East race tightens as 5 points separate 7th from 10th

Lupul scores two to tie game; Kadri score shootout winner

The Maple Leafs continue to improve and after beating the Boston Bruins 4-3 tonight, now find themselves 5 points back of 7th place, with the Buds and the strangers each having 4 games left, while Buffalo and Carolina have five apiece.

Ideally the Leafs would win their 4 games, with Buffalo and New York wining only one each, and Carolina winning no more than 2. That would put the Leafs into 7th place, so there a much wider range of scenarios that would put them into 8th. Odds are slim, yet that doesn't mean it ain't whole lotta fun.

NHL East Division Stanley Cup Playoffs Race

7 BUFFALO NE 77 39 29 9 87
8 NY RANGERS ATL 78 41 32 5 87
9 CAROLINA SE 77 37 30 10 84
10 TORONTO NE 78 36 32 10 82




The NHL West features 7 teams battling for the final 5 playoff spots. You may think Phoenix is home and cooled out, however if Dallas were to win their 3 games in hand, they'd be just 2 points back, with 4 games to go. This one is gonna be crazy during the final week of the NHL's 2010-2011 regular season schedule.

NHL West Division Stanley Cup Playoffs Race

4 PHOENIX PAC 78 42 25 11 95
5 LOS ANGELES PAC 76 44 26 6 94
6 ANAHEIM PAC 77 44 28 5 93
7 NASHVILLE CEN 77 41 26 10 92
8 CHICAGO CEN 76 41 27 8 90
9 DALLAS PAC 75 38 26 11 87
10 CALGARY NW 78 38 29 11 87

Great new blooger views, Leafs hockey and Harness horse racing

Google is now offering these amazing new views of blog content and I think this is a big step forward in the blog publishing world! Check 'em out:

Toronto Maple Leafs plus Horse Racing blog, flipcard view

Standardbred Racing plus maple Leafs fans, mosaic view

2011-2012 Toronto Maple Leafs, snapshot view

Harness Racing and Maple Leafs news - Timeslide view

Pacers, Trotters and Toronto maple Leafs - Sidebar view


How to use Blogger's Dynamic Views for Readers tutorial

$750,000 Pick 6 carryover at Gulfstream TODAY

There is a Rainbow Pick 6 carryover this afternoon at Gulfstream Park in Florida for $749,637, starting with race 4 today, Thursday, March 31, 2011.

As USA tracks also pay out a generous 5 of 6 wager when the big pot is won, Pick 6 carryovers represent one of the best bets available in horse racing.

Have some fun with it; maybe get 3 or 4 guys together and go in on a bigger ticket.

PEI Power: Leafs should go for Island Trifecta; Richards, Boyce, Phaneuf

Re-signing MacArthur and Boyce is Job One

Regardless of the fact that the Leafs are likely to miss the playoffs, even after tonight's sweet win over the Sabres, the team now has a solid foundation of young players that is competitive with any squad in the NHL. I like our defence as it is, and am confident that Brian Burke will make a bid for a RFA or UFA to bolster the blueliners further.

The goaltending begins with James Reimer however there is way too much uncertainty after him, so it'll probably be best for Gustavsson to get a fresh start again, somewhere else. Let's shoot for the moon and go for Ilya Bryzgalov.


PEI native Richards may want to join Boyce, Phaneuf

Dion Phaneuf's mom and grandparents are from Prince Edward Island and even before Summerside's Darryl Boyce joined the Maple Leafs, the Buds were and have for a long time been big fan favourites on the Island. People remember Rick Vaive, Errol Thompson, the MacMillan brothers Billy and Bobby, Forbes Kennedy and more. I wouldn't be surprised if at least 80% of PEI's hockey fans cheer for the Leafs, so the idea of Brad Richards joing Boyce and Phaneuf for some PEI POWER is certainly feasible.

In addition, Richards will be looking for a young, fast squad that can be competitive now and for years, extending his own career. I also believe he will only be considering teams that can give him the number one center role, and the Toronto Maple Leafs can offer that and more.



Possible 2011-2012 Toronto Maple Leafs lineup

(Players in bold are free agents that need to be signed by Burke)

Goaltending

Bryzgalov, Reimer


Defence

Phaneuf
Schenn
Aulie
Gunnarsson
Komisarek
Lashoff
Gardiner
???


