Tonight was a really nice event to witness. Not the Wings banner raising ceremony, but rather the Leafs playing the defending champions hard. They back checked, they clogged the neutral zone, created turnovers, and out worked the Wings just as much as they were out worked.
Against the behemoth, that's pretty encouraging.
There was a lot of promise out there tonight. Kulemin lit the lamp on a gorgeous top shelf goal after a burst of speed capitalizing on a turnover. Dominic Moore played a fantastic game scoring a gritty goal and showing lots of tenacity.
Another amazing statistic? Two, count them, two penalties all night. Against a team as fast as Detroit, that's a great statistic. Ok, three. But I don't count that silly 'puck over the glass' delay of game late in the third, even though it gave Detroit a 6 on 4 advantage.
As I have contended, not officially on this blog, but anyone who thinks the Leafs are going to finish dead last in the NHL, *coughbergercough*, is completely out to lunch and clearly hasn't been watching the pre-season.
They have worked hard, shown grit, determination and most important, are buying the Wilson system.
The trap was delivered as designed tonight. Time after time, the speedy, more skilled Red Wings we're thwarted with turnovers and counter attack unlike anything we've seen in Toronto for a long time.
Most importantly, it wasn't boring.
As the season plays out, there will be their fair share of losses. But in the world of 3 point games, I wouldn't be surprised if the Leafs are chasing down a final playoff spot come April.
Although, I'm not expecting it either.
2 comments:
Moore and Kulemin both looked good.
No penalties in the second period really puts pressure on the home team and makes them work for their chances. By the third, there's not much left in the tank.
Excellent job.
Nice post, dude.
I'm diggin' Ron Wilson hockey.
And, just for the record, my optimism going into last night's game was definitely not repressed.
Go Leafs Go.
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