Mikhail Grabovski, Nikolai Kulemin and Clarke MacArthur each scored a pair of goals in the Leafs 9-3 routing of the Atlanta Thrashers at the Phillips Arena Friday night. Kris Versteeg and Colby Armstrong also added tallies, while Tomas Kaberle notched four assists from the backend.
Tobias Enstrom opened the scoring on a wrist shot past Leafs goaltender James Reimer for his eighth of the season. Toronto tied the game at 9:43 of the first period when Versteeg snapped his 12th from the top of the circle and went far side on Ondrej Pavelec.
Mikhail Grabovski extended his goal scoring streak – 12 goals in his past 14 games – late in the second period by tucking in his 16th at the side of the Thrashers net on the power play to give the Leafs a 2-1 advantage heading into the second period.
After a slow start to the season and injury troubles, Colby Armstrong has finally regained his form at the mid-point of the season. He buried his fifth of the season, with assists from Versteeg and Kaberle.
Armstrong’s goal was the beginning of the Leafs offensive supremacy over the Thrashers in the second period. Toronto scored five goals within a six-minute span, including three on the man advantage. Nikolai Kulemin finished off his 14th and 15th goals, respectively, with one coming on the power play. MacArthur also had two goals with the extra man and added an assist on Grabovski’s second goal.
Ben Eager received a match penalty for deliberate injury by sucker punching Armstrong in the Leafs defensive end when the Leafs were leading 5-1. On a negative note, Armstrong left the game and did not return. It gave the Leafs a five-minute power play and jumpstarted their dominance over the suddenly not-so ‘Hot’lanta. Eager took an astounding 17 minutes in penalties throughout the game.
Phil Kessel fired a wrist shot between the legs of Chris Mason – who was inserted into the game in relief of Pavelec – to put the Leafs up 9-1 early in the third period.
Atlanta pushed back in the third period with goals by Patrice Cormier and Andrew Ladd. However, it was far too late for any sort of comeback. Cormier sniped his first career NHL goal past Reimer at 14:09 on a turnover by Dion Phaneuf in the defensive zone. Ladd’s goal was his 14th, with assists from Bryan Little and Niclas Bergfors.
Francois Beauchemin recorded his second straight multi-point game with two assists. Carl Gunnarsson, Mike Komisarek and Tyler Bozak also tallied helpers.
The Thrashers outshot Toronto 44-34 overall, including a 20-6 advantage in the third period. Reimer turned aside 41 saves in another impressive appearance by the rookie. He is making a strong case to replace Jean-Sebastien Giguere as the Leafs backup goaltender to Jonas Gustavsson.
Toronto will have a well-deserved two-day break before taking on the Los Angeles Kings at the Staples Center on Monday night. The Leafs conclude their current four-game road trip next Saturday against the Calgary Flames.
Showing posts with label Mikhail Grabovski. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mikhail Grabovski. Show all posts
Friday, January 7, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Leafs Singing the Blues in Shootout Win Over St. Louis
The Toronto Maple Leafs looked to snap a four-game losing streak at home tonight as they welcomed the St. Louis Blues to town. It was the first meeting between the two teams since February 12, 2009 and the Blues first visit to Toronto since October 13, 2008. St. Louis has won the last two games by a combined score of 9-4.
Neither team is known for its offense, especially considering the Blues only have two players who have scoring in the double digits in goals. Both teams exploded for 10 goals in total, including the shootout winner by Tyler Bozak.
Phil Kessel regained his early season form with two goals on the night, while fellow forwards Kris Versteeg and Colby Armstrong had a goal and an assist each, and defenceman Francois Beauchemin had a pair of assists.
Armstrong opened the scoring 15 seconds into the game after Versteeg’s wrist shot deflected off his back. The goal won’t be appearing on the highlight reels anytime in the near future, but it gave the Leafs the early start that they have been struggling to accomplish this season. Darryl Boyce was also credited with an assist, to give him two helpers on the season and three points in total.
The Blues responded just three-and-a-half minutes later when ex-Maple Leaf Alex Steen fired a low, quick shot past Jonas Gustavsson for his team-leading 14th goal of the season.
Later in the first, David Backes built on the Blues lead by capitalizing on a rebound for his 11th goal of the season and second point of the game at 9:46. Matt D’Agostini created the play that led to a glaring rebound by Gustavsson.