Forwards

Leino Richards Kessel
Kulemin Grabovski MacArthur
Boyce Kadri Armstrong
Lupul Bozak Colborne

13th Forward: Joey Crabb


It's time for BIG NINE up front, BIG SIX on D

This 22 player (23 with the mystery D included, think Phoenix) lineup would require the Leafs GM to land 5 free agents, including 2 of his own. Burke needs to re-sign both MacArthur and Boyce, plus land external free agents Brad Richards, Ilya Bryzgalov and Ville Leino (or perhaps Scottie Upshall). Players such as Mike Brown, Jay Rosehill, and especially Tyler Brenner should be given the opportunity to compete for jobs, however the team needs to get better and think bigger. For example let's start envisioning a BIG NINE of forwards rather than stopping at two lines, as NHL playoff success requires rolling three mega-skilled lines over the boards, with a fourth line of pluggers and role players.

PEI Power may be just the engine to push the Leafs into the playoffs and the fight for Lord Stanley's Cup.

SUN 27MAR Carryovers: Santa Anita 101k, Gulfstream 651k

There are two large carryovers for Sunday, March 27th:

Gulfstream has a carryover for their Rainbow Pick 6 worth $651,672. The Gulfstream Rainbow Pick 6 starts in Race 6.

Santa Anita has a Pick 6 carryover worth $101,743. The Santa Anita Pick 6 starts in Race 4.

Other horse racing carryovers available today include:

Fair Grounds Pick 6 Sunday, Mar 27, 2011 $24,461.32

Tampa Bay Downs Pick 6 Sunday, Mar 27, 2011 $1,973.21

Tampa Bay Downs Super High 5 Sunday, Mar 27, 2011 $7,760.28

3 Top 2011 NHL Free Agents that can help Leafs win the Stanley Cup within two years

Maple Leafs may look at Richards, Leino, Upshall ... and Bryzgalov

Brad Richards - He'll be 31 on May 2nd yet Richards remains at the top of his game, one of the world's premier centres. Burke wants to win now and Richards has two to three more years as a number one centre and a few more after that as 2nd line centre and a role payer, so a four or five year deal for 30 or 35 mil is not out of the question.


Ville Leino - Playoff hero for Philly last Spring when he scored 21 points in 19 playoff games, his 49 points so far this year come with some impressive kickers, such as Plus 14 (47th in league), and 15.5% shooting percentage (56th in league), with his 32 assists putting him 61st in the NHL. The Flyers will likely go 8 or 9 mil for three years if they can afford it, so the Leafs or another bidder may have to go 10 mil for 3 years of 15 mil for 4. This would put him in the range of Kulemin, Grabovski and MacArthur, and just under Kessel, so he could be a good signing.


Scottie Upshall - His 20 goals rank him 75th in the NHL right now, and as a physical 27 year old, fits the Leafs style. Could be crucial to get someone like Scottie if MacArthur decides to bolt, though it seems likely he will stay.



Brian Burke can afford to sign all three, which would make the 2011-2012 training camp the most exciting in a decade.



Goaltending - The Leafs need to sign Giguere or another proven NHL goalie to be a backup / challenger to Reimer, then trade Gustavsson to a team that will give him a fair, fresh chance, possibly getting a goalie who has worn out his welcome in another town in return. With Reimer being a young number one and there being no clear number two, we need to go into camp with at least three proven NHL goaltenders, unless Burke manages to also sign free agent goalie Ilya Bryzgalov.

Bryzgalov and Reimer...

Leafs fall 7 points out of 8th, 9 back of 6th

Toronto Maple Leafs have solid youth core

If there's any silver lining in tonight's 4-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings, it may be that Toronto can hope for slumps by 3 different teams. The Buds are just nine points back of the 6th place tie (Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers), so if any of Buffalo, Montreal or New York hit the skids, Toronto or Carolina could sneak in.

The beauty of this run is that it has been fueled by young players such as James Reimer, Luke Schenn, Carl Gunnarson, Phil Kessel, and now Nazem Kadri is also up with the big team and contributing. The line of MacArthur, Kulemin and Grabovski has been superb all season and every effort should be made to re-sign Clarke this summer.

