Squeaking one out

It's probably a good thing -- big picture -- that the Toronto Maple Leafs could play as poorly as they did Wednesday night, and still deposit two points into the bank.

The way they stumbled and bumbled around their own zone for the first 40 minutes was downright painful. If you have this game on tape, you'll see virtually no tape-to-tape passes in the first 40 minutes. A team that prides itself on its speed continually threw up (figuratively) road blocks with tape-to-skate blade passes that brought rushes to a screeching halt faster than a speed trap on the DVP.

And yet, courtesy of two third-period power play goals and a couple more in the shootout, the Leafs remain undefeated in regulation with a 4-0-1 start thanks to a 4-3 shootout win over the Winnipeg Jets as they finally head out on the road to face the defending Stanley Cup champion Bruins on Thursday. From there it's on to Montreal, Philadelphia and New York City.

You could point fingers about what went wrong against the Jets, and if you suffered through the first 40 minutes of the game you know what I'm talking about, but at the end of the day all that mattered was what went right.

For a change, the power play deserves a little credit. Toronto entered the evening sitting 24th overall in power play success with a chilly 9.5 per cent success rate and looked abysmal in going 0-for-2 on its first two attempts, but in the third period scored back-to-back goals in 27 seconds.

Coach Ron Wilson tweaked his man-advantage cast and got the results he was looking for.

"That was huge," Wilson said, "But I had to get David Steckel out there if it was just to win a faceoff in the offensive zone. That was the big difference. You get to set up in the zone and run your power play instead of chasing it down the ice. Half the time the guys are coming off saying, 'Why don't we win the faceoff?' instead of focusing on the job at hand."

Steckel does not possess the offensive skills one would normally associate with players who generally play in the power play. But when he hunches over the take the draw, especially in key situations, he is almost unbeatable. He doesn't want to be defined by his ability to win faceoffs, but perhaps he should reconsider and take a little pride in his defined skill.

In the only NHL game of the evening, the Leafs welcomed the Jets to town with open arms and not much else. Toronto fans actually gave the Jets a standing ovation just a few minutes before they started booing the locals for their shoddy play. Those same fans booed their home team in the second period and again as they headed to the dressing room before the third.

Asked what he saw from his team in the first two periods, the ever-candid Wilson declared: "Not much. If you don't move the puck out of your end -- crisply and cleanly -- then you're not a very good team. As we shortened out bench, basically the whole third period, we were moving pucks and had some pressure up the ice and got our speed going. If we're not head-manning pucks quickly and just chipping it and using our speed to get in the fore-check quickly we're not a very good team."

As it stands, and this kind of sounds funny considering they are 4-0-1, the Leafs aren't playing like a good team. Not yet. They are a good line and a good goalie.

Phil Kessel has played remarkably well, scoring seven goals and five assists in five games. Every bit as good has been his linemate Joffrey Lupul, who scored two goals in regulation and added a third in the shootout -- for the record, Leafs fans tossed one hat on the ice to acknowledge his sort-of hat trick -- and he now has four goals and seven points on the year. Goalie James Reimer looked a little shaky at times, when the ships were down, his flipper-like legs saved the day.

There were, however, issues. Defenceman Mike Komisarek, who had played well to date, struggled and was benched in the third period. Fellow defender Luke Schenn continued to receive negligible ice-time. Wilson leaned heavily on captain Dion Phaneuf and rookie Jake Gardiner, both of whom delivered, but admitted it was a painful night for some of his trusted blueliners.

"We were stuck in our zone trying to pass it through; bobbling pucks and trying to do too much instead of simplifying the game," Wilson said. "I had to find ways to get other guys out there a little bit more. Dion Phaneuf is playing phenomenally and obviously (Jake) Gardiner was on top of his game and the other four defencemen were having trouble moving the puck.

"At the end of the day that's what it is; moving the puck quickly or being able to skate yourself out of danger. Dion (Phaneuf) is moving the puck, but he skates it out of danger well and Gards is an entirely different type of player. He can hold onto the puck for 25 seconds and open things up. It's pretty neat to watch."

CH-CH-CH-CHANGES: Expect defenceman Cody Franson to be back in the lineup Thursday against Boston. Although Komisarek has played well, he seems like the likely candidate to get the night off. Coach Ron Wilson said Colby Armstrong, who was seen on crutches after being belted into the boards on his first shift of the game, won't travel to Boston. Wilson said he expects to add a few different players into the lineup vs. the Bruins.

GOAL OR NO GOAL?: When is your first NHL goal not your first NHL goal? When you score it in a shootout. Matt Frattin scored the clincher in the shootout to cement Toronto's victory against the Jets, but when you check his stats, it still shows nothing for goals scored. Goals scored in the shootout do no not count. Doesn't that seem just a little wrong?

CAN THE STREAK CONTINUE: Wilson was asked it Kessel is on one of his famous hot streaks and if he can continue. "How do you know?" Wilson said. "He's always been a streaky player and he's on a good one. Only time will tell if he finds a way to be more consistent. I don't see any holes in his game right now. He's back-checking, fore-checking, making good decisions with the puck and not turning it over and staying on top of things. He wants the puck all the time; he's demanding it and he's getting it. That's the big thing."

Veteran hockey columnist Mike Brophy will cover the Toronto Maple Leafs for sportsnet.ca for the 2011/12 season.