Mikhail Grabovski continued his excellent play by sniping his team-leading 15th goal and his 10th goal in his past 13 games. Fellow forward Clarke MacArthur dished the puck to Grabovski in the slot to earn his 20th assist
The offense came in droves as Versteeg and Kessel scored within two minutes of one another midway through the second period to continue the Leafs hard fought comeback over St. Louis.
Armstrong won a battle behind the Blues net and set up a well-positioned Versteeg, who was untouched in the slot. Following Kessel’s goal, Jaroslav Halak was pulled after surrendering four goals on 20 shots. Backup goalie Ty Conklin — who stopped 11 of 12 Leafs shots in the contest — came in to relieve Halak.
The goaltending chance didn’t stop the Leafs’ offensive outburst. Kessel scored his second of the game and 16th of the season on a breakaway by snapping the puck under Conklin’s arm. Kessel has seven points in his past five games and his two-goal effort gives him the sole possession of the team lead.
Leafs coach Ron Wilson emphasized that the Leafs needed to built a multiple goal lead heading into the second intermission, so they could avoid suffering another comeback at the hands of sloppy third period play.
In a comeback reminiscent of the Team Canada breakdown last night at the World Junior Championships, the Leafs surrendered three goals — from Brad Winchester, Eric Brewer and Matt D’Agostini — in a seven minute span to force overtime.
After regulation, the Blues outshot the Leafs, 44-31. After a scoreless overtime, St. Louis took a 2-1 lead in the shootout on goals by Steen and Brad Boyes. Grabovski tied it with a spinorama move that will surely be talked about and replayed for days to come. Timely saves in the shootout by Gustavsson on D’Agostini and Boyes, along with goals from Versteeg and Bozak lifted the Leafs to their 15th win of the season.
Despite the meltdown in the third period, the Leafs had a strong start to tonight’s game and received balance scoring from all of its forwards. Luke Schenn and Mike Komisarek were solid on defence, with consistent physical play and shot blocking throughout the game. The Leafs managed to be physical without taking any undisciplined penalties as Dion Phaneuf took the Leafs only penalty of the game when he was called for hooking at 4:48 of the second period. Gustavsson looked shaky at times and appeared to fight the puck, but he stepped up when it mattered in the shootout.
Toronto flies out tonight following the game to Atlanta for a meeting with the Thrashers Friday night. The Thrashers won the last meeting between the two teams, 6-3, on December 20th in Toronto. Wilson has yet to announce his starting goaltender for the game.
Neither team is known for its offense, especially considering the Blues only have two players who have scoring in the double digits in goals. Both teams exploded for 10 goals in total, including the shootout winner by Tyler Bozak.
Phil Kessel regained his early season form with two goals on the night, while fellow forwards Kris Versteeg and Colby Armstrong had a goal and an assist each, and defenceman Francois Beauchemin had a pair of assists.
Armstrong opened the scoring 15 seconds into the game after Versteeg’s wrist shot deflected off his back. The goal won’t be appearing on the highlight reels anytime in the near future, but it gave the Leafs the early start that they have been struggling to accomplish this season. Darryl Boyce was also credited with an assist, to give him two helpers on the season and three points in total.
The Blues responded just three-and-a-half minutes later when ex-Maple Leaf Alex Steen fired a low, quick shot past Jonas Gustavsson for his team-leading 14th goal of the season.
Later in the first, David Backes built on the Blues lead by capitalizing on a rebound for his 11th goal of the season and second point of the game at 9:46. Matt D’Agostini created the play that led to a glaring rebound by Gustavsson.
Mikhail Grabovski continued his excellent play by sniping his team-leading 15th goal and his 10th goal in his past 13 games. Fellow forward Clarke MacArthur dished the puck to Grabovski in the slot to earn his 20th assist
The offense came in droves as Versteeg and Kessel scored within two minutes of one another midway through the second period to continue the Leafs hard fought comeback over St. Louis.
Armstrong won a battle behind the Blues net and set up a well-positioned Versteeg, who was untouched in the slot. Following Kessel’s goal, Jaroslav Halak was pulled after surrendering four goals on 20 shots. Backup goalie Ty Conklin — who stopped 11 of 12 Leafs shots in the contest — came in to relieve Halak.