Eveb if Toronto were to win all seven of its remaining games, they'd need Buffalo to lose 4 of 7 or Montreal to lose 5 of 7, or New York to lose 4 of 6. Here's how they stand now, 10pm March 26th, 2011:


EASTERN DIV GP W L OT PTS

6 MONTREAL NE 75 40 28 7 87

7 NY RANGERS ATL 76 41 30 5 87

8 BUFFALO NE 75 38 28 9 85

9 CAROLINA SE 75 35 30 10 80

10 TORONTO NE 75 34 31 10 78


Second-youngest team in NHL, Leafs may soon be looking to 2011-2012

With just seven games to go, the Buds are not out of it mathematically, but if they lose to the Sabres next week, it will be over psychologically. Even if the run is over, it's been awesome and we now have a solid young core to build on. Bring in a Brad Richards, another winger or two and a 2nd goalie whose last name is not Gustavsson and you'll be looking at a 100 point season.



The West will shake out further in a few hours, however it remains one of the closest playoff races in NHL history, with 4th place and 10th place separated by just 8 points:

4 PHOENIX PAC 76 41 24 11 93
5 LOS ANGELES PAC 75 43 26 6 92
6 NASHVILLE CEN 75 40 25 10 90
7 CHICAGO CEN 73 40 25 8 88
8 ANAHEIM PAC 74 41 28 5 87

9 DALLAS PAC 73 38 25 10 86
10 CALGARY NW 76 37 28 11 85

Five on the Farm – Toronto Marlies top prospects

Leafs prospect Tyler Brenner scored 2 goals in first game with Marlies, March 23, 2011

As the Toronto Maple Leafs are the second-youngest team in the NHL at just over 24 years average age, one would think the youth movement would be nearing completion and that the farm system would be depleted of high quality prospects. That is definitely not the case with the Leafs, as the Toronto Marlies are on a solid run of their own and they're doing it with a bunch of future NHLer's contributing night after night..

Toronto Maple Leafs' Prospects and Picks

Five Marlies with BIG potential

Jake Gardiner, 20






Tyler Brenner, 22 (23 on April 5th)





Joe Colborne, 21





Simon Gysbers, 23





Christian Hanson, 25






More young hockey players in the Leafs' farm system to watch: Ryan Hamilton (25), Fabian Brunstrom (26), BenScrivens (24) and Jussi Rynnas (23)


Upcoming NHL Draft Picks:

2011 Boston 1st rounder
2011 Philadelphia 1st rounder

Leafs news: King James wins game, blanks Wild

Buds keep pace with Canes, Buffalo

Rookie goalie James "Optimus Reim" Reimer rewarded his parents' seven-hour drive from Manitoba with a shutout victory in Minnesota. Joffrey Lupul, Mikhail Grabovski and yes Carl Gunnarsson all picked top corners for their picturesque goals.

Grabovski played a solid game but it's truly puzzling that he was Number One Star, as Reimer stopped three breakaways and another 6 or 7 wide open chances among his 29 saves. In any case, we got the victory and Lupul scoring 99 seconds into the game may help him continue to gain confidence as he returns to full speed.

Go Leafs Go!

Maple Leafs GM likes to get something for nothing

Tyler Brenner, photo by Josh Barber

Leafs' News: Burke's free agents and undrafted players

Toronto Maple Leafs General manager Brian Burke loves to get quality players, what he terms “assets”, through signing NHL free agents and undrafted NCAA college hockey players. From the day two and a half years ago when Burke took over the Buds – November 29, 2008 – only 3 Leafs remain with the big club: Grabovski, Kulemin and Schenn, while Jeff Finger is still with the system, playing for the Marlies. If you could keep 3 players from that roster, who would your 3 be? Burke and Co kept the diamonds in the rough...

Colton Orr, Mike Komisarek, Francois Beauchemin, Jonas Gustavsson, Clarke MacArthur, Brett Lebda, Colby Armstrong and a few others were all signed by Burke as free agents, and the Leafs were able to lock them in on 2 to 4 year deals. Armstrong is currently signed to a three-year, $9 million deal, while Orr is on a four-year, $4 million contract; both very reasonable. Komisarek is pricey as he's signed to a five-year, $22.5 million contract and Gustavsson has a two-year, $2.7 million deal which is just about right. The Beauchemin trade to Anaheim has already brought us Joffrey Lupul, and D-man Jake Gardiner should get time with the big club next season.

