Leafs await left-coast upstarts
Pesky Avery in town tomorrow Western teams sport new style
The answer to the debate over the difference between Western Conference teams and those in the east is simple enough for the Maple Leafs. As long as the inconsistencies continue to appear in their defensive coverage and decision making, the Leafs realize there isn’t any difference between east or west: they’ll fall prey to one just as easily as the other. A case in point was Saturday’s visit by San Jose. Several costly mistakes resuled in a 5- 4 loss to the Sharks, ruining an otherwise decently played game by Toronto.
Three more western foes are heading to Toronto — the Kings, Stars and Ducks — over the next 11 days, a stretch in which the Leafs will worry more about their own house than what’s happening with their western peers. With the Kings in town tomorrow night, the Leafs were asked about megapest Sean Avery — one of a few players who commands attention days in advance of his actual arrival.
“ I haven’t seen anything, so I can’t say,” Darcy Tucker replied, when asked about Avery, who is crashing creases, sparking melees, and tossing out memorable quotes, at every stop in the Kings’ schedule of late.
Avery’s effect leaves a wake of ticked- off players, coaches, and fans. He was booed endlessly in Montreal when the Kings played the Canadiens Saturday night, which marked his first visit to Quebec since his comments in October on the toughness of French- Canadian players ignited emotional responses around the league.
In Ottawa Thursday, he was at the centre of several scrums, the results of which saw gargantuan Zdeno Chara suspended for a game and the Senators fined $ 10,000. With the exception of heated encounters with Atlanta, the Leafs’ season has been largely and comparatively quiet. They have, however, demonstrated a quick willingness to defend themselves, especially if liberties are taken with goalie Eddie Belfour.
“ I played against ( Avery) when he was in Detroit, and he’s one of those guys who makes you think about things other than the game . . . we all know that for sure,” Leafs captain Mats Sundin said.
Avery actually brings more focus to the Kings — and the style of play in the west, at a time when the new NHL features fewer games against western teams ( and none against Central Division teams this season). Long believed to be a more wide-open conference when compared with the hard-hitting, defence- oriented east, the west has displayed a physical side that has overshadowed their eastern counterparts.
Entering last night’s games, seven of the top 10 teams in penalty minutes per game were from the west while only three west teams were among the top 10 least penalized clubs. Western teams own a wide margin in fighting majors as well – 204 compared with 110 in the east.
“ I don’t see a lot of difference, in the sense of the style of play, between San Jose and some of the teams we play ( in the east),” Leafs coach Pat Quinn said.
“ It used to be considered that the west was more open and the east used to be real conservative . . . but I think there’s been a coming together. The last time we played hockey ( 2003- 04), we probably had 27 teams that played a conservative defensive system. Now, a lot of teams, west and east, are using their speed more than playing on the defensive side.”