SB Nation - Ian White

Will Any Maple Leafs Defencemen Be Heading To Vancouver?

David Danforth — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:30:13 -0000

Sorry Beauch. Don't pack those bags yet...

The other day we looked at Canada's defence to try to figure out who would be sporting the Maple Leaf in Vancouver. But what about the Leafs' defenders? Should any of them start booking their flights to the West Coast? The snap reaction will be to look at the Leafs' current 29th ranking in goals against per game (3.50 - yikes!) and call them all bums. However, some countries just don't have better players. I know, it's weird. Canada might be spoiled. Without further ado, check out after the jump to see if you agree and then share your thoughts in the comments.

Pack Your Bags

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Tomas Kaberle	32	2	29	31	-5	6	1	0	0	0	60	3.3

There's no doubt that Tomas Kaberle will be on the Czech team. He'll be reunited with Pavel Kubina and likely skipper the team despite having no leadership abilities. He is what he is at even strength but where he'll make a real difference for the Czech's entry is on the powerplay. Special teams can make the difference in the tight scoring games that you'll find in the medal rounds.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Mike Komisarek	24	0	1	1	-7	35	0	0	0	0	22	0.0

Brian Burke is the General Manager of the USA's Olympic team. Ron Wilson is the coach of the team. One signed him to a multi-year, multi-million dollar deal that made him the anchor of his NHL defence. The other leans heavily on him on the penalty kill especially. After a rough start, Komisarek has found the balance between physical play and discipline and is back to the game that made him one of Brian Burke's marquee signings this summer. I don't know that I would pick him for the American team but I do think that he'll get picked.

Had A Shot

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Carl Gunnarsson	8	0	4	4	4	4	0	0	0	0	12	0.0

Poor Carl Gunnarsson. He was on Sweden's pre-Olympic roster (although to be be fair, so was Jonas Frogren as well as almost every Swedish defender ever) and he had a strong showing at last Spring's Worlds. Then he started the year off on the Marlies because his waiver eligibility made him the easiest player to demote. Once he finally got a chance he was a revelation. Of course, he's currently out of the lineup with a hyperextended elbow so any chance he had of making the team has been consistently derailed at every turn.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Francois Beauchemin	32	3	11	14	-6	13	3	0	0	0	80	3.8

Francois Beauchemin might have been invited to the summer evaluation camp but then he joined the Maple Leafs. The instant loss of elite goaltending, Hall of Fame teammates, and the increased scrutiny all conspired to make Not Durno's transition to Toronto less than successful at first. Since the rocky start he's improved by leaps and bounds and really found a comfort zone but he needed to be absolutely lights out to even get a sniff.

No Dice

This section could also be re-named "Canadian defencemen" because none of the Canucks on the buds' blueline are going to Vancouver in any capacity other than a cheerleader.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Ian White	32	5	12	17	11	29	1	0	0	0	68	7.4

Ian White might be killing it for the Leafs but his stint at the World Juniors won't count for much. Not to mention that for all of his redeeming qualities "Moustachelence" is probably not high on Steve Yzerman's evaluation rubric.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Luke Schenn	31	0	4	4	0	33	0	0	0	0	35	0.0

Sigh. Not in 2010 and on this pace not in 2014 or 2018 or...He's regressed mightily after a first season which I think was far more impressive that we had any right to expect or most people like to remember. Luke Schenn outscored Tomas Kaberle at even strength last year while also putting up some good Behind The Net numbers(ie better than Drew Doughty).

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Garnet Exelby	17	0	1	1	-4	19	0	0	0	0	4	0.0

HAHAHAHAHA Yeah, I just put this for the sake of being thorough. Also, I wanted to make a request: can people stop pretending that the Kubina and Stapleton for Exelby and Stuart trade was made in isolation? It's the kind of disingenuous thing that we'd rip the MSM for doing.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Jeff Finger	16	2	6	8	-7	5	0	0	0	0	13	15.4

I can't say that I really understand Ron Wilson's handling of Jeff Finger this year. In my mind, you put Finger into the lineup over Garnet Exelby 100 times out of 50 but somehow it's only happened 50% of the time. He wasn't an invite to the orientation camp and he never did anything of note.

