The Maple Leafs have been officially eliminated from the playoffs again, but don't tell them that. They sat that hind site is 20/20, but one can't help but wonder what could have been if some key injuries hadn't taken their toll on our team this year.
Both Jason Blake and Mikeal Grabovski where held pointless tonight, which was un-usual. Jamal Mayers,Lee Stempniak and Ian White, scored for the Leafs.
“We wanted to play as if it was a playoff game and for the most part we did,” Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson said.
Curtis Joseph made 32 saves to record his fifth win of the season. “I felt I wasn’t razor sharp but, fortunately, we battled away, I got good defensive play in front of me, and it worked out,” Joseph said.
With only five games left, and a possible 10 points left to be had, it likely would have only taken an additional six or seven wins to earn a spot in the post season.
Tonight's 3-2 win over the Flyers put the Leafs at .500 and made the chance of garnering a top five pick in the draft all but an impossibility.
I know a lot of fans are crying in their hockey gloves, but don't lose hope. The NHL entry draft is not the only pool of talent from which the team can build their future. There are in fact several very good, and I do mean Very good, college players to be looked at. I will be publishing an article at the end of the season, laying out several different options. It will include a look at several different players, from different places and leagues, so keep your eyes open!
The Leafs next action comes Friday night as they face this very same Flyer team, and as always, you can hear all of the action live, right here on Bench Brawl!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment