DRAMA RISING IN THE NORTH AS LEAFS LOOK TO RIGHT SHIP
The timing couldn't be more perfect. Then again, it couldn't be more potentially dangerous.
Losers of five straight games, with Zach Hyman and Zach Bogosian out with injuries and with their goaltending in shambles, the Toronto Maple Leafs desperately need a shot in the arm as they prepare to right the ship against a Winnipeg Jets team that's nipping at their heels.
Nick Foligno, who's finally done with his quarantine after being acquired at the trade deadline, should bring that. But it probably would have been better had he made his debut at a time when the Leafs weren't searching around for a saviour.
It would have been better if Foligno could have slowly worked his way into the lineup, maybe while playing on the third line with Alex Kerfoot and Ilya Mikheyev, rather than with John Tavares and William Nylander. It would have been better to let him get his feet wet, to get used to the system, to blend in.
It would have been better not to be needed.
Instead, some might be thinking that Foligno needs to be what Hyman has been this year. That he needs to score goals, deliver hits, and make a difference. That he needs to somehow justify the first-round draft pick the Leafs gave up to get him.
And yet, if he's thinking that, his time in Toronto could have disaster written all over it.
All he needs to do is provide some energy, some enthusiasm and some leadership. Anything else and the Leafs might just dig themselves an even deeper hole.
TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT
The question facing the Leafs today: Can you win a Stanley Cup without above-average goaltending? The answer might surprise you.
Two years ago, St. Louis goalies had a .907 save percentage in the playoffs. That's one point better than what Toronto has today. Of course, anyone who watched those playoffs would tell you that Jordan Binnington stole more than a couple of games for the Blues … A week ago, Toronto's game against Winnipeg was being called a preview of the North Division final. Now, with Edmonton looking to leapfrog both in the standings, it's looking like Thursday's game could be a potential first-round preview … According to Sportsnet's Mark Spector, the Oilers have the third-best record in the NHL dating back to the end of January. Coincidentally, that's around the same time when goalie Mike Smith returned from injury … Didn't think I'd be hearing Toronto fans wondering when Frederik Andersen would be able to return. Then again, two weeks ago it didn't look like Jack Campbell would ever lose another game … The worst-case scenario for the Leafs isn't slipping out of first place in the standings. It's losing both Campbell and Andersen to injury and having to start the playoffs with David Rittich and Michael Hutchinson as your goaltending tandem.
FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH
Mark Giordano, Martin St. Louis, Tyler Johnson. Dino Ciccarelli. Chris Kunitz. Ed Belfour. The list goes on and on regarding players who were never drafted, but who still found their way to the NHL. After all, a career doesn't begin on the day of the draft. It begins the day after. It's something to keep in mind in a year where the cancellation of the OHL season means there's bound to be even more players who slip through the cracks. … I understand that fans in Montreal want to see what first-rounder Cole Caufield can do with the Habs. But if you think a 20-yearold with two AHL games under his belt is the answer to the team's problems, then you're looking in the wrong direction … The Sabres are 6-9-3 since Don Granato took over head coaching duties from Ralph Krueger. That wouldn't have been a good enough winning percentage to get Buffalo into a playoff spot. But based on who's in the lineup these days, it should be good enough to get the interim tag removed from his job title. … The player who has benefited the most under Granato is Rasmus Dahlin, who has nine points in 18 games under the interim head coach, and finally looks like he's having fun playing the game again.
HERE'S ONE FOR YOU
The only two teams that have been eliminated from the playoffs are playing in the East. The two teams with the worst goal-differential are playing in the Central. And the West has only three teams with an above .500 record. So can you remind me again why the North Division is supposedly the weakest division in the NHL? … Florida used to be the destination for past-their-prime players looking to wind down their careers. But whether it's Carter Verhaeghe (17 goals in 42 games) or Sam Bennett (three goals in three games), it's now a place where careers are reborn … Taylor Hall, who had two goals in 37 games with the Sabres, has two goals in five games since joining the Bruins. It's not by accident. Hall has 17 shots during that span — the most on the team … Sometimes, a change in scenery is all a player needs to get out of a slump. For Anthony Mantha, who has five goals in five games since getting traded to Washington, the change has more to do with the players on his line. In Detroit, he was playing alongside Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi. No disrespect, but they don't compare to Nicklas Backstrom and T. J. Oshie … If the Rangers make the playoffs, expect Artemi Panarin to get some Hart Trophy love. He's tied for eighth in scoring with 52 points in 35 games. Only Connor Mcdavid has a better points-per-game average.