The goaltending chance didn’t stop the Leafs’ offensive outburst. Kessel scored his second of the game and 16th of the season on a breakaway by snapping the puck under Conklin’s arm. Kessel has seven points in his past five games and his two-goal effort gives him the sole possession of the team lead.
Leafs coach Ron Wilson emphasized that the Leafs needed to built a multiple goal lead heading into the second intermission, so they could avoid suffering another comeback at the hands of sloppy third period play.
In a comeback reminiscent of the Team Canada breakdown last night at the World Junior Championships, the Leafs surrendered three goals — from Brad Winchester, Eric Brewer and Matt D’Agostini — in a seven minute span to force overtime.
After regulation, the Blues outshot the Leafs, 44-31. After a scoreless overtime, St. Louis took a 2-1 lead in the shootout on goals by Steen and Brad Boyes. Grabovski tied it with a spinorama move that will surely be talked about and replayed for days to come. Timely saves in the shootout by Gustavsson on D’Agostini and Boyes, along with goals from Versteeg and Bozak lifted the Leafs to their 15th win of the season.
Despite the meltdown in the third period, the Leafs had a strong start to tonight’s game and received balance scoring from all of its forwards. Luke Schenn and Mike Komisarek were solid on defence, with consistent physical play and shot blocking throughout the game. The Leafs managed to be physical without taking any undisciplined penalties as Dion Phaneuf took the Leafs only penalty of the game when he was called for hooking at 4:48 of the second period. Gustavsson looked shaky at times and appeared to fight the puck, but he stepped up when it mattered in the shootout.
Toronto flies out tonight following the game to Atlanta for a meeting with the Thrashers Friday night. The Thrashers won the last meeting between the two teams, 6-3, on December 20th in Toronto. Wilson has yet to announce his starting goaltender for the game.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Bruins Defeat Leafs 2-1 in Original Six Matchup
The Maple Leafs returned home to the Air Canada Centre tonight to face off against Original Six rival Boston Bruins. Toronto was looking to record its second consecutive win for the first time since December 14, 2010. Boston was coming off a disastrous 7-6 shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.
Each team traded chances in the first period, with quality goaltending from both teams shutting the door through the first half of the opening frame. Leafs’ goalie James Reimer made a superb sliding save on Bruins forward Michael Ryder early in the first to keep the score tied at zero.
Mikhail Grabovski opened the scoring at 14:08 of the first period after Luke Schenn fired a backhand past over the Bruins defence to spring the streaking Grabovski on a breakaway. He made no mistake by fooling Tuukka Rask on a nice move, before sliding the puck through his legs.
Nathan Horton tied the game at one at 7:56 of the second period after receiving a pass from Dennis Seidenberg and snapping a wrist shot from the slot over the shoulder of a screened Reimer. It was Horton’s 12th goal of the season and first of two points in the game.
Toronto outshot Boston 11-7 through the first period, but the Bruins dominated the Leafs in the second with a 17-8 advantage. Marc Savard was accessed with a roughing penalty at 10:35 of the second period, which Boston managed to kill off. Savard returned the next shift and one-timed his second goal of the season from the point, with assists from Nathan Horton and Milan Lucic.
Reimer was solid in defeat, stopping 31 of the 33 shots he faced, although Rask had the slight edge in net with 36 saves. The 23-year old continued his dominance against the Leafs over his career.
The Leafs defence trumped their Bruins counterparts in blocking shots with a 28 to 16 block edge. Toronto also edged the Bruins in shots with 37, compared to the Bruins 33.
Toronto’s record falls to 14-20-4 after tonight’s loss. They still sit in 13th place with 32 points in 38 games. They Leafs continue their homestand on Thursday when they host the St. Louis Blues, in their first matchup of the season. The Blues defeated Toronto 4-0 in their only meeting last season.
Each team traded chances in the first period, with quality goaltending from both teams shutting the door through the first half of the opening frame. Leafs’ goalie James Reimer made a superb sliding save on Bruins forward Michael Ryder early in the first to keep the score tied at zero.
Mikhail Grabovski opened the scoring at 14:08 of the first period after Luke Schenn fired a backhand past over the Bruins defence to spring the streaking Grabovski on a breakaway. He made no mistake by fooling Tuukka Rask on a nice move, before sliding the puck through his legs.
Nathan Horton tied the game at one at 7:56 of the second period after receiving a pass from Dennis Seidenberg and snapping a wrist shot from the slot over the shoulder of a screened Reimer. It was Horton’s 12th goal of the season and first of two points in the game.
