Reimer stellar in 4-1 Toronto win over Pittsburgh

It was a playoff-style effort from the homeside, for with Crosby and Malkin in town, the Carlyle mantra found willing ears. The Davids (Clarkson leading with grit, Bolland with two goals) were fearless, Phaneuf was stalwart, Reimer was super-sharp (he's 3-0 on the season), and the talent (Kessel, Kadri) came through with some goals. If you switched goaltenders, the game may have gone into overtime, but you don't get to do that, so the Maple Leafs are enjoying the rare pleasure of having two of the top twenty young goalies in the world.

James Reimer and Jonathan Bernier among NHL's top young goalies

Pekka Rinne is 31 next week, Luongo's 34, Brodeur's 41, Niemi is 29, Lundqvist is 31, Ryan Miller's 33, Cam Ward and Jimmy Howard are 29 ... that list can go a lot longer. The next generation includes:

Sergei Bobrovsky 25
Jonathan Bernier 25

Carey Price 26
Tukka Rask 26
Ondrej Pavaelec 26
James Reimer 26

Jonathan Quick 27
Cory Schneider 27

This is just a small sampling, yet it gives you an idea of who are the peers of Reimer and Bernier. A lot of the big names in the league will fade over the next few seasons, as the goalies in their mid-20s now will approach 30 and begin to dominate the crucial games, when a netminder has the best combination of athletic ability and big league experience.

The quality in the crease has allowed the Maple Leafs to win ugly more than a few times already this season, and surely lets Carlyle and Nonis sleep easier at night. A goaltending "controversy" of this sort is a problem most times would desire to be blessed with.