What The Players Really Think

RALEIGH--It's going to be hard for Grapes to explain this one away.

With the inimitable one, Donald S. Cherry, having spent years from his Hockey Night in Canada pulpit assuring his viewers that NHL players hate the instigator rule, a poll conducted by HNIC itself in conjunction with the NHL Players Association suggests he's dead wrong.

The survey of 318 NHL playes showed an overwhelming 66 per cent would be opposed to the elimination of the instigator, with only 33 per cent in favour. 

The poll had other intriguing results, including another negative result for the Maple Leafs, with head coach Ron Wilson voted by 24 per cent of the players to be the coach they'd least like to play for, more than any other NHL coach. That came after Phil Kessel was the last player taken in Friday's all-star draft.

Sidney Crosby was voted the toughest forward to play against by 29 per cent of respondents, with Alex Ovechkin a distant second at 11 per cent. Washington is regarded by players as the most overrated team, Loui Eriksson of Dallas is the most underrated player, while the Islanders (27 per cent) and Oilers (20 per cent) are the teams most would least want to play for.

The entire poll can be viewed on the NHLPA's web site. 

The Cost of Talent

So Alex Ovechkin gets 13 years.

Last summer, Nicklas Backstrom signed for 10 years.

And Alex Semin? One year. Without a no-trade or no-movement clause. Sorta tells you everything you need to know about the pecking order of the Washington Capitals, wouldn't you say?

Sure, the financial uncertainty of the league had something to do with it, although it didn't stop the Caps from giving Backstrom his $67 million deal less than a year ago. This is a hockey team that has done a superb job of managing its cap situation, at least partly because an ongoing influx of young, talented players at cheap prices has given GM George McPhee lots of helpful flexibility.

To many who don't watch the Caps a lot, it might be easy to believe that Ovechkin, Backstrom and Semin are the Big Three, particularly after Semin chimed in with a 40-goal season a year ago. But that's far from the case. In fact, Leaf fans who don't much like the way Phil Kessel plays would find a lot of similarities between Kessel and Semin, particularly the way in which they prefer the periphery to those angry, messy areas much closer to the net, which contributies to the streakiness of each player. There are a lot of players like that in the league, and it's the ones like Semin who play in markets where there isn't a great deal of media scrutiny who fare the best. Put Semin on the Leafs and Kessel on the Caps and you'd see them perceived in very very different ways.

Semin's competitive reputation took a huge hit with his dreadful performance in the playoffs last spring against Montreal, and he hadn't scored in 14 games this season before being knocked to the sideline with an injury this season.

So how does that player get $6.7 million for next year, a bump up from $6 mil' this season?

Well, for starters, the Caps have the room, Semin represents secondary scoring and they still have ability to move him for other parts if they want. I've always thought he was the big chip they had to play to acquire either sturdier goaltending, a big name on defence or a physical centre, but so far McPhee has declined to do so.

Keeping Semin on a short leash - i.e. a series of one-year deals - allows the club to keep him as financially motivated as possible. The Washington Post reported the Caps were willing to give Semin at most a two-year deal. This is a player with loads and loads of pure talent, but his committment to North American life is iffy (he's been playing in Washington for eight years and speaks almost no English, or at least doesn't let on that he does) and he has yet to prove a willingness to bring it in the post-season. He probably could have hit a big number via unrestricted free agency this summer, but that would have come with a multi-year committment. On those HBO shows the only time you see Semin is when he and Ovechkin are doing their little patty-cakes routine on the bench.

You could also understand if the Caps were a little gun-shy. Backstrom, the $67 million man, has one goal in his last 25 games. The marvellously gifted Ovechkin has a decade left on his deal and is suffering through his worst NHL season, head for a 31-goal campaign. Look around the league and there's more players on these giant, decade-or-more deals who aren't doing what they did before than those that are.

So no 13-year deal for Semin, or even a six- or seven-year year committment. One year. Big money but no protection. That tells you all you need to know about the way the Caps look at Alex Semin. They'll overpay him, just not for long.

 

 

 

 

Good For The Sport

Now that's how you respect not only your opponent, but also your sport.

Never just quit unless there is no other question.

It was a little sad to watch an obviously ailing Rafael Nadal's dream of a Rafa-Slam go out the window at the Australian Open in a one-sided loss to his countryman, David Ferrer, but Nadal managed to do it in a way that should be respected.

He played it out until the end, knowing full well for the final two sets that because of the combination of a lingering illness and some kind of leg injury (hamstring?) he had essentially little or no chance to defeat the hustling, tireless Ferrer.

