2 Bad Goals Kill Leafs!

I would just like to say that I got it right when I posted that Hagman would be wearing #9 and not #16 like Berger suggested.

All is all it was a solid game by the Leafs I think they need to work on there puck possession and there down low work. Wilson will undoubtedly be upset about several bad penalties taken by the Leafs last night including the one that lead to the 2nd goal of the game.

2 goals were hilarious in that they went off 2 Toronto defenceman the 1st one scored by Evgeni Malkin on a cross crease pass that went in off Boumiedienne and the 2nd off Anton Stralman. Both players were trying to stop the puck.

Justin Pogge looked shaky at times and last night really proves that he may not be ready for the bigs just yet. The Leafs later made it close late in third on a PP goal by Alexei Ponikarovsky and then another goal (One I would say is the goal of the pre-season so far) by Mikhail Grabovski when he broke in on the D split them and put the puck between Danny Sabourins legs.

Players who played well

55 Jason Blake - Once again showed he may be back to his old self he was very solid on the puck and did some great backchecking all night.

39 John Mitchell - At 1st I wasn't impressed at all with his play but as the game went on he got better including 3 KEY faceoff wins later in the game.

2 Luke Schenn - I agree with Pierre McGuire when he said this kid is getting better every game I think at this rate the Leafs will have a very difficult decision in trying to send him back to Kelowna.

41 Nikolai Kulemin - Although he didn't score the line of Hagman/Steen/Kulemin was very dominate last night for the Leafs and Kulemin started to show some of that hockey sense that we've been told he has. A few more games and he should be good to go.

Anyways this is my assesment of last nights action I think that the Leafs need to work on the PP and PK they are leaving far to much room up the middle OF course this is pre-season and we have yet to see all players play.

The Source