Ian White is Moustachulent, Blake Wheeler Should Be Suspended, and Hockey Night in Canada Hates Us

PPP — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:30:13 -0000

Glove tap to Belligerent Burkie for finding the incident in question

This has nothing to with this post other than I love posting Ian White kicking ass
The Man, The Myth, The Moustache

17. Bill McCreary apologized to Ian White for missing Blake Wheeler’s push from behind that sent White hard into boards. White said after the game, "I was lucky." Obviously, you’d love McCreary to see it and call it live, but good on him for manning up.

- Elliotte Friedman, 30 Thoughts

How long r we going to treat refs like they're above the law, above being questioned by the media? It's an outdated concept that needs 2 die

- Jason Whitlock, Twitter

Those two tweets, the latter re-tweeted by yours truly, were enough to sitr me from my blogging slumber. As usual, my muse Godd Till, was on gchat immediately to kick-start the creative process:

Till: AH YES, BECAUSE THE STANDARD OF OFFICIATING WOULD CERTAINLY BE IMPROVED BY SUSTAINED, INTELLIGENT CRITICISM BY THE HOWARD BERGERS OF THE WORLD

PPP: Not from the dumbasses of the world but the refs should have to answer for why they screwed up like with that White hit.

Till: UH HUH. 'REPLAYS SHOW THAT I WAS BLOCKED OUT ON THE PLAY' Remember that? Can't wait for more of that standard of ass-covering. This should be great.

Obviously, the fact that Bill McCreary missed the hit is mind-blowing. I won't beat around the bush, Ian White is bang on: he is very lucky. If he had been hit a half a stride or so sooner he could have woken up Sunday with a halo and paralysed from the waist or neck down. Blake Wheeler laid an absolutely filthy hit and the fact that he isn't suspended and that there was no call on the ice highlights the massive trouble the league faces in trying to cut dirty play out of the game.

The more upsetting part was that Blake Wheeler didn't stand up to Colton Orr when it came time to pay the piper. Normally, non-fighters obviously don't have to fight enforcers but 'The Code' is supposed to keep players from making those kinds of hits because they'll have to fight the Colton Orrs of the world. Instead, we saw Wheeler pull his best Claude Lemieux impression while the Bruins were rewarded with a powerplay. Of course, I don't want Orr to pull a Carcillo but is it to much to ask that Blake Wheeler man up? And if he won't, would it kill the league to dish out some punishment? I guess so.

There was obviously a lot of ugly things in a broadcast that features the Leafs losing 7-2 in Phil Kessel's first trip back to Boston but one we could both agree on was that Mike Milbury's presence was the straw that broke the camel's back. How bad was it? Godd Till actually wrote a post about how it made him realise Pierre McGuire's genius. Put aside the fact that the very idea of having him present his opinions on anything related to the NHL is laughable.

Till: And what the fuck was with having Mike Milbury in the booth? That POS defended Wheeler on that play.

PPP: WASN'T THAT PAINFUL?

Till: Fuck, Hughson and Simpson are bad enough but that addition was so fucking bad.

PPP: Yeah, it was disgusting.

Till: Hmm, let's put a grating loudmouth Bruins homer in the booth.

PPP: Yeah, this is genius. Ok, next we're going to put a West Coaster with an inferiority complex about Toronto.

Till: Check!

PPP: And some twit that didn't want to play in Toronto because he was a pussy.

Till: GREATTTTT IDEA!

PPP: This is going to be awesome
/scribbles HNiC script

Till: THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS ARE PROUD TO SELECT, FROM SASKATOON OF THE WHL, D WENDEL CLARK! FUCK YOU SIMPSON!

PPP: THEN FUCKING BENEDICT CHERRY WEARS A FUCKING BROOONS TIE!

Thanks to a quirk in the schedule the Maple Leafs are back in Boston on Thursday night for a rematch. This is probably a great thing for Phil Kessel in terms of facing a pressure-packed environment. It also lets the Leafs work on the things that killed them on Saturday night: their lack of attention to detail, their lack of offensive desire, and their lack of passion. The one advantage they have is that the Bruins won't be getting shellacked by the Habs Wednesday night because anyone that watched Friday's 100th anniversary game knew what was going to happen:

The Bruins are going to be flying tomorrow night. Freaking bums
- Some Guy On Twitter

God, I hate it when randoms on Twitter are right.