Toronto outshot Boston 11-7 through the first period, but the Bruins dominated the Leafs in the second with a 17-8 advantage. Marc Savard was accessed with a roughing penalty at 10:35 of the second period, which Boston managed to kill off. Savard returned the next shift and one-timed his second goal of the season from the point, with assists from Nathan Horton and Milan Lucic.
Reimer was solid in defeat, stopping 31 of the 33 shots he faced, although Rask had the slight edge in net with 36 saves. The 23-year old continued his dominance against the Leafs over his career.
The Leafs defence trumped their Bruins counterparts in blocking shots with a 28 to 16 block edge. Toronto also edged the Bruins in shots with 37, compared to the Bruins 33.
Toronto’s record falls to 14-20-4 after tonight’s loss. They still sit in 13th place with 32 points in 38 games. They Leafs continue their homestand on Thursday when they host the St. Louis Blues, in their first matchup of the season. The Blues defeated Toronto 4-0 in their only meeting last season.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Leafs Drop Final Game of Western Road Trip to Canucks
After defeating the Edmonton Oilers 4-1 on Tuesday and falling 5-2 to the Calgary Flames on Thursday, the Maple Leafs were looking to go 2-and-1 on their western Canadian road trip tonight against the Vancouver Canucks.
Entering the game, the Canucks were undefeated in their previous seven games against Toronto, dating back to 2003. The consistent play of Jonas Gustavsson, and secondary scoring from Clarke MacArthur and Mikhail Grabovski, gave Leaf fans some hope that their team could pull out a surprising win versus one of the league’s most dominant teams.
Both teams had a number of quality scoring chances in the first period, with the Leafs edging the Canucks 11-9 in shots through the first 20 minutes. It was a penalty filled affair – six minor penalties combined – that was capped off with a tap-in goal by Alexandre Burrows, for his sixth of the season. Kevin Bieksa earned his 4th of the season on the play, while Henrik Sedin was credited his 22nd assist of the campaign.
Toronto forward Kris Versteeg took an undisciplined slashing penalty at 11:33 of the second period. On his way to the penalty box, he expressed his frustration by mouthing off the ref. Versteeg was issued an unsportsmanlike penalty to give the Canucks a four minute powerplay and a prime opportunity to take a commanding lead. The 29th rank Toronto penalty kill managed to kill off the penalty and stay within one goal midway through the second period.
However, a giveaway by Phil Kessel at the Vancouver blueline caused an odd-man rush led by Jeff Tambellini, which eventually led to a beautifully set-up goal by Jannik Hansen. His third of the season was assisted by Ryan Kesler and Jeff Tambellini.
As the Canucks appeared to be pulling away, Mikhail Grabovski snapped home his 11th of the season and sixth goal in seven games to bring the Leafs within one. Clarke MacArthur dropped a pass to Grabovski in the high slot to set up a stoppable goal on Roberto Luongo. MacArthur’s assist evens his offensive totals to 16 assists and 25 total points in 32 games this season. Not bad for making only $1.1 million this season.
Christan Ehrhoff buried his 5th of the season on a shot from the point that squeaked through the five hole of Jonas Gustavsson. Jannik Hansen picked up an assist on the play for his second point of the game and ninth point of the season. Alexander Edler was also credited with an assist.
The Canucks ended any hope that the Leafs still had on an empty net marker by Henrik Sedin, who fought off two Leaf players to find the net. Despite scoring 27 points, only six of which are goals.
Roberto Luongo received first star honours in a 27-save performance. Ryan Kesler was tonight’s second star with an assist and an outstanding 66.7% success rate at the faceoff circle. A two-assist performance by Kevin Bieksa made him deserving of third star honours.
Toronto struggled mightily on faceoffs tonight, with Tyler Bozak recording the best success rate at only 37%. On a positive note, Clarke MacArthur continued his point streak with another assist, while Phil Kessel appears to be getting back on track. He led all Leaf shooters with six shots on net.
The Leafs will fly back to Toronto tonight and prepare for a Monday night matchup against the Atlanta Thrashers, who are 6-2-2 in their last ten games and currently sit in 2nd in the Eastern Conference. With Jean-Sebastien Giguere currently day-to-day with a pulled groin, Jonas Gustavsson will once against start between the pipes.
