Adding John Tavares to their roster pre-season, the Toronto Maple Leafs were expected to take the Stanley Cup without a hitch, but they trail the Tampa Bay Lightning by 14 points and the New York Islanders are only one point behind them.
Tavares’ former team, who was supposed to be at the bottom of the barrel for this season, is only a point behind them. Auston Matthews, who spent a portion of the season recovering from injury is one of Toronto’s few bright spots, but even his 1.21 points per game has not put him in the league’s top ten. Their team stats have not exactly been top tier, either. Center Mitchell Marner is their top point-getter with 63, which is only 10th best in the National Hockey League. Tavares is 24th with 56 and Morgan Rielly is 32nd with 52. In two of the last three seasons, the top point-getter on the Cup-winning team was in the top three of point-getters in the entire NHL. The numbers do not bode well for the Maple Leafs if they keep up these poor numbers. They are also only 5-4-1 in their last 10 games, the overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings who are the third worst team in the Eastern Conference. Their other four losses are to the Arizona Coyotes, Florida Panthers, Colorado Avalanche, and the Boston Bruins. Boston is the only one of these teams who are in a position to acquire even a Wild Card spot. That brings up another interesting point involving the Bruins. Their mean age is 26.03 years old, meaning that they are a very young team that Toronto will have to contend with for years to come, which hinders their shot at future Cups, as well. Why is that so important if Boston is struggling to hold onto a Wild Card spot? This season, the Bruins and Leafs faced four times, three of which Boston won. One of those Boston wins was in Toronto. Boston also won two of those games by three goals or more, losing their only loss by two goals. Now, the Leafs are only slightly older than the Bruins, their mean age is 26.33 years old, but their record against this young Boston team shows that they will have troubles with Boston in not only this year’s postseason, where the two have a high chance of playing each other, but in future seasons for at least the next five years. If teams like Boston are going to be such a roadblock for the team that was supposed to have an easy road to the Stanley Cup this season, then the Leafs are in for some major issues. Not to mention that a team from perpetually warm Tampa Bay, Florida is beating them at a game played on ice, something Tampa has not seen naturally occurring since December 23 of 1989. Toronto is in trouble and is ultimately a disappointment to their fanbase. Jesse A. Cook “Maple Leafs Aren’t Everything They Should Be” February 6, 2019
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Scott Foster’s marvellous performance Thursday night prompted the troubled Philadelphia Flyers to make a bold move. The accountant shutout the Winnipeg Jets in the last 14:01 of the third period to ensure a 6-2 win for the home Chicago Blackhawks and the NHL took notice. The Flyers face a desperate situation and so a desperate decision was made.
The signing came at almost no cost to Philadelphia as Foster was not officially under any contract with the Blackhawks and he was more than willing to accept a salary that, while insignificant for a professional sports team, buys Foster a bigger house. At 300K, Foster gladly signed the Flyers’ deal and the former minor league goaltender is now officially back in professional hockey. I hear Ol’ Stanley polishing his cup! Foster is still in awe at what he initially called a “cool experience.” Excited about the new signing, he said, “This is something that no one can ever take away from me; it’s something that I can go home and tell my kids.” Coming off a Super Bowl win, Philly is eyeing a second prize. Brian Elliott had a brilliant season, going 21-11 in 40 starts and the team looked to be in good hands (or pads, I should say). Unfortunately, a terrible thing befell the Underdog City: Elliott suffered a lower-body injury, his second injury of the season, and is not likely to return before this regular season is out (maybe even before the playoffs are out if Foster proves himself again, which he undoubtedly will). Elliott’s replacement, Michal Neuvirth, aside from his mediocrity in net, also suffered an injury, hospitalizing him until further notice. He went 8-7 this year, beating mainly mediocre teams, such as the New York Rangers, Buffalo Sabres, and Vancouver Canucks. Now they’ll be facing better teams during their journey to their third Cup (and let’s face it, Philly would have Foster, who has experience, rather than Petr Mrazek in net). Foster played almost a full period against the Jets and did not allow a single goal. Winnipeg occupies the second best record in the Western Conference Central Division, the third best record in the Western Conference, and the fifth best record in the entire National Hockey League. The Jets have only been shutout once this year, and that was a December 16, 2017 road 2-0 loss to the eighth best in the West, the St. Louis Blues. Foster provides the first bright light Philly has seen since Elliot went down in a February 11 shootout loss to the Arizona Coyotes. Of course, the fact that this is April 1, April Fools’ Day, should convey that this article is written in celebration of this date. Have plenty of jokes, today that are hopefully better than this. Jesse A. Cook “Scott Foster Given Starting Job In Philly” April 1, 2018 |
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