Undrafted college players signed by Burke include Tyler Bozak, Christian Hanson and this week, Rochester player Tyler Brenner. Even NCAA hockey players that don't make the big club can be helpful, as they can be chess pieces used to acquire players needed, by utilizing 2-for-1 and 3-for-1 type trades.

Here's another example of turning something minimal into something with promise. In June of 2010 the Leafs traded Viktor Stalberg, Chris DiDomenico and Philippe Paradis to Chicago for Kris Versteeg and the rights to to Bill Sweatt. In February 2011 Versteeg was moved to Philadelphia for a 1st round and a 3rd round draft pick. The leafs were unable to sign Sweatt (Vancouver prospect now) but it will be interesting to see who the 1st round draft pick brings to Toronto.

Getting a couple solid draft picks for renting out Tomas Kaberle for a few months was also a heist, and if Boston Bruins make the Stanley Cup finals, we'll get a 2nd rounder to boot!



Maple Leafs versus Minnesota Wild; Last Man Standing

Still, tonight's game against the Minnesota Wild is do-or-die for both teams, so something's gotta give. After this shinny in Minny, one team will be shining their golf clubs readying for an early Spring, while the other will be sharpening their skates for a final Stanley Cup playoffs push

Maple Leafs benefit from being sellers at trade deadline

Burke's wizardry continues as new squad starting to gel

In the great fun of this 2011 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs run, few mention how different it is than many of the previous fruitless late run efforts of the past six or seven years. The Maple Leafs were major sellers at the NHL trade deadline, showing faith in the farm and building a stronger Leafs system from top to bottom. After pulling off the Phaneuf / Aulie deal last year, Brian Burke was at it again in 2011, creating room for promotions to the top squad and stuffing the Marlies with players hungry for a shot at the bigs.

What we got:

Joe Colborne, 21 - Young, big, solid, steady centre

Jake Gardiner, 20- Young, skilled Team USA junior / US college defender has now signed 3 year deal with Leafs, already playing with Marlies

Joffrey Lupul, 27 - Injury reclamation project with upside

Aaron Voros, 29 - Big strong forward came from Anaheim for 7th rounder, while Mitchell went to NYR for 7th rounder, so consider it Mitchell for Voros and let's see

Boston Bruins' 1st round draft pick in 2011 NHL Entry Draft

Philadelphia Flyers' 1st round draft pick in 2011 NHL Entry Draft

Philadelphia Flyers' 3rd round draft pick in 2011 NHL Entry Draft

New York Rangers' 2012 7th round pick


What we may get:

2012 2nd round pick from Boston, should they make Stanley Cup finals, or re-sign Tomas Kaberle.


What we gave up:

2 to 3 months of Tomas Kaberle, 33

Francois Beachemin, 30

Kris Versteeg, 24

John Mitchell, 26

2011 7th round pick


Fuckin' brilliant!

Young, deep Leafs pound Bruins 5-2 to stay in Cup hunt

Kadri scores first, Crabb picks up 3 points in key win

The Toronto Maple Leafs got goals from five different youngsters including Nazem Kadri's first NHL marker, as the Buds dropped the Boston Bruins 5 to 2 and kept their Stanley Cup dreams alive.

As a way to illustrate the depth of this young, fast Leafs team, here are the ages of tonight's 5 goalscorers:

Schenn 21

Kadri 20

Crabb 27

Brown 25

Aulie 21


Here's the scoresheet:

1st Period

09:44 TOR Luke Schenn (4) Wrist Shot - Assists: J. Crabb (9)

11:46 BOS Adam McQuaid (2) Tip-In - Assists: none

12:26 TOR Nazem Kadri (1) Snap Shot - Assists: J. Crabb (10) & C. Gunnarsson (11)

2nd Period

07:49 TOR Joey Crabb (3) Snap Shot - Assists: D. Boyce (8) & N. Kadri (7)

08:18 TOR Mike Brown (3) Snap Shot - Assists: T. Brent (12) & B. Lebda (3)

17:23 TOR Keith Aulie (2) Wrist Shot - Assists: T. Bozak (15) & P. Kessel (26)

3rd Period

19:40 BOS Daniel Paille (3) Snap Shot - Assists: S. Thornton (9) & G. Campbell (13)

GOALIE STATS

GoalieTotalSv%TOI

BOS › 30 - T. Thomas18 - 22.000 48:18BOS › 40 - T. Rask6 - 7.000 11:42

TOR › 34 - J. Reimer35 - 37.000 59:51

SHOTS ON GOAL

1st 2nd 3rd Tot

BOS › 11 15 11 37
TOR › 9 12 8 29


Go Leafs Go!!!