In other words, Nadal didn't do what Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic did last week Down Under in a match against Fernando Verdasco, which was essentially wave the white flag and surrender for the final portion of their match.

Nadal and Ferrer are friends, and it was clear there was no way Nadal was going to rob his friend of the acclaim such a high-profile victory would produce by retiring in the way Justin Henin took away from Amelie Mauresmo's 2006 Aussie Open win by quitting in the final while down 6-1, 2-0 because of "stomach pains."

As well, Nadal had been forced out of the tournament Down Under last year by injury, and there was no way he wanted to have that happen again or become the first No. 1 seed in modern Grand Slam history to retire because of injury partway through a match.

That means that while Nadal's defeat is the headline, anybody who watched the match could tell you that Ferrer not only played outstanding tennis, he was able to battle through the tricky distraction many tennis players feel when competing against an obviously injured opponent.

Canada's Milos Raonic, who lost to Ferrer a round earlier, might justifiably be wondering what might have been after seeing Nadal come up lame. But Ferrer made it happen, heading to the semifinals against Andy Murray.

Nadal indicated before the tournament that this might be his only chance to win all four tennis majors in a row - not in a single year, which is why the Rafa-Slam - and he's probably right. Rod Laver was the last man to win a Grand Slam in tennis, and given the punishing nature of of the modern men's game, it might be a mark that starts to rival Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak as a record that won't be touched, perhaps ever.

Nadal would have like to have gone down swinging on all cylinders, but at least he went down swinging, making sure his opponent got the satisfaction of victory and that his sport got the respect it deserved.

 

 

 

Sucker Punch Or No Sucker Punch?

Amongst a certain portion of hockey fans, this will be an intriguing debate.

Not for me, sadly, because I've long taken the position that any bare-knuckle brawling in the NHL or hockey in general is, in the end, completely pointless. So it's hard for me to get too excited about debating the merits of Tim Gleason's nasty punch on Nikolai Kulemin Monday night in Raleigh. All I see is an incident that had almost nothing to do with the hockey game result in what may be a serious injury, an incident that would not be allowed on the street or in the other major sports.

But, as many have pointed out repeatedly, there's a big chunk of the hockey populace who not only likes this stuff, but thinks it's important, integral to the sport.

Even among them, however, there is going to be division on this incident.

Was Gleason, the Caroina defenceman, well within his rights to haul Kulemin out of a scrum and - we suspect - rearrange his facial features? It was a 10-man scrum that neither player started, but both men started exchanging gloved jabs to the face, and then Gleason separated the Russian from the pack and delivered his uppercut.

One school of thought says that once Kulemin starts throwing 'em, he deserves the outcome.

Then, however, there will be those who would argue that Gleason should have identified Kulemin as, essentially, a non-combatant who doesn't drop his gloves and scrap. In fact, in this case, it was only Gleason who dropped his gloves.

To those that espouse the always mysterious "code," Gleason had no business under any circumstance punching out the Leaf winger, who is likely to miss tonight's game against Tampa with a face and/or head injury.

So to you, fight fans, I look for guidance. Was Gleason right or wrong? Should Kulemin have known what was coming, or should he have as a player who never fights some sort of special protection under the code?

Ron Wilson said it wasn't a sucker punch. Some of his playes disagreed.

Now I await your verdict.

 

 

 

 

 

Okay, Now I Get It

Am looking forward to a chance, hopefully in the near future, to meet and chat with Blue Jays baseball boss Alex Anthopoulos for the first time.

That said, I feel like I know Anthopoulos better than I did last week, or at least I better comprehend his intentions with this ball club.

See, when J.P. Ricciardi was running the Blue Jays, whenever it seemed like his plan was clear, he went to a different plan. One day he was promising the Jays would become Minnesota East, all about developing players and being resourceful and playing the right way, and the next he was signing A.J. Burnett and Frank Thomas.

Maybe it was Ricciardi, maybe it was Paul Godfrey, maybe it was the changing motivations of ownership. Who knows? But the "plan" shifted and changed, and not only did tomorrow never come, today never did either.

Which brings us to Anthopoulos. When the ball club managed to do a fair sight better last season than many believed it would, there were suggestions in many corners than bolstering this position or that position would vault the Jays into a playoff spot.

Given that Anthopoulos had been preaching restraint and a gradual rebuild, I was intriguing to see what his response would be.

