The 5-0 loss at home to the Edmonton Oilers tonight was adding insult to injury. Yes, the loss was bad enough because it dropped the Leafs into the third worst spot in the league standings-- their 20 points is just two ahead of New Jersey (who were also shellacked by a 5-1 score tonight by Montreal), with the moribund Islanders holding down 30th place by five points. But it was also bad because it was the sixth time in just 24 games this season that Toronto has gone 60 minutes without registering a single goal.
Do the math, folks. That's a full one quarter of the games without any goals for Brian Burke's boys.
It gets worse for the Leafs, who host the Bruins on Saturday. The B's just pounded the high-flying Tampa Bay Lightning (you know, the guys who scored a pair of goals in about a minute to steal a 4-3 OT win against the same Leafs Tuesday night) by an 8-1 score. They have Marc Savard back. They're getting the best goaltending perhaps in NHL history by Tim Thomas right now. They thought they had become salary cap compliant by moving Marco Sturm, too, but that's a story for another day.
And after the Bruins, the Leafs also get to do-si-do with Washington, Pittsburgh, Montreal and Philadelphia next week.
On paper, it's not looking good. Gut check time? Perhaps. But, the talent is the major issue with those Leafs right now. Coming into the season we all knew they would have trouble scoring, but did anyone think it would be this bad? 24 games, 6 oh-fers. That's bad.
In 10 days, after coming off that brutal stretch, those Leafs could find themselves knock-knock-knockin' on the cellar door at No. 30 overall if they don't find some mojo and soon.
I'll make the stat even worse for you Kirk, cuz i like you!
ReplyDeleteThose 6 shutouts came in their last 16 games. They weren't shutout in their first 8. That's shut out in over 1/3 of their games in the last 16.
And Phil Kessel's 3 goals in the month of December doesn't help !
Make that November not December !
ReplyDeleteHi Kirk!
ReplyDeleteHope you have a great time in Buffalo. Can't believe the B's might get another top 5 pick out of this.
Everything about this organization has been tipped on its head....to compare where they are now to the team that came out of the lockout is like night and day.
Thanks for the great work as usual,
Brendan (C77)