Forget asking if a glass is half full or empty; what you think of the Toronto Maple Leafs has become the new litmus test for separating optimists and cynics.
The Leafs’ thrilling 6-5 overtime defeat of the Edmonton Oilers ran their record to 5-1-0, and provided more fodder for those who seek out the good.
Did you see James van Riemsdyk continuing to emerge as an unstoppable force down low? How about the chemistry between Nazem Kadri and Joffrey Lupul? The gritty Dave Bolland doing what clutch guys do best, and bagging the extra-time winner. And, oh yeah, Jonathan Bernier making the best save of the season on Mark Arcobello in the dying minutes to keep his team within rallying distance. The words “resilient” and “character” met every microphone in the Leafs dressing room, justifiably so.
But there were some sheepish smiles on display, too, the result of those poor clearing passes, ill-advised shots into shin pads at the offensive blueline that spring odd-man rushes, and the knowledge that a couple of your tallies were gifted by an Oilers team that hasn’t surrendered less than four goals in any of its five contests this season. If you’re keeping an eye out for points of concern, there was no shortage of viewing material.
“There are some things we want to clean up so we’re just getting those chances, not (opponents), too,” van Riemsdyk said of the back-and-forth play.
Allow us to unleash our inner Grinch for a minute and contemplate what the takeaway from that game is with one less dubious play from Devan Dubnyk in the Oilers crease. Are we talking about how Bernier-amazing desperation save aside-looked human for the first time? How the decision-making on the defence corps is often about as sound as you’d expect from a bunch of bachelors in Las Vegas? Cody Franson and Morgan Rielly were both minus -2, but they weren’t the only culprits. Franson pointed a finger at himself after the game, noting he’s got to do more to provide a safety net for his 19-year-old partner.
“We know we have to be a lot better than that,” Franson said as the embers from the barnburner still glowed.
Nitpicking about a Leafs triumph might seem fussy, but it’s actually an endorsement of where this team is. Sure, it’s all about W’s in the world of pro sports, but Toronto is getting to the point where it does matter how they win. We know they’ll overwhelm some teams with speed; we expect they’ll get good goaltending most nights, but the sloppy play can be blight on the bright spots. It’s awful generous of the Buds to give fans their money’s worth each outing, but they’ve got to stop providing coach Randy Carlyle with so much video room material.
But enough of that; let’s rewind to the positive. The Leafs are pocketing crucial points while their key off-season signing, David Clarkson, sits out a 10-game suspension. Bolland brought a championship mentality from Chicago and he’s putting on a tutorial every night. Bernier, even without his ‘A’ game, was one save better than the other guy. Three lines looked dangerous, and the fourth did everything asked of it. The Leafs acknowledged their miscues, but Dion Phaneuf and his boys weren’t going to get too preoccupied picking things apart.
“We did a lot of things we probably want back, but we did a lot of good things on the offensive side.”
Make of it what you will.