Game 28 Preview: The Rarely-Seen Buds Make the Trek to Ohio

Mike MacLean — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:32:58 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

Browse more photos »

They're getting better! The most recent game against the Blackhawks looked more like Jackets hockey than any other game this season, had they played the way they did during the losing streak, the score would have been ugly-very ugly in favor of the 'Hawks.

For the first time in a few years Toronto comes to town. The Leafs are still in the midst of a "re-tooling" (because if I would have said "rebullding" Ole Ironsides Burke would find a way to get me booted off of the internet) and are without either of their top goaltenders. Vesa Toskala is out with an injury, and Gustavsson will be going under the knife for another heart operation. Speaking of Gustavsson, when will the meda give him a new nickname? The Monster? Come on. Worst nickname for a player in all of sport, especially for a rookie. Joey MacDonald, a fellow Bluenoser, will get the start tonight. Mase is in for the Jackets.

The CBJ will be icing the same lineup as the past few games, although Raffi may miss it because his wife is in the hospital prepping for the delivery of the couple's first child. The Leafs have a tough defensive unit, so it will be interesting how the Jackets forwards can cope with that. I also wonder if Kris Russell can continue his red-hot stretch of play tonight. Here's hoping. Look for a good physical battle tonight folks.

Fearless Prediction: CBJ score at least four goals.

Game Time: 7:00pm ET

Opponent's Blog: Pension Plan Puppets

Game Page: Maple Leafs vs Blue Jackets Coverage

TSN Preview: Maple Leafs vs Blue Jackets Preview

TV: FSN Ohio

Radio: WBNS-AM (1460); WWCD-FM (101.1)

More after the jump...

From the Columbus Dispatch:

Toronto has played in Columbus only three times, most recently Nov. 20, 2006, a 4-2 Leafs win. The Blue Jackets would be wise to ignore the standings. After a horrible start, the Maple Leafs are 4-1-2 in their past seven games, including a 3-0 rout of Montreal on Tuesday. It could be a big special- teams game. Although the Blue Jackets excel on the power play, both teams struggle in killing penalties.

Jackets Links:

Columbus Blue Jackets / Columbus Blue Jackets Schedule

Columbus Blue Jackets Roster / Columbus Blue Jackets Stats

Here are the lineups for tonight's tilt:

Columbus Blue Jackets

Kristian Huselius	Antoine Vermette	Rick Nash
R.J. Umberger	Derick Brassard	Jakub Voracek
Jason Chimera	Samuel Pahlsson	Michael Blunden
Raffi Torres	Derek MacKenzie	Jared Boll

Fedor Tyutin	Anton Stralman
Mike Commodore	Jan Hejda
Kris Russell	Mathieu Roy

Steve Mason

Mathieu Garon

EXTRA: Alexandre Picard

INJURED: Fredrik Modin, Andrew Murray, Derek Dorsett, Rostislav Klesla, Marc Methot

Toronto Maple Leafs

Alexei Ponikarovsky	Matt Stajan	Phil Kessel
Niklas Hagman	Mikhail Grabovski	Christian Hanson
Wayne Primeau	Nikolai Kulemin	Lee Stempniak
Jason Blake	Jamal Mayers	Colton Orr

Mike Komisarek	Tomas Kaberle
Luke Schenn	Ian White
Francois Beauchemin	Jeff Finger

Joey MacDonald

Jonas Gustavsson

My Heart is Crammed in My Cranium...

blurr1974 — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:00:24 -0000

...and it still knows how to pound. It's the Monday after a long weekend and Frank Black is singing a song just for me.

Let's just get to the links.

Steve is wondering what kind of return Niklas Hagman and Ian White could net the Leafs.
On the flip side of that argument, the general takes a look at Garnet Exelby and Jeff Finger to determine who is the less useless.
Down Goes Brown reviews the year that was.
Sometimes I worry about LD...
Leafs Rumination went to a Marlies game. Then it goes downhill.
Toronto Sports Commentary likes the cut of the Leafs jib lately.
Kavel is throwing a party for himself like nobody's business.
MLHS talks about the heavyweight battle that never was.
The Blue and White Beat likes Colton Orr. A lot .
Would Jason Blake be an easier commodity to move had Burke hung on to Dominic Moore? Would the rumored $3M per Moore asked be worth it? Hockey Centric's Leaf blog is wondering the same thing.
Supposedly the Anaheim Ducks are just one of the many teams pursuing Niklas Hagman.

