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Game 4 - Colorado Avalanche vs Toronto Maple Leafs OTL3-2

McPwnage

New member
torontovscolorado.png


full preview: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/preview?gid=2011101721
A strong start is not a new experience for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Their next opponent, meanwhile, is in the midst of its best beginning in 11 seasons.

The Colorado Avalanche will try to add to their early success by completing a sweep of a five-game road trip and handing the Maple Leafs their first loss of the season Monday night.

Toronto (3-0-0) started 4-0 in 2010-11 but missed the playoffs for the sixth straight year. The Maple Leafs took another step toward ending that drought by rallying for a 3-2 win over Calgary on Saturday in the third of five straight home games to open this season.


Leafs Lines:
Lupul - Bozak - Kessel
MacArthur - Grabovski - Kulemin
Frattin -  Lombardi - Armstrong
Brown - Steckel - Dupuis

Gunnarsson - Phaneuf
Liles - Schenn
Franson - Komisarek

Reimer
Gustavsson

Avs Lines:
Lindstrom - Duchene - Hejduk
Jones - Stastny - Kobasew
Landeskog - O'Reilly - Daniel Winnik
McLeod - Mcclament - Kevin Porter

Hejda - Johnson
O'Brien - Quincey
Wilson - O'Byrne

Varlamov
Giguere

Leafs Scoring Leaders:
Phil Kessel - GP:3 G:5 A:3 P:8 +7
Joffrey Lupul - GP:3 G:2 A:3 P:5 +6
Dion Phaneuf - GP:3 G:1 A:2 P:3 +7

Avalanche Scoring Leaders:
David Jones - GP:5 G:3 A:1 P:4 +1
Milan Hejduk - GP:5 G:2 A:2 P:4 -1
Erik Johnson - GP:5 G:0 A:4 P:4 -3

Starting Goaltenders:
James Reimer 3-0-0 2.33gaa .927sv%
Jean-Sebastien Giguere 1-0-0 1.00gaa .940sv%
 
I like how the Col O'Rado lineup has O'Reilly, O'Brien, and O'Byrne in it.  They should keep the theme going by scoring O'Goals.  :P

go leafs!
 
It's a minor nitpick but in future GDT's could it be made clear in the title where the game is being played? Either by using @ or the traditional method of listing the home team second.
 
Saint Nik said:
It's a minor nitpick but in future GDT's could it be made clear in the title where the game is being played? Either by using @ or the traditional method of listing the home team second.

home team is clear, if it is a home game I always put vs, if it is an away game I always put @. 
 
McPwnage said:
home team is clear, if it is a home game I always put vs, if it is an away game I always put @.

Yes, well, to know that I'd have to know you so it actually wasn't terribly clear. Like I said, a minor nitpick but something I'd appreciate.
 
I still question whether the Avs team is legit or not with their 4-1 start. 

The boys should bank a couple more points here with a 5-2 win.
 
The Avs D is huge but not really talented.  Still, they are a bunch of big boys (I think 4 of them are over 6'2, 230 lbs or whatever).

I remember last year the Rangers D gave the Leafs fits because of their size.  They were big, strong, mostly shot blockers and it really caused us trouble. 

I am hoping we've improved in that regard and can take advantage with our quickness and their inability to move the puck. 
 
It's interesting to see the Avs all chipping in on offense. If there's anything I'm worried about it's that. Kessel has carried the team for the last two games, and we can't rely on him forever. We need to start getting more balanced scoring, and jeez do we ever have to start burying some of our PP chances.
 
Peter D. said:
I still question whether the Avs team is legit or not with their 4-1 start. 

Considering 2 of those wins were in the shootout and another was against the sens, I'd say it's a very fair question. Like our Leafs, they're most likely not as good as their current record indicates.
 
I think we have a better chance with Giguere in nets than with Varlamov in. If anything, the current Leafs should know Giggy's weaknesses pretty well.

We have to watch a few of their players, mostly Duschene, Landeskog, Hejduk and Statsny, but they are a beatable team. Maybe our quickness will help beat their big defense all night.
 
Bender said:
It's interesting to see the Avs all chipping in on offense. If there's anything I'm worried about it's that. Kessel has carried the team for the last two games, and we can't rely on him forever. We need to start getting more balanced scoring, and jeez do we ever have to start burying some of our PP chances.

Agree we are going to need a big game from the Grabovski line and/or on the PP eventually.

We also have yet to see the scoring depth from our 3rd line that everybody was talking about.  Lombardi got on the board against Montreal but Frattin has been snake-bit with 0 pts and Armstrong also has 0 pts. 

That line might be better when Connolly returns and Bozak drops in (if he can continue to win faceoffs and make defensive plays like he has on the 1st line), but there's no reason that they shouldn't be contributing now with those 3 guys.  However Bozak will probably displace Frattin who while snake-bit has gotten the most chances.

Maybe I'll go out on a limb and predict Armstrong sets Frattin up for a goal tonight and hope that it happens.
 
pnjunction said:
Agree we are going to need a big game from the Grabovski line and/or on the PP eventually.

I'm starting to wonder if Grabovski is playing hurt, with that shot off the foot in pre-season? He hasn't been playing bad, but maybe he is not 100%. Just something that crossed my mind.
 
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