Well, first starting pitcher Shaun Marcum was peddled to Milwaukee for young second baseman Brett Lawrie. Okay, that went with the get young, grow-as-a-group mentality, but immediately there was speculation that the Jays would pursue Kansas City's Zack Greinke, which would be precisely the chasing-your-tail move that Ricciardi would have pulled off.

But that didn't happen. Instead, last week came the Vernon Wells deal with Anaheim. It wasn't about getting kids back, but it was about moving a gi-normous contract held by a good to very good player who didn't seem too bothered he was only good to very good and never great. Two players, an aging outfielder and a catcher who doesn't seem to quite fit, came back, but they were certainly not the kind of ballplayers who fit the win-now mentality. This was about clearing the decks.

So barring some sideways move between now and spring training, I get it. Anthopoulos appears to have a plan and a timetable, and despite the suggestions of many, it wasn't to win in 2011. Once the Jays decided not to take at run at Florida 2B Dan Uggla - and they looked at it hard - it was in essence a vote of confidence in the slow, gradual build.

Jays fans who have been waiting for a winner for getting on 20 years, naturally, might find this all a tad annoying. But with the AL East in a bit of turmoil, and with Tampa Bay having proven that you don't have to spend with the Yankees to compete with the Yankees, the logic of the Jays choosing this path was indisputable.

They might not win this way. But they were never going to win the other way.

 

Bad For The Sport

At its best, sport inspires. For a country like Australia, agonizing over perhaps the worst natural disaster in its history with massive flooding, inspiration is in short supply these days.

So the arrival of the Australian Open came at, perhaps, a helpful time. Take the minds of folks off the problems. Before the tournament even started, Roger Federer organized a charity benefit that raised $2 million for flood victims.

All good. And good for tennis.

Then, however, came Tuesday's match between Fernando Verdasco of Spain and Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic. They've had delicious matches before, and this one looked like it was going to be a good one, too. For almost four sets.

Tipsarevic, one of the most colorful players on tour, was up two sets to one, but then blew two chances to serve out the match in the fourth set, including two match points. 

So, basically, he gave up. Threw the match. Waved the white flag.

He barely tried in the fourth set tiebreak, smashing the ball all over the court, then in the fifth set, was in pure pout and won only five points while losing the fifth set 6-0 and the match. On the final points, with Verdasco serving, Tipsarevic didn't even try, just pointing at the ball as Verdasco's "aces" flew by.

Tired? Sure he was. But it wasn't particularly hot, and Tipsarevic didn't look particularly tired. He had just had enough. So he threw in the towel. No mas.

"I don't want people to get the wrong impression," Tipsarevic told reporters afterwards. "I didn't tank. I didn't lose on purpose. I didn't have a mental meltdown. I was just dead in the legs."

Sorry pal, ain't buying it. Verdasco, meanwhile, chose the diplomatic route when asked if he thought Tipsarevic was trying in the final set. 

"This is a question that he must answer, not me," said Verdasco.

It was a disgrace, and if the ATP had any guts, it would suspend Tipsarevic. This is an industry, don't forget, that not too long ago was being questioned in relation to various match fixing allegations.

In 2007, Nikolai Davydenko was fined $2,000 (wow) for showing a "lack of best effort" during a loss to Martin Cilic. Later that year, ATP investigated one of his matches when he pulled out against a much-lower ranked Argentine opponent in the third set, and betting records showed an unusually high amount of money had been wagered on Davydenko's opponent.

So this is a sport that should be super-sensitive to any suggestion its athletes aren't giving their best. Tipsarevic certainly was not.

 

 

This Week's Mailbag

So a successful road trip ends with a thud in the desert. Still, three out of four is more than not bad.

That said, all that hard work and effort goes out the window if the Leafs don't come home with a strong effort against the Calgary Flames at home Saturday night. Well, make that if they don't get a win. This is one of the weaker Western Conference teams, and the Flames play the night before in Ottawa.

Winning in spurts, you see, won't get this team anywhere. A four-game winning streak is very good, but after dropping a lopsided one to Phoenix Thursday night, the true measure of the Leafs comes when they get one day off to recover from travelling home from Arizona and then take on Calgary. Five out of six is how you get somewhere in the standings.

The guess is that J.S. Giguere will return to the net, ending James Reimer's successful, if short, run. And Fabian Brunnstrom? No, he's not likely to get the call from the Marlies, at least not right away, and not until he shows something in the AHL to make the Leaf front office believe he can help at the NHL level.

