Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey News and Views

The Royals Review

(February 3)

READING, Pa. – Though the names have changed , the scoreboard results of the Reading Royals, the ECHL affiliate of the Maple Leafs and Marlies, have stayed very much the same for most of the season.

During January, hopes were raised in Reading after Toronto welcomed back an influx of newly healthy NHL and AHL players. The Royals reaped some manpower rewards as a result of those moves but have continued to have mediocre results.

Other players on the Reading roster are shifting. too. Co-affiliate Boston is moving players back and forth and Royals’ coach Larry Courville continues to trade and tinker with his lineup in hopes of finding the right combination that can get on a roll and earn a playoff berth.
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Reimer shuts the door in Leafs win

Feb. 1: Leafs 1 vs. Penguins 0

(James Reimer gets his second shutout this season)
Leafs scorers: MacArthur (16)
Penguins scorers: (none)
Links: Box Score | Discussion boards

Forward lines:Lupul-Bozak-Kessel, Lombardi-Connolly-Crabb, Kulemin-Grabovski-MacArthur, Armstrong-Steckel-Brown
Defence pairings: Phaneuf-Gunnarsson, Liles-Franson, Gardiner-Schenn
Goaltenders: Reimer (Win 60:00 minutes played, 25 saves, 0 GA), Gustavsson (0:00)

Recap
For entertainment value, if last night’s Leafs vs. Penguins game was a feature film, then tonight’s rematch was the ugly sequel.

That hardly matters to Toronto fans who saw the team squeak out a 1-0 victory at Air Canada Centre just 24 hours after dropping a heartbreaker in Pittsburgh.

The teams had plodded to a scoreless draw beyond the midway point of the third period. With just under seven minutes remaining, Clarke MacArthur converted a pass from Mikhail Grabovski for the only goal of the game.
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Liles and Armstrong to return tonight; Kadri and Aulie sent to Marlies

(Liles missed 16 games)
Colby Armstrong and John-Michael Liles will return to the Leafs lineup as Toronto hosts Pittsburgh in the second game of a home-and-home series.

Armstrong has been out of the lineup since December 19 (18 games) with a concussion, while Liles has missed 16 games after an injury concussion he suffered as a result of a punishing bodycheck by Buffalo’s Paul Gaustad on December 22.

In order to make room on the roster, the Leafs returned Nazem Kadri and Keith Aullie to the Toronto Marlies of the AHL.
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Meltdown in Steeltown

Jan. 31: Leafs 4 at Penguins 5 (SO)

(Grabovski has two-goal night, but Leafs blow lead)
Leafs scorers: Grabovski 2 (18), Bozak (8), MacArthur (15)
Penguins scorers: Cooke (8), Sullivan (10, Vitale (3), Malkin (27), shootout winner – Malkin
Links: Box Score | Discussion boards

Forward lines:Lupul-Bozak-Kessel, Lombardi-Connolly-Kadri, Kulemin-Grabovski-MacArthur, Crabb-Steckel-Brown
Defence pairings: Phaneuf-Schenn, Gardiner-Franson, Gunnarsson-Komisarek
Goaltenders: Gustavsson (Shootout Loss 65:00 minutes played, 31 saves, 4 GA), Reimer (0:00)

Recap
Coming out of the All-Star break, the Eastern Conference playoff race showed no margin of error in the standings.

With the Leafs, Devils, Panthers and Capitals all at 55 points, no team can afford give away games that they are capable of winning in regulation.

This is what makes Toronto’s 5-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday so bitter for Leafs fans. The visitors to Consol Energy Center dominated for over 46 minutes, with a 4-1 lead seeming all but insurmountable when Clarke MacArthur gave his team a three-goal cushion just 19 seconds after birthday boy Mikhail Grabovski scored his second of the game.
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Blue And White Beat: What if the All-Star Game always had a draft?

(Kessel joins Lupul and Phaneuf on Chara’s team)

Phil Kessel insists that he doesn’t care, but the Leafs winger has to be ecstatic at having shaken the label of the last NHL All-Star draft pick that he involuntarily inherited a year ago.

Based on his play this season, combined with having an ally in Toronto teammate and Team Chara assistant captain Joffrey Lupul , there was virtually no chance that he’d regain the title, which was passed to Logan Couture of the San Jose Sharks on Thursday.

This is only the second All-Star game that has used the draft format. But suppose the pond hockey-like format had always been used to establish both teams’ rosters. Which Leafs would have suffered the ignominy of being the last pick?
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Liles extended for four years

(Leafs defenceman is a key power-play asset)
Toronto announced on Wednesday the signing of defenceman John-Michael Liles to a contract extension.

The deal is believed to be worth $3.875 million a season.

Liles – who is in his first season in a Leafs uniform – has 21 points in 34 games this season, and has been on injury reserve since December 27 due to a concussion.

The move is speculated to be a precursor to a forthcoming Leafs trade involving a defenceman.

Links: TSN.ca | TMLfans discussion board