I'd say that the Leafs & Ottawa both played pretty well today. The 2 - 2 score represents the effort both teams put forth. I was at the game and enjoyed it. My thoughts:
Ottawa - I'll say this for them - they are formidible opponents. Kudos to their backup goalie who played like he could well have been their #1. It's no secret that this is a gigantic Leafs weakness but Ottawa seems to have that one down pat.
Toronto - I thought the experience of the old timers came through here. Leetch had several plays which on TV don't look like much but when you can see the whole ice surface you suddenly realize he's doing little things that make a gigantic difference. Ron Francis generally seemed to read the plays before they happened and placed himself in the right spot at the right time. Even Sundin seems to be playing better (smarter) these days.
It's a pity that both teams lost key players to injury. I'm not sure what Lalime's injury is like, but Nolan's looked downright nasty.
On the whole I'd have to say that Ottawa is probably a better technical team. They seem to play very properly as a team. But they lacked passion tonight. The Leafs just have this air of determination about them that I think will really show itself in a major way when the playoffs start. In the past playoffs Ottawa has "choked" vs Toronto. If tonight's game was an indication, I sense that this could happen yet again. Interestingly I don't think fan support has much effect on the Ottawa game - there were lots of Ottawa fans at ACC tonight, but the Ottawa play didn't seem to recognize that.
Though this was supposed to be a playoff preview, I don't think either team really played particularly hard. It's as though both teams were trying to hide their cards from each other even though they already know each other so well. I still hope these teams will meet in the playoffs though I would definitely prefer a second or third round meeting.
Go Leafs Go!
Ottawa - I'll say this for them - they are formidible opponents. Kudos to their backup goalie who played like he could well have been their #1. It's no secret that this is a gigantic Leafs weakness but Ottawa seems to have that one down pat.
Toronto - I thought the experience of the old timers came through here. Leetch had several plays which on TV don't look like much but when you can see the whole ice surface you suddenly realize he's doing little things that make a gigantic difference. Ron Francis generally seemed to read the plays before they happened and placed himself in the right spot at the right time. Even Sundin seems to be playing better (smarter) these days.
It's a pity that both teams lost key players to injury. I'm not sure what Lalime's injury is like, but Nolan's looked downright nasty.
On the whole I'd have to say that Ottawa is probably a better technical team. They seem to play very properly as a team. But they lacked passion tonight. The Leafs just have this air of determination about them that I think will really show itself in a major way when the playoffs start. In the past playoffs Ottawa has "choked" vs Toronto. If tonight's game was an indication, I sense that this could happen yet again. Interestingly I don't think fan support has much effect on the Ottawa game - there were lots of Ottawa fans at ACC tonight, but the Ottawa play didn't seem to recognize that.
Though this was supposed to be a playoff preview, I don't think either team really played particularly hard. It's as though both teams were trying to hide their cards from each other even though they already know each other so well. I still hope these teams will meet in the playoffs though I would definitely prefer a second or third round meeting.
Go Leafs Go!