Philthy Phil is In it For the Long Haul

blurr1974 — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:00:18 -0000

Phil Kessel combs the rafters to find a spot for his future honored number banner.

View full size photo »

Ain't that a relief? Say what you will about how he was obtained (actually, I take that back, let's not say) Phil Kessel has been as advertised. There's more to his game than just goals. He backchecks, he hits (I've seen it!), he passes. He competes....

Let's say that together. Ready? 1, 2, 3...

He competes.

Don't that feel good? I know I feel better. In fact, despite however some games have gone, whenever Phil is on the ice, I can't help but smile, completely in awe of his skills. In the coming seasons, as the Leafs round in to form and are competing like the days of old, Phil will still be here, competing.

So, my intrepid Leaf-fan-brethren, take heart. Despite some individuals consternation, the outlook isn't all negative. As a wise man once said:

Playoffs!!!!1

Let's get to the links.

The general reviews the Leafs at the quarter point of the season, in alphabetical order. Starting with "Happy Trails" and ending on "the greatest human being alive today."
Having seen ol' Par-ee, Steve heads down to the farm.
Another episode of "Ask Lee Stempniak" is in the can and ready to roll.
The Other Vatican sees many ways this season can unfold, but only one is really palatable.
Is there an historical equivalent to the Leafs' Ian White? Vintage Leafs Memories seems to think so, and it sounds good to me!
John Tavares had himself a busy day on his visit to the ACC. The View From My Seats breaks it down.
Hockey or Die has a few ideas on how to fix the Leafs. Particularly: score more goals.
Is Christian Hanson going to benefit from all those rebounds Phil Kessel's nasty wrister generates? Leafs Fan Forever seems to think it's possible.
How many Leafs can you name that you do not want on the team? Chansler can name 5, for starters...
Kavel channels his inner LD and writes a slash-fic.
Out of Left Field takes issue with the John Buccigross feature on Brendan Burke (fan shot here yesterday.)

UPDATES

If Bloge Salming doesn't make you laugh, you may be dead.
Norman James lists 10 of his favorite post-lockout Leafs games.
TSM weighs in on the Brendan Burke piece.
Vintage Leafs Memories takes you back to a night when Dave Keon was Dave Keon.
Moustache Fever thinks the Leafs lines are clicking. Losing, but clicking.

Poll

Phil Kessel's wrist shot

Cures cancer

42 votes

Solves world hunger

8 votes

Is good for the environment

50 votes

Brings world peace

40 votes

140 votes | Poll has closed

Ian White Puts His Butt on the Line Every Night...

blurr1974 — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:00:12 -0000

More photos » by Nathan Denette - AP

Mr. First Overall meets Mr. Eighty-Ninth Overall's behind.

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...and looks fantastic in the process. The little man with the big moustache plays all out every night, and last night was no exception. The rumour was that there were 19 NHL scouts at the game last night, and chances are #7 was on their radar.

What has quickly come to my attention is the fact that these games could very well be the last I see of some of my favorite players in a Leafs uni. I know everyone in Leafs RAUP has decided that every underachiever on the current squad needs to go, but the reality is just the opposite.

So, until the deadline passes, I'll be treating each game as if it could be any player's last, and soaking in every minute of it.

It's not even December, and already eyebleaf is making a list.
There's always a reason for why things happen, and Down Goes Brown has Alex Ovechkin's for Saturday.
The verbose JaredFromLondon let's loose a salvo of verbs, nouns, adjectives and adverbs.
This pic reminds me of the one thing I miss from Canada.
The Old Guys in Blue and White wonders: when can the Leafs count on Vesa Toskala?
Leafs Fan Forever talks trades.
Leaf & Lion has the first episode of TML Big Brother, for your viewing enjoyment.
Norman James affirms: a 61 shot performance is only terrible when it's the Leafs who do the shooting.
Kavel's week 2 review is ready for your viewing pleasure.
The Hockey News' Lyle Richardson (aka - Spector) kills the "Tomas Kaberle for Brian Campbell" rumour dead in it's tracks.
Another day, another Marlie doing awesome things. Alex Foster was named AHL player of the week for his 5 G 1 A performance in 3 games.
Jonathan Willis has some answers for what ails the Maple Leafs.
Rock Outta SoCal is giving out a shot of Patron and it's no surprise who's getting served.

