Toronto Maple Leafs: Ten Point Week In Review

The Toronto Maple Leafs had a strange week in the results department.

After getting the snot beat out of them (not really, it was bad goaltending) against Florida they turned around and beat the snot out of (not really, it was reverse goaltending) Tampa. Let’s talk about the Toronto Maple Leafs week.

1) Fishing,? Really? The reason the Leafs lost to the Panthers wasn’t because they went fishing. It was because their crease leaked like a sieve. A generally close possession game (38-35 in favor of Florida) at 5v5, Toronto’s downfall was putrid goaltending. To spin it any other way is ridiculous. Mistakes be damned. Toronto was pouring water into a bottomless cup on Tuesday. #FloridaFishgate

2) Saw a lot of talk on Jake Gardiner’s +/- this week, so what? Plus/minus is a useless statistic. It doesn’t matter what Gardiner or Rielly own in the plus/minus department. Gardiner isn’t good because of +/-, he’s good because you have functioning eyes and nearly every statistic says he’s good. Stop hating him because Steve Simmons told you to in 2014.

3) Big thumbs up to Frederik Andersen putting Pat Quinn on his mask. I don’t know why I liked this so much, because it has no bearing on my life, the game, or anything really. Nevertheless, it’s pretty cool. I think I might just like cool goalie masks, and Pat Quinn.

4) The Leafs had a big win against Tampa, but it wasn’t a statement game. The play was similar to the Florida game, with the only difference being poor goaltending on the opposite side. Goaltending cost the Leafs a shot at victory against Florida and gave it to them against Tampa. Don’t let the score fool you. This team won’t win many games playing like they did without a lot of luck, like they got.

5) The Tampa game may have been Roman Polak’s best of his career. I dislike Roman Polak, and he’s usually pretty terrible, but he was outstanding against Tampa. He played great at 5v5 and was able to score a goal. Good for him. Not often (read: ever) I get to say this, so it’s worth a point in the week in review.

6) Matthews is still in a slump. We’re now at seven games without a point. It’s a topic that’s becoming unavoidable, but it’s still nothing to worry about. He’s a superstar, he’ll breakout. It doesn’t help his cause that Mike Babcock doesn’t play him more than 17 minutes most nights. It’s much easier for other stars in the league to break free of a slump when they play 20 minutes a night. Here’s a guarantee: he breaks out tonight.

7) A signing! The Leafs signed Miro Aaltonen this week, and he’s apparently pretty good. There’s no one I trust more in the Leafs organization than Mark Hunter, so I’ll trust this signing to be a good one. I’ve never heard of the guy, so here’s a snippet from Pension Plan Puppets post on the signing:

In 2016-17, Aaltonen finished first in the KHL in under-24 scoring with 44 points (19 goals, 25 assists) in 59 games before going scoreless in a first-round loss in the playoffs — he was selected 45th overall in the 2011 KHL Draft. (PPP)

Seems good, no? They’ve got more words on the new acquisition, so check out the full article.

8) Leo Komarov is also in a slump. The fan favorite has one goal and one assist in the past ten games. He’s also been one of the Leafs worst possession forwards in that span. There’s no need for him to be matching, or exceeding, Auston Matthews in ice-time. This is another example of Mike Babcock’s veteran bias hurting the team. Give the kid wonder three minutes of Leo’s time.

9) The Blackhawks game is going to be tough. This isn’t really news, but let’s just all calm down about calling a win. Chicago has upped their game over the last few months and are playing legitimately good hockey again in all areas. The Leafs have been trending down in a lot of areas. It’s an important game for Toronto – as they all are at this point – but it will by no means be an easy task.

10) St. Pat’s jersey’s are fantastic.

That’s it. They’re just great. Thanks for reading again this week.