Maple Leafs call up defenceman Matt Lashoff for playoff run

AHL Marlies' Lashoff a key defender in team's success

According to an article written by Lance Hornsby and posted to the Toronto Sun website at 2.08pm this aft March 14, 2011:

The Maple Leafs are adding some blueline insurance as their playoff run hits the critical stage.

Defenceman Matt Lashoff, a key performer for the Marlies in their second-half success, was expected to clear recallable waivers at noon Tuesday, in time for the back-to-back road games in Carolina and Florida. Since trading Tomas Kaberle, and before him, Francois Beauchemin, the Leafs had been relying on Brett Lebda and Mike Komisarek as their fifth and sixth defencemen. But they don’t want to be caught short-handed on the road as the games pile up and injuries become more of a risk.

Lashoff could stay the balance of the Leafs’ 13 games, as he represents the second of their four American Hockey League call-ups, permissable while the Marlies are active. But even if claimed before Tuesday, the New York state native can’t be utilized by another club this season as the NHL trade deadline has passed.

Lashoff was acquired from Tampa Bay last summer in a trade for minor leaguers Alex Berry and Stefano Giliati. He had some NHL experience with Boston and Tampa, so it was thought he might crack the Leafs at camp. But the former first rounder of the Bruins from 2005 has put in a season of tutoring under coach Dallas Eakins and has been getting good marks of late.

The 6-foot-2 Lashoff had 28 points in a team-high 69 games and was a plus four, as well as leading the Marlies with 137 penalty minutes.


Toronto Maple Leafs' Matt Lashoff related links:

NHL waiver rules after trade deadline, Mark Lashoff callup

Matt Lashoff wikipedia info page

Matt Lashoff statistics on Hockey DataBase - HockeyDB.com

SportingNews reports on sale of Toronto Maple Leafs

According to SportingNews.com analysis of an article originally published by LaPresse in Montreal, the Ontario Teachers Pension Fund may be about make an announcement regarding sale of their majority ownership position in Maple Leaf sports and Entertainment, owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, the Air Canada Centre and soccer's Toronto FC.

The Teachers’, which owns 66% of MLSE, has reportedly hired the investment bank Morgan Stanley to help in its efforts to offload its shares. A December report by the Financial Post indicated those shares being valued at close to $1-billion, though La Presse‘s findings suggest Teachers’ is looking to sell its stake for $1.3-billion. That figure is nearly identical to the price Rogers Communications was reportedly willing to pay in December, before those sale rumours were squashed.

Rogers already owns the Toronto Blue Jays, their stadium, the Rogers Centre, and the Sportsnet television network.

The remaining MLSE shareholders include Larry Tanenbaum, the group’s chairman, who holds a 20.5% stake, and TD Capital, with a 13.5% stake, both of which hold rights of first refusal. The Financial Post previously reported Tanenbaum as a potential suitor for the ownership group.

Sporting News article on sale of Toronto Maple Leafs

National Post story on Toronto Maple Leafs being sold

Sources: SportingNews.com, NationalPost.com

Pride of PEI Darryl Boyce pots winner for Leafs

King James Reimer sensational, Phaneuf solid

The Toronto Maple Leafs dug deep and came up with another wicked team effort tonight, overcoming Kris Versteeg's 2 goals and defeating the Flyers in Philly 3-2 in regulation time. Summerside, PEI native Darryl Boyce scored the go-ahead goal with 4:30 left in the third period. Leafs Captain Dion Phaneuf had a goal and an assist and Nikolai Kulemin also scored for the Leafs, while rookie goalie Reimer handled 28 shots to earn the crucial victory.