Poll

Ian White is

Moustache-a-licious

40 votes

Moustache-a-rific

43 votes

Moustache-a-tastic

28 votes

Moustache-a-go-go

47 votes

158 votes | Poll has closed

Maple Leafs 3 v. NY Islanders 4 (OT): Second Verse Same As The First

PPP — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:58:15 -0000

More photos » by Nathan Denette - AP

Boo This Man! Dwayne Roloson and a lack of desire to go to the dirty parts of the rink for the majority of the game torpedoed a wonderful effort.

Browse more photos »

Despite throwing 61 shots at Dwayne Roloson the Maple Leafs fell 4-3 in overtime to the New York Islanders. On the bright side, John Tavares was a complete non-factor. After a dominating first period the Maple Leafs fell behind to a Jeff Tambellini breakaway goal as a long period of pressure went unrewarded, a pretty good Matt Moulson deflection, and, frankly, a terrible all around effort on Sean Bergenheim's short-handed goal. Toskala left with a lower body injury which was probably a pain in the ass from all of the needless needling he took from fans after the third goal. I hate Toskala as much as the next guy - and hope he's really injured because Kypreos seemed to be intimating that he quit on the team - but Kaberle made a brutal effort at blocking the shot and ended up doing nothing more than backing in too far and providing the kind of screen that the Leafs' forwards couldn't match all night.

Update: Here is Dominik's (Lighthouse Hockey) recap of the game and a look at the NHL.com shot chart for tonight's game.

Of course, when you're playing a terrible team like the Islanders (I know, the irony) who is on the back end of a seven game road-trip, it's not that hard to continue taking the game to them. The Leafs were rewarded when Matt Stajan's embarrassment at getting his stick knocked out of his hands turned to joy as he ended up by a loose puck to set up Phil Kessel to break Roloson's goose egg. The third period was one way traffic as the Leafs' dogged puck pursuit created chance after chance. Wayne Primeau potted a rebound after showing the Leafs that it's not actually against the law to stand directly in front of the goalie. And then Niklas Hagman made a great rush to prove that he can finish just as much as he can dangle. The Leafs were attacking with speed and looked poise to snatch a winner in regulation.

Instead, they didn't score on a final powerplay and almost made it through overtime before a terrible Ian White play combined with Tomas Kaberle's exhaustion and a bad bounce off of the side of the net (seriously, that shot comes by a million times and shoots in front of the net maybe 5 times) conspired to keep the Leafs from another shot at the shootout. So the Leafs' don't begin a winning streak but they also lose John Mitchell. Great news all around.

Who were your players of the game and who could have done more? Let's talk it out sans razor blades folks.

Big Trouble in Little Barilkosphere

blurr1974 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:00:28 -0000

More photos » by Gerry Broome - AP

It's all in the reflexes.

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Given the reactions in the post game thread, I'm fairly certain today's FTB will be written for an audience of just a handful of true blue Leafs fans. I can understand how some people want to jump ship. All summer long, we fans were being sold on the promises of big words about being bad-asses. You could almost hear the shouts of "The broad street bullies are back!"

Then, the preseason began, and things looked fantastic. The kids played well, and were impressive in their limited pre-season action. The season started, and, well, you know how it goes from there...

I intended for this to be a positive note about the bright spots for the Leafs, but even out here in California, the Carolina loss was a tough one to take. On the plus side, I had lots of time left on my hands for the evening, so I watched my favorite movie. A movie about a man and his truck. And kung-fu.

Immediately transcended out of my funk, I remembered what got me through last season. And stinky seasons in the 80s and 90s. And the entire JFJ era. I'm a Leafs fan. Then, on queue, Jack Burton spoke to me, he spoke to us all really, when he said:

Just remember what old Jack Burton does when the earth quakes, the poison arrows fall from the sky and the pillars of Heaven shake. Yeah, Jack Burton just looks that big old storm right in the eye and says "Give me your best shot. I can take it."

The Leafs lost last night, again. But I can take it...