MARLEAU WORTHY OF BREAKING HOWE'S RECORD
Maybe I'm showing my age, but I don't understand the backlash over Patrick Marleau having broken Gordie Howe's seemingly unbreakable record for games played.
I get that Marleau hasn't enjoyed the same storied career as Howe (then again, how many have?). I also get that Marleau, who is 10 years younger than Howe was when he played in his 1,767th game, wouldn't have even come close to the total number of games that Howe had played if you included his time in the World Hockey Association (of course, does that mean we should also count Jaromir Jagr's time in the KHL?).
But I don't get the idea that Marleau should have hung up his skates rather than hang around and break a record that he's somewhat not worthy of.
That's ridiculous. And frankly, it's insulting to a hall of fame-worthy forward whose only crime is playing a game that he's still good enough to play.
Is Marleau the same player today that he was when he was in his prime? No. With four goals and eight points in 45 games, he's not even the same player he was three years ago, when he scored 27 goals for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Some have argued that, at this stage in his career, he has become a shell of his former self and that he wouldn't have a job on any team other than the San Jose Sharks.
That's fair. But don't tell me that Howe wasn't also just hanging on at the end, when he was playing with his son on basically an expansion franchise that had just been folded into the NHL — regardless of what his point totals may suggest.
Don't forget: The NHL has changed dramatically over the past 40 years.
The 17 goals and 41 points that Howe scored in 1979-80 was a lot easier to do than it is today. The top scorer in Howe's final year had 137 points. That's almost 100 more points than what Howe finished with, when he ranked outside the top 140 scorers overall and was tied for seventh on his team.
The NHL was slower back then, the goalies weren't as good, and it was easier to stick around on the basis of your name and reputation.
In addition to Howe, the Whalers had a 41-year-old Bobby Hull and a 40-year-old Dave Keon on the team.
Today, there are only three players in the entire NHL who are 40 or older: Marleau, Joe Thornton and Zdeno Chara.
How come no one has told Chara, who is four years older than Marleau and not the player he once was, to hang up his skates? Why isn't anyone telling Thornton, who is four months older than Marleau and also a shell of his former self, to retire already?
Is it because they weren't lucky enough to stay as healthy as Marleau has been? Is it because they aren't removing Howe's name from the record books?
If so, it's a weak argument. Records are meant to be broken. And you don't get to choose who breaks them.
Also, had it not been for a couple of lockouts, Marleau might have broken Howe's record two years ago, when he scored 16 goals and 37 points.
According to hockey historians, those are Howe-type numbers.
CAN THE CANUCKS WRITE A CINDERELLA STORY?
With one month remaining in the season, the playoff picture is quickly coming into focus. But while the top three teams in each division appear to have secured a spot in the post-season, the outside edges still remain a blur.
Here are four teams currently on the outside that could be a handful if they complete their Cinderella-type run and get in:
Vancouver Canucks
The COVID-19 outbreak that sidelined the Canucks for two weeks and forced them to cram in the rest of their games could be the rallying cry that the team needed to turn its season around. Since resuming its schedule, the team has picked up a pair of wins against the Maple Leafs. But the Canucks remain eight points back of Montreal for the final playoff spot — with four games in hand — and they have no idea if Elias Pettersson will return before the end of the season.
Dallas Stars
After winning four straight games, the Stars are only one point back of the Predators for the final playoff spot in the Central Division. Then again, those wins did come against Columbus and Detroit — the two worst teams in the division. Hurting Dallas' chances is that there are no more games against Nashville, while goalie Ben Bishop and forward Alexander Radulov are done for the season.
Los Angeles Kings
Three teams — Arizona, St. Louis and San Jose — are standing in the way of Los Angeles' bid for a playoff spot. But the challenge isn't as great as it might seem. The Kings have three games in hand on the fourth-place Coyotes, who have a five-point lead in the race for the final playoff spot. And lucky for L.A., there are three more games against Arizona on their schedule.
New York Rangers
If you had to bet on whether the Bruins or Rangers would grab the final playoff spot, the smart money would be on Boston — especially after the team acquired Taylor Hall at the deadline. But don't count out the Rangers just yet. The team, which has gone 8-2-2 in its past 12 games, is just six points back of Boston with a more than favourable schedule. And with their last two games of the season coming against the Bruins, the Rangers' fate is in their own hands.