He's a bigger name than the one the Leafs sent to Dallas in Thursday's deal, Mikhail Stefanovich, but understand part of the reasoning for the deal was that Brunnstrom's deal is up at the end of this season while Stefanovich has one more to go. For a team always close to the limit of 50 NHL contracts, and one probably looking to sign one or more NCAA free agents in the fall, opening room for another contract is no small matter.

Now on to this week's mail bag:

Q: Some of the Leafs' penalty stats seem quite remarkable: Gunnarson and Kaberle with one minor each, Beauchemin with 12 minutes, Schenn with 21 (presumably eight minors, one every five games or so), even Aulie one minor in 12 games. Given the crackdown on hooking, tripping and holding, are they more skilful than people credit them? Yes, I know that it also shows a lack of truculence, but logic suggests a weak defender would be grabbing and hooking in his own zone.

Nick Martin,

Winnipeg

A: Hey Nick, not quite sure what to make of your question, exactly. I would say that the Leaf defence, despite the presence of some big bodies, isn't particularly physical. Then again, this is a team that has had trouble killing penalties in recent seasons - and again in Phoenix Thursday night with the game on the line - so low penalty numbers help the cause. Before Thursday's Phoenix game the Leafs were the ninth least penalized team in the NHL. Good, but certainly not quite the rowdy bunch envisioned when Brian Burke took over.

Q; Hey Damien, isn't it about time you gave it up for Cliff and the Grabovski trade? You were quite critical at the time and mentioned it in several columns. Now it’s looking like the best Leafs trade in years.

Mike Diver,

Oshawa

A: Done. Initially, it was believed in June, 2008 that Grabovski was going to be the compensation from the Canadiens if they successful signed Mats Sundin after acquiring his rights from the Leafs, albeit only briefly. Instead, Fletcher surrendered a prospect (Greg Pateryn) and a second round pick in 2010 to get Grabovski, who subsequently signed a multi-year deal that some found expensive. Instead, Grabovski has certainly emerged, and Fletcher deserves kudos for the deal. That said, the criticism at the time was really about why the Leafs were surrendering draft picks for players at a time when it looked like drafting and development should be the plan, just like Burke has been criticized for giving up first rounders for Phil Kessel. The moral of the story? We can all make judgements at the time, but particularly when it comes to young players, you really have to wait.

Q: Hey Damien, Grabovski has arguably been the best Leaf so far this season and has surely caught the eye of those around the league. Is he a player that Burke would like to build around or is he someone Burke may look to ship out while his value is high?

Charles Hentz,

Toronto

A: Gotta believe at this point Grabovski a part of the Burke future. But with the right offer, anybody could move.

Q: Hey Damien. With Reimer's play securing him as the definite go-to guy on the Leafs depth chart beyond Gustavsson and Giguere, does that open up a trade possibility with prospect Jussi Rynass?

Russ Gumer,

Toronto

A: The Leafs have got some offers for Rynnas, and Ben Scrivens has also played well for the Marlies. But it's too early to say who fits where on the goalie depth chart, and my guess is that while Burke could move one for a player, it's not yet really clear which of the four young netminders are the best. So why not wait.

Q: Enjoy the blog! Had a beer filled debate last night about what McCarthur and Schenn might be worth on the open market. Is McCarthur at 3yr/7 million and Schenn 4 yr/12 million reasonable projections of their worth on the open market? Also is Beauchemin worth a 2nd round pick in your estimation?

Brent Smith,

Cambridge

A: Hmm. I'd say your numbers look pretty good on the contracts, although Schenn might command a little more, especially when you consider Marc Staal's multi-year deal with the Rangers ($3.975 million cap hit). Beauchemin, at the deadline, could fetch a second, yes.

Q: Damien, are you aware of any contract talks taking place with Tomas Kaberle?

John Verriet,

Whitby

 A: No. I don't think the Leafs have any interest in re-signing him.

Q: At times this season the Leafs have looked as inept as the Keystone Kops but watching them through this past win streak they actually look like a team that is missing a big strong centre with a scoring touch to put them into contention. Which is it?

Stephen Seymour,

London

A: Depends what you mean by contention. Contention for a playoff spot? Maybe, sure. But until they get strong, dependable goaltending over 25-30 games, in my mind, it doesn't matter if they get that centre you're talking about. Reimer obviously got strafed a bit by the Coyotes, and now we'll see whether he bounces back. Or gets a chance to bounce back. And then, out there next summer as an unrestricted free agent, is rock-solid Ilya Bryzgalov of the Coyotes. . . .

