Post by Site Admin on Nov 25, 2008 23:06:13 GMT -5
Leafs aim to keep Kovalchuk quiet
While an Ilya Kovalchuk visit to Toronto usually sparks plenty of conversation, the thoughts of Maple Leafs fans might be elsewhere leading up to Tuesday's contest against Atlanta
While that has been the case for many of his visits in the past six years, the thoughts of Maple Leafs fans might be elsewhere leading up to Tuesday's NHL contest (7:30 p.m. ET).
For starters, the Leafs have reached an agreement-in-principle to hire Brian Burke as their president and general manager. There are still some issues to be worked out and a deal is not expected to be announced until at least this weekend.
There's also plenty for fans to chew on about the performance of the current GM, Cliff Fletcher, who dealt the underachieving Carlo Colaiacovo and Alex Steen to St. Louis on Monday for Lee Stempniak.
The former Blues right-winger will suit up against Atlanta, which arrives having lost three consecutive games, dropping them to the basement of the Eastern Conference standings.
Less than two years removed from a 27-goal campaign, Stempniak will attempt to help his new team snap its own three-game losing skid.
Toronto has dropped five of its last seven and sits 11th in the 15-team East, a game below .500 with a 7-8-5 record.
But a visit by the Thrashers might be just what Leafs goaltender Vesa Toskala and his teammates need.
The 31-year-old Finn stands 32nd in goals-against average (3.33) and 42nd in save percentage (.876) among NHL netminders, numbers far off his career averages (2.57, .907).
The good news for head coach Ron Wilson is Toskala's career record of 5-0-1 with a 1.81 goals-against average versus Atlanta.
Kovalchuk and company aren't exactly the most confident group of late, coming off a 2-0 shutout at the hands of Columbus on Saturday.
The Thrashers had a season-low 15 shots and have lost in that department in 17 of their 19 games this season.
It's something that head coach John Anderson, a former Maple Leafs forward, and assistant Todd Nelson have been emphasizing.
While an Ilya Kovalchuk visit to Toronto usually sparks plenty of conversation, the thoughts of Maple Leafs fans might be elsewhere leading up to Tuesday's contest against Atlanta
While that has been the case for many of his visits in the past six years, the thoughts of Maple Leafs fans might be elsewhere leading up to Tuesday's NHL contest (7:30 p.m. ET).
For starters, the Leafs have reached an agreement-in-principle to hire Brian Burke as their president and general manager. There are still some issues to be worked out and a deal is not expected to be announced until at least this weekend.
There's also plenty for fans to chew on about the performance of the current GM, Cliff Fletcher, who dealt the underachieving Carlo Colaiacovo and Alex Steen to St. Louis on Monday for Lee Stempniak.
The former Blues right-winger will suit up against Atlanta, which arrives having lost three consecutive games, dropping them to the basement of the Eastern Conference standings.
Less than two years removed from a 27-goal campaign, Stempniak will attempt to help his new team snap its own three-game losing skid.
Toronto has dropped five of its last seven and sits 11th in the 15-team East, a game below .500 with a 7-8-5 record.
But a visit by the Thrashers might be just what Leafs goaltender Vesa Toskala and his teammates need.
The 31-year-old Finn stands 32nd in goals-against average (3.33) and 42nd in save percentage (.876) among NHL netminders, numbers far off his career averages (2.57, .907).
The good news for head coach Ron Wilson is Toskala's career record of 5-0-1 with a 1.81 goals-against average versus Atlanta.
Kovalchuk and company aren't exactly the most confident group of late, coming off a 2-0 shutout at the hands of Columbus on Saturday.
The Thrashers had a season-low 15 shots and have lost in that department in 17 of their 19 games this season.
It's something that head coach John Anderson, a former Maple Leafs forward, and assistant Todd Nelson have been emphasizing.