Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Short recap and look forward

Those boys in blue pretty much shocked me when I turned on the TV to check the scores. Third period goals from the new guys and a 0.939 SV% performance by Tellqvist pull the Leafs from the basement.

Two big games for the Leafs next - Atlanta on Friday and Montreal again on Saturday. Both of these teams are expected to challenge the Leafs, Pittsburgh, and Florida for the final playoff spots.

Are you expecting Tellqvist get the start on Friday with Belfour back in net on Saturday or will Eddie get tested in back-to-back games?

Of course, with the 4-2 win over the previously undefeated Habs, the Sens are perched in their usual spot. Emery got the win with 27 saves and Alfredsson now leads the league in goal scoring with 5. Boston comes to the Corel Centre for Ottawa's next game on Saturday.

UPDATE: Maybe the Leafs were just lucky?
Had it not been for some astonishingly inaccurate shooting by the Flyers, the game quickly would have become a blowout.
The Flyers shot from every angle while the Leafs stood around looking shell-shocked and waiting for rebounds. Unless you're one of those unfortunate people who has to use Pearson Airport, you're never likely to see more white-shirted people standing around doing nothing.

8 comments:

  1. $1 says Boston beats Ottawa? Any takers?

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  2. Oh no!

    The sens have 8 points and the Leafs have 4...

    How will the Leafs ever catch up?

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  3. I would start Telly against Atlanta and Eddie against Montreal. Or the other way around. Let's just say that Eddie is not playing well enough to deserve a back-to-back and Telly proved he can step-up.

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  4. Both of these teams are expected to challenge the Leafs, Pittsburgh, and Florida for the final playoff spots.

    Yeah, the Leafs are going to be struggling for a playoff spot just like the talking heads have said they would be every year for the past 10 years.

    It's long past time that the Leaf bashers got over the idea that Toronto isn't a contender and joined the rest of us in the real hockey world.

    And Tellqvist's performance shouldn't come as a surprise. The last time he was up with the big club he played quite well.

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  5. They should probably start Belfour against Atlanta.... those boys can score, and Tellqvist has a bad habit of turning into a sieve now and then.

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  6. Sens fans are a funny bunch.

    They beleive in every word that guys like Pierre MacGuire say, without ever coming up with an opinion of their own.

    If they say the Leafs will be junk, they believe it. If they say they'll finish in eigth, they believe it.

    Leafs fans, in general, know their team better than most fans. While at times we tend to get a little over-anxious about the prospect of winning a cup each year, we usually have a good gauge of how our team will do.

    Most of us will say that the Sens have a legit chance at contending for the cup this year but speaking strictly from a hockey fans perspective they may still be missing some of the key "intangibles" that help a team win the cup.

    Do they have guys like Steve Y, Brendan Shanahan, Gary Roberts, Scott Stevens etc. who are willing to do absolutley anything to win?

    Until they prove they do have those guys, the Leafs have just as good a chance to win the cup as they do.

    78 games remaining...

    The funny thing is, the Leafs are 1-1-2 and I'm not the least bit worried about the way they're playing. They've already proven that guys can step up when key players are out of the line-up.

    They'll be rolling come playoff time...

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  7. OK got one bet going anyone else? Don I expect that you haven't sen the bet yet and you aren't wimping out.

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  8. Too bad Strachan can no longer get Saddam to give him a job as Information Minister.

    "The Leafs have not beaten the Flyers! The Flyers have surrounded the Leafs! Their stomachs will roast in Hell!"

    Strachan and Cox apparently submit one (hilariously pessimistic) template column at the beginning of the year, and some night shift intern adjusts players and teams as necessary. There is no other explanation for the steadfast blinkered determination to ignore reality that appears in print under those two clueless nitwits' bylines.

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