Entering the game, the Canucks were undefeated in their previous seven games against Toronto, dating back to 2003. The consistent play of Jonas Gustavsson, and secondary scoring from Clarke MacArthur and Mikhail Grabovski, gave Leaf fans some hope that their team could pull out a surprising win versus one of the league’s most dominant teams.
Both teams had a number of quality scoring chances in the first period, with the Leafs edging the Canucks 11-9 in shots through the first 20 minutes. It was a penalty filled affair – six minor penalties combined – that was capped off with a tap-in goal by Alexandre Burrows, for his sixth of the season. Kevin Bieksa earned his 4th of the season on the play, while Henrik Sedin was credited his 22nd assist of the campaign.
Toronto forward Kris Versteeg took an undisciplined slashing penalty at 11:33 of the second period. On his way to the penalty box, he expressed his frustration by mouthing off the ref. Versteeg was issued an unsportsmanlike penalty to give the Canucks a four minute powerplay and a prime opportunity to take a commanding lead. The 29th rank Toronto penalty kill managed to kill off the penalty and stay within one goal midway through the second period.
However, a giveaway by Phil Kessel at the Vancouver blueline caused an odd-man rush led by Jeff Tambellini, which eventually led to a beautifully set-up goal by Jannik Hansen. His third of the season was assisted by Ryan Kesler and Jeff Tambellini.
As the Canucks appeared to be pulling away, Mikhail Grabovski snapped home his 11th of the season and sixth goal in seven games to bring the Leafs within one. Clarke MacArthur dropped a pass to Grabovski in the high slot to set up a stoppable goal on Roberto Luongo. MacArthur’s assist evens his offensive totals to 16 assists and 25 total points in 32 games this season. Not bad for making only $1.1 million this season.
Christan Ehrhoff buried his 5th of the season on a shot from the point that squeaked through the five hole of Jonas Gustavsson. Jannik Hansen picked up an assist on the play for his second point of the game and ninth point of the season. Alexander Edler was also credited with an assist.
The Canucks ended any hope that the Leafs still had on an empty net marker by Henrik Sedin, who fought off two Leaf players to find the net. Despite scoring 27 points, only six of which are goals.
Roberto Luongo received first star honours in a 27-save performance. Ryan Kesler was tonight’s second star with an assist and an outstanding 66.7% success rate at the faceoff circle. A two-assist performance by Kevin Bieksa made him deserving of third star honours.
Toronto struggled mightily on faceoffs tonight, with Tyler Bozak recording the best success rate at only 37%. On a positive note, Clarke MacArthur continued his point streak with another assist, while Phil Kessel appears to be getting back on track. He led all Leaf shooters with six shots on net.
The Leafs will fly back to Toronto tonight and prepare for a Monday night matchup against the Atlanta Thrashers, who are 6-2-2 in their last ten games and currently sit in 2nd in the Eastern Conference. With Jean-Sebastien Giguere currently day-to-day with a pulled groin, Jonas Gustavsson will once against start between the pipes.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Leafs Win Second Straight in 5-4 Shootout Win Over Caps
The Maple Leafs had a dreadful month of November – going 3-7-3 – and loss their captain Dion Phaneuf in the process. Entering November, the Leafs sat 18th overall in the NHL standings with a 5-5-2 record. Since dropping 13 of 16 games, the Leafs currently sit 26th in the standings with 24 points in 26 games.
After a 5-0 blowout loss to the Edmonton Oilers on December 2nd, the Leafs have posted back-to-back shootout wins over the Boston Bruins and eastern conference leading Washington Capitals. After being down 4-1 heading into the third period, Toronto rallied back with three unanswered goals to even the game at one.
Mathieu Perreault opened the scoring at 2:55 of the first period by tipping in a shot from Capitals defenseman Tom Poti for his first goal of the season. Clarke MacArthur answered nine minutes later on the powerplay for the Leafs with a quick wrist shot over the shoulder of Michal Neuvirth. Nikolai Kulemin earned the only assist on the play and his seventh assist of the season.
With the game even at 1-1 towards the end of the first period, Mike Knuble put the Capitals ahead with his fifth of the season, from Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Poti. Mike Komisarek fumbled the puck and gave away the puck, which led to the goal. Midway through the second period, Mathieu Perreault scored his second of the game and season, on a Jay Rosehill giveaway, to give the Caps a comfortable lead.
