Game 44 - 3-2 L v WSH
In a nailbiter, the Capitals managed to edge the Leafs in overtime. Washington was up 2-0, then the Leafs tied it 2-2. And just 29 seconds into overtime, Dale Hunter silenced the Maple Leafs Gardens faithful with the GWG. Not a great showing by Toronto, but the loss of Al Iafrate to Winnipeg was clearly going to have an impact. It would take some time for Brad Marsh and Zarley Zalapski to gel, with the same being said for Borje Salming and Craig Muni. Wregget did his best to keep Toronto in the with 34 saves, but Pete Peeters stopped 38 of 40 for the win. Karma may actually exist though: in the Capitals’ next game, C Dale Hunter got a 5 minute Interference Major; after review, the NHL suspended him for 6 games.
NHL News: RW Doug Brown of NJD suffered a severe neck laceration in a freak accident against NYI. He will miss three months.
In a surprise trade on Jan 12th, the Minnesota North Stars acquired talented C Kelly Kisio from the NY Rangers, sending defensive LW Stew Gavin the other way. Kisio was playing at a point-per-game clip, and Minnesota clearly felt pressured to try and keep up with the Leafs.
Game 45 - 4-3 L v MTL
Another OT loss, this time against their bitter rivals. A back-and-forth game came right down to the wire, with Leeman scoring a clutch PP goal with 10 seconds left. But Claude Lemieux was able to score halfway through OT, silencing the Gardens again. Lemieux finished 1-2-3 and +2 on the night, while Leeman stepped up with 1G and 1A.
NHL News: Some more significant suspensions went out, with QUE C Alan Haworth and DET D Rick Zombo each getting 7 games. Haworth made an illegal check to the head in a WILD 12-6 win over QUE, while Zombo had a Boarding Major against PHI.
Game 46 - 7-4 L v HFD
Three losses in a row since the trade, not the impact Taylor was hoping for. Hartford scored 4 goals on 15 shots in the first. Toronto tied it midway through the 2nd, but the Whalers finished the Leafs off with three unanswered goals. Kevin Dineen (3-2-5, +3) and Dave Tippett (1-3-4, +4) powered the Whalers. Most of the Leafs team struggled, with Leeman’s 1G 1A performance being a bright spot. Wregget was downright awful, stopping just 27 of 34.
Minnesota and the NY Rangers made ANOTHER deal, as Minnesota seeks to pressure Toronto for first in the Norris. MIN sent RW Kjell Dahlin and C Dave Archibald to the Rangers for D Norm Maciver and LW Igor Liba. So far this year, Maciver has 26 points in 38 games, while Liba contributed 10 goals in 25GP. Dahlin was expendable after getting Kisio, and Archibald has spent all year in the AHL. The North Stars aren’t going away.
Game 47 - 5-2 L v MIN
The new-look Stars thumped Toronto 5-2 for the Leafs’ fourth-straight loss. This game was all Minnesota. Igor Liba had the game of his life, going 2-1-3 and +3. Dusan Pasek also played well, going 1-2-3 and +3. The Leafs were sucking wind, with far more poor showing than good ones. Ed Belfour’s 5 goals on 32 shots didn’t help either.
Game 48 - 6-2 W @ MTL
The Leafs snap their losing streak with a decisive victory in Montreal. They outshot the Habs 37-27, and jumped out to a 4-1 lead after the 1st. The first line came though in a big way, combining for 3G and 4A. Olausson also had his best game as a Leaf, with 1G and 1A. Belfour rebounded, stopping 25 of 27, while the Leafs were able to chase Patrick Roy to the bench with 4 goals on 11 shots.
NHL News:
- VAN C Brian Bradley suffered a broken thigh against CHI, and will miss four months.
- CGY C Joe Nieuwendyk went 1-4-5 in the Flames’ 9-2 win over QUE
Game 49 - 5-3 W v BOS
Hopefully the Leafs are getting on a roll. Boston led 2-0 after 2, but then both teams combined for 6 goals in a wild finish that saw Mike Hough get an empty-netter with 1 second left. Eddie O was the best forward tonight, with 2A.
NHL News: LW Igor Liba has now scored in his first four games for MIN
Game 50 - 4-1 W @ DET
The Leafs outshot the Wings 35-21, and scored three unanswered goals over the final two periods. Vinny Damphousse (2A) and Brad Marsh (1G 1A). Ed Belfour was fantastic, stopping 20 of 21.
Game 51 - 6-3 W v NYR
Four in a row! Toronto scored 4 goals in the 2nd. The Rangers scored twice early in the 3rd to make it close, and then Toronto pulled away. Phil Bourque out-pested Tomas Sandstrom, with Sandrom getting 5 and 10 for fighting Bourque. Multiple Leafs had 2 points (Zalapski, Salming, Damphousse, Cullen, Olczyk, Leeman and Marois) in the win. Wregget was not helpful in the victory, allowing 3 goals on 16 shots. Russ Courtnall suffered a minor injury, and would miss a few days.
NHL News: LW Craig Simpson went 2-4-6 in EDM’s 11-1 dismantling of Gretzky’s LAK
Game 52 - 8-1 L @ CHI
Well that win streak came to a screeching halt. Outshot 37-23, not a single Leaf had what could be called a strong game. Doug Wilson had a hat trick, while Mike Hudson (3A) and Denis Savard (1G 2A) excelled for the Hawks. Belfour was absolutely shellacked, stopping just 29 of 37.
EDM RW Jari Kurri and PHI G Ron Hextall were POTM
Wendel Clark moved up to 11th-best-selling jersey, while Ed Olczyk jumped to #16. The extensions to Leeman, Wilson, Muni and Gill resulted in them being ranked #2-#5.
January Lookback- In January the Leafs were 7-7-0 with 40 GF and 50 GA, although they were incredibly streaky while doing so.
- The Leafs are 29-18-5, 4th overall, with 227 GF and 203 GA. Toronto has now been a .500 team 3 out of 4 months, and Minnesota closed the gap slightly to 7 points.
- Toronto were 5th in Offense, 10th in Defense, 2nd in Shots For, 7th in Shots Against. Powerplay had improved slightly to 17th, and the Penalty Kill was up to 8th.
Other Highlights:
- The Leafs’ balanced attack was demonstrated by 12 players having 30+ points.
- Gary Leeman’s 32 goals ranked 14th in the league
- Ed Olczyk’s 48 assists were 3rd in the NHL
- Dave Reid and Ron Wilson had now combined for 10 SHG, and their 5 each tied them for 1st in the NHL
- Reid and David Volek also buried the hatched, and all was well in the locker room once more.
Other Key Callouts:
- Taylor may have to explore a goaltending upgrade, as both Ed Belfour and Ken Wregget are offering very sub-par goaltending. With Belfour being a new acquisition, Wregget’s days as a Leaf may be numbered.
