Leading the way

In times of trouble, a coach likes to know he can lean on his team's captain for help.

That was certainly the case Saturday night in Montreal when Dion Phaneuf was easily the Toronto Maple Leafs best player in a hard-fought 5-4 overtime win. The 26-year-old not only scored his second goal of the year, along with an assist; he led the Leafs in ice time at 28:48 and as hard as the host Canadiens tried to claim two points from Toronto, Phaneuf just wouldn't let them.

At the end of the game coach Ron Wilson singled out Phaneuf as the man who decided the game in their team's favor.

"Dion, I thought, took over the game in terms of skating up the ice and applying pressure," Wilson said.

No question about that.

While winger Phil Kessel has justifiably received most of the credit for the Maple Leafs early-season surge, given the fact he's the NHL's leading scorer, Phaneuf has been a rock on the blueline and appears to have found the offence that had abandoned him after three productive years when he first entered the league in 2005. Currently tied for the league lead in points among defencemen with nine points, Phaneuf's game has matured.

There were those who fittingly questioned the decision to make Phaneuf the team's captain last season at age 25. His career, while not turbulent, has been at the very least a little bumpy. Phaneuf burst onto the scene as a big-hitting, high-scoring defenceman with the Calgary Flames but his effectiveness had slipped by the time he was traded to Toronto. The player who had Norris Trophy written all over him was suddenly, many suggested, being named captain of the Maple Leafs if only to give him a boost and not because he deserved the honour.

Nevertheless, Phaneuf accepted the position and, according to those who have spent a lot of time around him, he has grown nicely into the position. He seems to understand the magnitude of being the captain of the most scrutinized team in hockey. Mind you, the team is off to a great start. Phaneuf's greatest challenge will come when the team hits a losing streak. That's when we'll see where his maturity level stands.

Winger Joffrey Lupul believes Phaneuf demonstrates his leadership consistently.

"Just the way he plays every day," Lupul told Sportsnet.ca. "He'll play all 82 games the same way. He's a guy that's not afraid to get under the other team's skin. He can turn the momentum of a game with a hit or a fight. At practice he brings the same attributes. I mean, he's not out here drilling guys in practice, but he plays every drill like it's his last and I think a lot of guys can learn from that."

The Maple Leafs caught a bit of a break last week when the Calgary Flames secured their first win of the year in Montreal two nights before visiting Toronto.

After losses in their first two games, and having become the first team in the history of the NHL to hold an impromptu players' only meeting following Game 2 of an 82-game season, the Flames were not nearly as ornery as they may have been had they dropped a third straight out of the gate.

Toronto will have no such luck Monday night.

After the OT win in Montreal, the Leafs have the honour of visiting Philadelphia where the Flyers suddenly find themselves on a two-game losing streak, having dropped a 4-2 decision to the St. Louis Blues Saturday which was preceded by a 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals Thursday.

You just know the Flyers are angry and ready to do everything possible to right the ship.

Toronto enters the game with its No. 1 goalie, James Reimer, sidelined with a neck issue courtesy of being slammed into by Montreal captain Brian Gionta in the early going of Saturday night's game. Reimer stayed in the game for the remainder of the initial period, but was replaced by Jonas Gustavsson for the final 41:23. Gustavsson, who has struggled in two appearances, is scheduled to start against the Flyers.

Not having Reimer in goal is a huge concern for the Leafs.

However, the Leafs have a couple of things going for them that just may make things alright. Obviously Kessel's start to the year is a huge bonus. After being held pointless in Boston, he checked in with a goal and an assist in Montreal. Also, the line of Mikhail Grabovski, Nikolai Kulemin and Clarke MacArthur is starting to click. Kulemin forced overtime with his second goal of the year against Montreal and Grabovski, the former Hab, won it with a nifty spin-o-rama move on the doorstep at 1:23 of the extra frame.

Although the Maple Leafs boasted about having eight NHL-quality defencemen during the pre-season, it hasn't exactly unfolded that way. Of the eight, Keith Aulie was deemed to be the most expendable, probably as much because of his contract status which allowed the Leafs to farm him out without fear of losing him as his play. He was sent to the Marlies.

Cody Franson was acquired from Nashville, but has not yet made the grade as a regular. That big shot he brought to town? Haven't seen it yet. Newcomer John-Michael Liles arrived from Colorado with the belief he'd quarterback the power play, but even with five assists in seven games, he has not been convincing with the man advantage. Fourth-year defenceman Luke Schenn is struggling to find his role with the team, as well as for a regular shift, as is veteran Mike Komisarek. Carl Gunnarsson is generally a safe defender and 21-year-old Jake Gardiner has an impressive upside, but is being brought along slowly. A few passes up the middle that were picked off in Montreal won't help his cause.

With Gustavsson starting against the Flyers, the defence will have to be better than it has been thus far.

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