Capitals enforcer D.J. King stood up for teammate Alex Ovechkin by dropping the gloves with Colton Orr, who took a run at Ovie earlier in the period. King and Orr each connected on a few punches, with Orr getting the decision. The following play, Ovechkin snapped a wrister over Jonas Gustavsson for his twelve goal of the season.
It was a familiar sight for the Leafs to be down heading into the third period, but they proved on Saturday against Boston that they are capable of overcoming a deficit.
Mikhail Grabovski one-timed his sixth of the year on a pass from Tomas Kaberle, who has 13 points this season (all assists). Nikolai Kulemin was credited with the secondary assist – his eighth of the season and second of the contest. Grabovski was rewarded for his solid play throughout the game. His 18 points in 26 games pro-rates to 57 points over an 82-game schedule and would result in a career season for him. Toronto’s flurry of goals continued with two markers 59 seconds apart from Tim Brent and Clarke MacArthur, who scored his second of the game and ninth of the season to force overtime. The game remained 4-4 through an exciting overtime to send the game to a shootout.
The Capitals opted to shoot second, hoping that the odds are on their side. Teams have shoot first this season have only a 35.7 winning percentage. Nazem Kadri, Mikhail Grabovski and Phil Kessel were selected as the Leafs shooters, while Alex Ovechkin, Mathieu Perreault and Alexander Semin shot for Washington.
Kadri walked in and fired a wrist shot into the glove of Michael Neuvirth. Ovechkin was also denied by the glove of Jonas Gustavsson. Mikhail Grabovski beat Neuvirth on a sublimely skilled spinorama move that completely faked out the Capitals goaltender. Gustavsson went on to stop Perreault and Semin, giving him a perfect 3-0 record against the Washington shooters. Phil Kessel deked to the backhand, only to be stopped point blank.
The Leafs never gave up after being down by three goals, despite their dominant play through the first two periods. Games like tonight are excellent confidence builders and are uplifting for a team with no identity. If Toronto can play a tight game against Pittsburgh on Wednesday, they will have a good chance to pull out another victory, especially if they play like tonight and have Dion Phaneuf back in the lineup. The Penguins have won 10 straight games, so a loss has got to come at some point. Why not Wednesday?
Toronto notched their tenth win of the season and second straight to bolster their record to 10-12-4. Following Wednesday’s game versus the Penguins, Toronto will faceoff against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday and Montreal Canadiens on Hockey Night in Canada.
After a 5-0 blowout loss to the Edmonton Oilers on December 2nd, the Leafs have posted back-to-back shootout wins over the Boston Bruins and eastern conference leading Washington Capitals. After being down 4-1 heading into the third period, Toronto rallied back with three unanswered goals to even the game at one.
Mathieu Perreault opened the scoring at 2:55 of the first period by tipping in a shot from Capitals defenseman Tom Poti for his first goal of the season. Clarke MacArthur answered nine minutes later on the powerplay for the Leafs with a quick wrist shot over the shoulder of Michal Neuvirth. Nikolai Kulemin earned the only assist on the play and his seventh assist of the season.
With the game even at 1-1 towards the end of the first period, Mike Knuble put the Capitals ahead with his fifth of the season, from Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Poti. Mike Komisarek fumbled the puck and gave away the puck, which led to the goal. Midway through the second period, Mathieu Perreault scored his second of the game and season, on a Jay Rosehill giveaway, to give the Caps a comfortable lead.
Capitals enforcer D.J. King stood up for teammate Alex Ovechkin by dropping the gloves with Colton Orr, who took a run at Ovie earlier in the period. King and Orr each connected on a few punches, with Orr getting the decision. The following play, Ovechkin snapped a wrister over Jonas Gustavsson for his twelve goal of the season.
It was a familiar sight for the Leafs to be down heading into the third period, but they proved on Saturday against Boston that they are capable of overcoming a deficit.
Mikhail Grabovski one-timed his sixth of the year on a pass from Tomas Kaberle, who has 13 points this season (all assists). Nikolai Kulemin was credited with the secondary assist – his eighth of the season and second of the contest. Grabovski was rewarded for his solid play throughout the game. His 18 points in 26 games pro-rates to 57 points over an 82-game schedule and would result in a career season for him. Toronto’s flurry of goals continued with two markers 59 seconds apart from Tim Brent and Clarke MacArthur, who scored his second of the game and ninth of the season to force overtime. The game remained 4-4 through an exciting overtime to send the game to a shootout.