Here's the Scoring Summary:

1st Period

05:49 PHI Kris Versteeg (16) Slap Shot - Assists: M. Richards (34) & C. Pronger (21)

06:10 TOR Nikolai Kulemin (24) Slap Shot - Assists: C. MacArthur (31)


2nd Period

07:07 PHI Kris Versteeg (17) Wrist Shot - Assists: M. Richards (35) & M. Carle (27)

19:49 TOR Dion Phaneuf (4) Wrist Shot - Assists: N. Kulemin (23) & M. Grabovski (24)


3rd Period

15:30 TOR Darryl Boyce (4) Wrap-Around - Assists: C. Armstrong (14) & D. Phaneuf (16)



NHL Eastern Conference Playoff Race

Toronto Maple Leafs now just 3 points back of 8th, 4 points out of 7th

EASTERN DIV GP W L OT PTS

7. CAROLINA SE SE SE 65 31 25 9 71

8. NY RANGERS ATL 66 33 29 4 70

9. BUFFALO NE 63 30 25 8 68

10. TORONTO NE 65 29 27 9 67

11. ATLANTA SE 65 26 28 11 63


The train kept a rollin', all night long.

Bruins 5-0 with Tomas Kaberle in lineup; Leafs also rolling along nicely

Bruins fans recall 1972 win streak powered by Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito and John Bucyk


New Boston Bruins Defenceman Tomas Kaberle


The Boston Bruins have just returned from a 6-0 road trip, their first six game win streak since 1972, the year of Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, Derek Sanderson, Fred Satnfield, John "Pie" McKenzie, Gerry Cheevers, Mike "Shaky" Walton, and their 2nd Stanley Cup. It may be more than coincidence that Tomas Kaberle joined the team on the second game of that Western swing.

I have followed the career of Kaberle since his rookie season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and it is not a stretch to claim that he was the best player on the team, every single season he played, including the rookie year. Perhaps I just saw glimpses of his promise, yet compared to the shoddiness around him, I always found him to be a crisp, clean pro passer, one of the best in the league, and the Boston Bruins are now major beneficiaries of his talents.






My feeling is that with Chara doing a lot of the heavy lifting and getting 20-22 minutes per game, Kaberle at 16 to 18 minutes a game (as he's been getting) will mean that he will be fresh and ready to go for the NHL playoffs, when some long matches may occur. The recent winning streak has been a Bruins team effort, from Rask and Thomas through the defence and up to the scorers, everyone's doing their part.

There may not be an Orr or Esposito among them, but the pieces are falling into place that can make the 2011 squad another team of destiny.


Meanwhile, back in Toronto, the Leafs find themselves just 7 points back of 7th place New York Rangers in the NHL East Conference playoff race.

KING JAMES Reimer ready to rock'n'roll vs Penguins

Rookie Toronto Maple Leafs goaltending sensation James Reimer has been given a clean bill of health and is expected to be in the net tonight versus the Pittsburgh Penguins at the ACC.

Considering that last week's game against Pittsburgh was not the best for Reimer, I'm expecting him to be ultra-sharp tonight, and for the Buds to escape with a win.

Go Leafs Go!!!

NY Rangers lose to Sabres, Carolina wins as race gets tighter

NHL East Conference 7th and 8th Place both up for grabs

With the New York Rangers dropping 3-2 to the Buffalo Sabres tonight, and Carolina winning 2-1 over Florida Panthers, here's how the NHL East playoff race is shaping up:

NHL Eastern Conference, standings as of March 1st, 2011

EASTERN DIV GP W L OT PTS

7. NY RANGERS ATL 65 33 28 4 70

8. CAROLINA SE SE 64 30 25 9 69

9. BUFFALO NE 62 30 25 7 67

10. TORONTO NE 63 27 27 9 63

11. ATLANTA SE 64 26 27 11 63

The Toronto Maple Leafs are now 6 points out of 8th, 7 points back of 7th. With Montreal defeating Atlanta 3-1, the Canadiens have likely made the playoffs, and Atlanta faces an uphill battle as the worst-positioned of the five teams above that are battling for the final two playoff spots in the NHL East Conference.

The Leafs face Penguins Wednesday, followed by Philadelphia and Chicago. It would be very helpful if they can get three points out of these three games, and the deuce may need to come tomorrow night.

Go Buds!