Firstly, there's a little unpleasant business from last night. Recaps courtesy of JaredFromLondon, Fifty Mission Cap, Two Line Pass and Kavel Pubina.
The general has the latest words from Matt Stajan and Ian White.
The Bitter Leaf, mf37, sees more talk, less rock. Which is a shame. I like rock...
When in doubt, grow it out. Take it from this man.
Leaf & Lion with a reality TV proposition you can't ignore.
The Far Away Leaf is writing his own "Audacity of Hope."
Norman James has one question for Brian Burke: "Now what?"
Why are some people capable of running an NHL franchise, and others not? Perhaps it's due to reactionary, emotional outbursts. MLHS has more.
Some think Phil Kessel needs a playmaker, while others think a secondary scoring threat should do the trick. Either way, it'd be nice. Hockey Independent makes their case.
HLF is not happy and frankly no one should be.
puckurgently made an important discovery about his liquor cabinet.

For Vesa's Eyes Only

blurr1974 — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:00:36 -0000

Vesa, listen to the sound of my voice. Throw away your cares. Focus only on my voice. Vesa, you are feeling relaxed. So relaxed. A deep calm is coming over you. Do you feel it Vesa? Embrace the peace. Concentrate on that feeling of contentment, let it consume you Vesa. And as it consumes you, feel your conscious mind let go.

Feel your eyes getting heavy Vesa. Your mind wants to wander, let it do so. You are feeling so relaxed now. Throw away your cares. Feel your toes as they relax. Feel your knees relax. Feel your legs relax. Slowly, bit by bit, let your body relax Vesa. Good. You will feel so relaxed, you might even fall asleep. You might become entranced in your contentment. Yes Vesa, a trance...

Are you relaxed Vesa? Are you in a trance? Excellent. Now, repeat after me: I will not play like Vesa Toskala. I will not let in a soft goal. I will get...wait. Why is your head bopping? Vesa? Vesa!? VESSSAAAAA!!!!!!

And that's how Vesa became a terrible goalie, he's stuck in a trance. (via www.clixbagoftricks.com)

Dr. Steve gets you up to speed on Carl Gunnarsson.
Down Goes Brown is giving us a sneak peek into what we can expect for the Leafs next pre-game ceremony.
Friday means youTube yoinkage! A special all "Cat" edition awaits you over at WWOLD.
Leaf and Lion is thinking maybe MLSE can spare a few coins and help Mr. Palmateer spring for a cell phone.
MLHS with some quotes from Wilson and Burke, including the GM's opinion on Matthias Ohlund's hit on Phil Kessel: "That's a great hit..."
Checking From Behind asks the question we've asked ourselves: Ian White or Tomas Kaberle? I'll be elsewhere until this blows over...
Should Ron Wilson be putting in more frequent phone calls to the Marlies?
Puck Prospectus gives the long answer to the question "Do penalty minutes have an impact on a team's success?"
We're not the only ones wondering what is up with Luke Schenn this season. The coach is more than perplexed himself.
Since his "injury" Vesa Toskala has seen his mantle as the Leafs #1 goaltender usurped by Jonas Gustavsson. So what does Vesa think about that?: "Life is good." Oy vey...
Jared's hitting the road. Let's pass the hat for bail money.
Kavel has a very important message for Luke Schenn.

Maple Leafs 5 v. Red Wings 1: The Monster Saves...

PPP — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 02:56:44 -0000

More photos » by NATHAN DENETTE - AP

O HAI MONSTER. What a shock that the team looks more confident, composed, and is more successful with a good goalie. Who was it that said that would happen?

Browse more photos »

and the defence clears the rebounds. That's how things worked tonight as the Toronto Maple Leafs stretched their point streak to 8 games and their winning streak to two games with a 5-1 win over the Red Wings. The most impressive thing was that for the majority of the game the Red Wings did not look dangerous at all and when they did there was the Leafs goaltender of the present and future Jonas Gustavsson ready to slam the door. Daniel Cleary potted the lone Wings goal but that's hardly fair because he was on 99 career goals so it was pre-ordained.

The three stars for tonight's game were:

Jonas Gustavsson - Duh. The guy is huge, fast, confident, attractive, and signs autographs with "The Monster"
Phil Kessel - Game winning goal and he continues to put those 'lazy backchecker' stories to rest so far.
Ian White - It goes without saying that he was steady and good as always.

Also, Don Cherry just called out the fans that wore those Upset Fan bags are jerks and stupid. I heartily approve.

This is your post-game instant reaction thread.