The Capitals opted to shoot second, hoping that the odds are on their side. Teams have shoot first this season have only a 35.7 winning percentage. Nazem Kadri, Mikhail Grabovski and Phil Kessel were selected as the Leafs shooters, while Alex Ovechkin, Mathieu Perreault and Alexander Semin shot for Washington.
Kadri walked in and fired a wrist shot into the glove of Michael Neuvirth. Ovechkin was also denied by the glove of Jonas Gustavsson. Mikhail Grabovski beat Neuvirth on a sublimely skilled spinorama move that completely faked out the Capitals goaltender. Gustavsson went on to stop Perreault and Semin, giving him a perfect 3-0 record against the Washington shooters. Phil Kessel deked to the backhand, only to be stopped point blank.
The Leafs never gave up after being down by three goals, despite their dominant play through the first two periods. Games like tonight are excellent confidence builders and are uplifting for a team with no identity. If Toronto can play a tight game against Pittsburgh on Wednesday, they will have a good chance to pull out another victory, especially if they play like tonight and have Dion Phaneuf back in the lineup. The Penguins have won 10 straight games, so a loss has got to come at some point. Why not Wednesday?
Toronto notched their tenth win of the season and second straight to bolster their record to 10-12-4. Following Wednesday’s game versus the Penguins, Toronto will faceoff against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday and Montreal Canadiens on Hockey Night in Canada.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Mikhail Grabovski 2010-11 Preview
Last season proved to be a difficult one for second year Leafs - namely Luke Schenn and John Mitchell. Although, they weren’t the only players on the Leafs who struggled at times. Third-year player Mikhail Grabovski had his ups and down last season, but off-ice troubles and an injured wrist midway through the season essentially wrote his year off and left the team wanting more from their projected second line centre.Grabovski is one of the only remaining Leafs acquired in the Cliff Fletcher era. The Leafs originally sent defensive prospect Greg Pateryn and a second round draft pick to Montreal, which was in turn flipped to Chicago in exchange for veteran centre Robert Lang. Pateryn is a sturdy 6-2, 212-pound defenseman who is entering his third season with the University of Michigan.
It has been two-and-a-half years since the trade, but no real judgements can be made until Greg Pateryn makes it to the NHL, if ever, and if Grabovski rebounds this season. At this point, the trade looks fairly even judging by the fact that Grabovski has put up a solid 48-point season already and Montreal has a promising prospect on the rise. With Robert Lang no longer playing in the NHL, the Canadiens have nothing to show for in the short term, but may win the trade down the road.
Grabovski can prove his critics wrong by starting the season strong and staying healthy all year. His penchant for being soft and shying away in the corners has affected his ability to rack up points. However, he excels when carrying the puck into the offensive zone and dishing it off to his linemates for a shot. Grabovski has slick hands and a strong wrist shot, but that will only take him so far. If he plays with a more physical linemate like Colby Armstrong, he can focus on the skill aspect of the game as opposed to doing the dirty work.
Judging by his skill set and previous point total of 48 points, Grabovski is capable of scoring 55-60 points this season if he plays in all 82 games. Failing that, he can be leaned on for at least 40 points.
Toronto is criticized for their lack of size and experience at centre, so Grabovski is on the hot seat to produce in a second line role. If he is unable to meet those standards, all signs point to him being shipped out the door. Brian Burke wants to round out his top six forwards with skilled players who can fulfill their specific roles. Grabovski will be given every opportunity to shine, but at the same time, is on a short leash if he underperforms.
So many questions surround Grabovski, including the alleged assault charges on a incident that occurred during the Vancouver Olympics in February, that leave the team questioning his place in the organization. His play in the short term will determine if he will be part of the team’s long term plan.
2009-10 Statistics
59 games, 10 goals, 25 assists, 35 points, 10 penalty minutes
2010-11 Prediction
75 games, 22 goals, 36 assists, 58 points, 30 penalty minutes
3 Burning Questions
1 – Do you think Grabovski can rebound after a negative season last year and build on his 48-point season this year?
2 – How many points do you realistically think Grabovski can score?
3 – Would you rather have Nazem Kadri or another prospect centre the Leafs second line than Mikhail Grabovski?
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