It’s certainly early but a week into the New Year the Maple Leafs have kept their scoring resolutions, popping 21 goals over the four contests since the calendar changed. Tonight’s 9-3 win in Atlanta saw multi point nights from the following:
Grabovski – 2G, 1A
MacArthur – 2G, 1A
Versteeg – 1G, 2A
Kulemin – 2G, 1A
Kaberle – 4A
Armstrong – 1G, 1A
Notes after the jump.
-James Reimer has 108 saves on 114 NHL shots for a .947 save percentage. He faced 45 shots tonight in what has to be an extremely rare instance of a team losing 9-3 while outshooting the opposition. Two goals of the six he’s allowed were conceded in the silly stages of tonight’s contest. The calming influence he’s had on this team should earn him his next start as early as Monday.
-It has yet to be confirmed the Kessel goal actually happened.
-Assuming it did, Mikhail Grabovski and Phil Kessel continue to trade goals and now sit tied for the team goal scoring lead at 17.
-Brett Lebda found a way to finish at -3 tonight in a 9-3 victory. You’d think you’d have to work at it to be that bad.
-Special teams progress: The Leafs have now scored more goals on the powerplay than they’ve conceded on the PK. The Leafs soared up to 12th in powerplay percentage after tonight’s 5 for 7 run, four of which were scored on Ben Eager’s five minute misconduct. Eager should receive supplementary discipline from the league for his cheap shot but the Leafs did a pretty good job of taking justice into their own hands tonight.
-Ron Wilson told reporters in his post game presser that Amstrong’s eye closed up immediately after the sucker punch and he was sat out for precautionary reasons. Hopefully it’s only a shiner and not something more serious. In his post game analysis, Nick Kypreos suggested Eager should receive further punishment if Armstrong finds out he has a concussion when he wakes up tomorrow. The league discipline office needs to start punishing the crime based on the act and not the fallout if it wants to maintain any semblance of credibility.
The good humoured Armstrong seems like he’ll be alright, telling reporters after the game: “I don’t know how he missed my nose.”
-With four helpers on the night, Tomas Kaberle has pulled into the top ten in points among defencemen.
-Mikhail Grabovski is sitting in pretty elite company at 17 goals. Names tied or below him include Jonathan Toews, Martin St. Louis, Jarome Iginla and Jeff Carter. He’s one back of the likes of Alex Semin and Rick Nash.
-True story: Outside of Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux, who is in the final year of his entry level contract, Clarke MacArthur is the cheapest (cap wise) 30+ point scorer in the league.
–Marlies note: In his last three games with the Marlies, Nazem Kadri has two goals and two assists. Marcel Mueller has eight points in his last six games. The Marlies won 5-1 over Rockford tonight.
