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NHL Draft Lottery Result: Leafs to draft fifth

The Toronto Maple Leafs will draft 5th in the opening round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, following the result of the draft lottery held on Tuesday.

Edmonton won the draft lottery, meaning they moved up one place to earn the first overall pick. The Leafs, who had the 5th-worst record in the NHL in the regular season, had an 8.1% chance of winning the lottery.

The 2012 first-round draft order for the 14 non-playoff teams is as follows:
1. Edmonton
2. Columbus
3. Montreal
4. NY Islanders
5. Toronto
6. Anaheim
7. Minnesota
8. Carolina
9. Winnipeg
10. Tampa Bay
11. Washington (from Colorado)
12. Buffalo
13. Dallas
14. Calgary

The 2012 NHL Entry Draft takes place June 22-23 at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh.

Ring the Bell, it’s a knockout

Apr. 7: Leafs 1 at Montreal 4

(Grabovski continues excellent play in Montreal)
Leafs scorers: Phaneuf (12)
Canadiens scorers: Plekanec (17), Pacioretty (33), Cole (35), Staubitz (1)
Links: Box Score | Discussion boards

Forward lines:: Frattin-Bozak-Kessel, MacArthur-Grabovski-Crabb, Lombardi-Steckel-Connolly, Rosehill-Armstrong-Brown
Defence pairings: Phaneuf-Komisarek, Liles-Franson, Gardiner-Schenn
Goaltenders: Scrivens Scrivens (Loss, 58:49 minutes played, 23 saves 3 GA), Gustavsson (0:00)

Recap:

Is Quincy available, Da Vinci? We’ve got a body on our hands.

Heck, Klugman or Campbell might do for this sorry lot.

The Toronto Maple Leafs lost the last game of the season to the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre, clinching the fifth overall spot before the lottery proceedings. With around an eight percent chance to move up into the first spot the Leafs are likely to retain the pick they have with an outside chance at moving down a spot too.
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Phaneuf’s OT winner ends Leafs home season

Apr. 5: Leafs 3 vs. Lightning 2

(Leafs captain scores at 4:01 of overtime)
Leafs scorers: Connolly (13), Gardiner (7), Phaneuf (11)
Lightning scorers: St. Louis (25), Stamkos (59)
Links: Box Score | Discussion boards

Forward lines:: Frattin-Bozak-Kessel, MacArthur-Lombardi-Ashton, Crabb-Connolly-Steckel, Rosehill-Armstrong-Brown
Defence pairings: Phaneuf-Komisarek, Gardiner-Franson, Liles-Schenn
Goaltenders: Scrivens (Win, 64:01 minutes played, 35 saves 2 GA) Gustavsson (0:00)

Recap:
The Leafs didn’t completely contain Steven Stamkos. But they stoppped the Markham, Ontario native from celebrating a milestone at Air Canada Centre.

For much of the last half of the third period of Thursday night’s visit from the Tampa Bay Lightning it appeared that Stamkos’ 59th goal would hold up as the game-winner. The stage was set for the soon-to-be Rocket Richard Trophy winner to become the first NHL player to reach the sixty-goal plateau since Washington’s Alex Ovechkin accomplished the feat with a 65-goal campaign four years ago.

With the graduate of the Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Markham Waxers having registered 18 points in fifteen previous games against Toronto, Stamkos had the odds in his favour.
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Reading Royals Review

The Royals Review

(April 3)

READING, Pa. – Talk about cutting it close. The Reading Royals, ECHL affiliate of the Maple Leafs and Marlies, didn’t qualify for the Kelly Cup playoffs until 45 minutes after the end of their last regular season game. Now, they have a date with Eastern Conference champ Elmira in the first round of the post-season.
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Leafs Buffaloed, collapse from 3-goal lead

Apr. 3: Leafs 5 vs. Sabres 6 (OT)

(Frattin gets Gordie Howe hat trick)
Leafs scorers: Bozak 2 (18), Frattin (8), MacArthur (20), Gardiner (6)
Sabres scorers: Ennis (15), Sulzer 2 (3), Roy 2 (17), Leopold (10)
Links: Box Score | Discussion boards

Forward lines:: Frattin-Bozak-Kessel, MacArthur-Colborne-Crabb, Lombardi-Connolly-Brown, Rosehill-Ashton
Defence pairings: Gunnarsson-Phaneuf, Liles-Komisarek, Gardiner-Schenn, Franson
Goaltenders: Scrivens (OT Loss, 63:29 minutes played, 39 saves 6 GA) Rynnas (0:00)

Recap:
I love the smell of burning chrysalis in the mourning, that spring failure in the air, smells like… golf.

That’s not to suggest that the Leafs were really about to turn into a butterfly and make us forget how bad they’ve been at times this year. But last night’s overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres was certainly a bittersweet moment that, in many ways, encapsulates a seasons worth of hardship, disappointment and failure.

Ten Little Known Reasons for the Leafs’ Collapse

1. Team disappointed when they found out the Carlyle they were playing for was Randy and not Belinda.

2. Leafs are used to their season being over by spring. Thus, when Wiarton Willie called for an early spring, this was bound to happen.

3. Joffrey Lupul separated his shoulder…..carrying the team.

4. With the government cuts to the CBC, they figured most the games wouldn’t be televised so no one would notice.

5. Team confused about the whole DST thing. They fell back when they should have sprung ahead.

6. Let’s face it Tim Connolly only plays about 50 games every year. How was he supposed to know 82 games of effort is required.

7. Global Warming.

8. Hockey players are a superstitious bunch and didn’t want to break tradition by making the playoffs.

9. Warmer weather means more cars on the road, and we all know how Kessel feels about being in traffic.

10. They need more players from Ontario. Or at least that’s what I heard somewhere.

RT @SUN_TYCHKOWSKI: Watching the news. What, were the Canucks just eliminated from something? Oops, that was the student riot in Montrea ...