Q: Tell me, what am I missing with Dion Phaneuf? What has happened to his game since his first couple of seasons (is there an injury he had in Calgary that I'm not aware of) and do you think we will ever see double-digit goals and consistent hard-hitting from this guy again? Thanks.

William Hare

Toronto

A: Don't see signs of that kind of offence returning any time soon. I think we're all still trying to figure out what kind of a player he's going to be as a Leaf. There are nights when he looks like a physical presence and a big shot on the powerplay, and certainly the team's record is better with him (8-8 since he got back from injury) than without him. But as was the case in the desert last night, he has this maddening penchance for bad defensive reads. At 25, he still has a lot of learning to do, it seems.

 

 

Leafs Run Afoul of Cap

It may have been only $600. But it was $600 too much.

The NHL has informed the Maple Leafs they will be fined an undisclosed amount for violating the league's salary cap rules after head coach Ron Wilson rewarded his players with a small cash bonus after winning his 600th game in San Jose on Tuesday.

"We have no problem with this fine," GM Brian Burke told The Star today. "Ron wasn't aware this conduct is not permitted, nor was I. We accept the fine without objection or protest of any kind."

Part of the cap system instituted in 2005 was intended to make sure there were no more side deals between teams and players that were not specifically part of the Standard Player Contract. Teams used to routinely keep unofficial agreements "in the drawer" that allowed players benefits, cash or otherwise, that the league never knew about.

Article 26 of the current collective bargaining agreement states clearly "Neither a Club nor a Club Actor may pay or provide a Player anything of value except as provided in his (contract)."

Obviously, Wilson's cash-for-wins move isn't a violation on the same level as that committed by the New Jersey Devils with the Ilya Kovalchuk situation last summer, and it was a small amount. At the same time, if GMs and coaches were to start blatantly giving thousands of dollars in cash incentives to their players it would be a way for teams to get around the cap.

That said, it happens. At least one NHL manager put $100,000 of his own money out for his players if they could knock off a rival in a big playoff series several years ago, and nobody ever heard about that.

What the Leafs were most guilty of, quite probably, is making it too obvious, with Wilson caught on camera with a wad of cash in his hand after the 4-2 victory and with players openly commenting on the matter.

The moral of the story is probably that if you're going to violate the cap, do it quietly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Provincial View

The fact that the Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators are provincial rivals leads naturally to comparisons. Right now, it's a comparison that has turned ugly on the Sens.

The combination of Ottawa's dreadful showing Tuesday night in a 6-0 loss to Boston - a defeat that may have sealed the fate of head coach Cory Clouston - and the Leafs' well-deserved 4-2 road triumph against the San Jose Sharks put the Leafs two points ahead of Ottawa. Given that the Sens comfortably made the playoffs last year, a full 20 points ahead of the Leafs, the current situation offers instructive commentary on both clubs.

For Ottawa, it's final proof, really, that the window has closed on their chances to win with the group that includes Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson, Mike Fisher and Chris Phillips. GM Bryan Murray has resisted breaking up the group, or hasn't been able to, but watching his club plummet in the standings has to have convinced Murray that it is time to tear this thing down and rebuild.

The question now is whether Murray will get the opportunity to organize that rebuild.

For the rebuilding Leafs, a fourth straight victory, and a third consecutive triumph on the road, allowed Ron Wilson to claim his 600th career win (82nd with the Leafs) as the club continued to play well in front of recently recalled netminder James Reimer. It's fair to guess that Wilson's plan of starting J.S. Giguere in Phoenix on Thursday has to be under serious review, for taking the sizzling Reimer out now with his teammates clearly responding to his play makes no sense at all.

While captain Dion Phaneuf has been the target of much criticism this season and played poorly in a win over L.A. on Monday night, once again the numbers prove emphatically that with him the lineup, the Leafs are a better team. Including the win over San Jose, the Leafs have now won eight of 15 games since he returned from injury Dec. 9.

Phil Kessel, meanwhile, has been on fire for more than a week now. He scored again last night against the Sharks on a dazzling play that illustrated the special talent he is when he's rolling, but more than that, he has shown in recent games a spark and element of grit that wasn't there for most of December.

With 19 goals, he's headed for a season of 35 goals or more, which of course won't be nearly enough to silence those who endlessly lament the sacrifice of two first round picks to acquire the speedy winger.

Who would have thought that it would have been the addition of callup Joey Crabb to the twosome of Kessel and Tyler Bozak that would get Kessel flying again? Crabb, however, has been a very useful grinder, as has centre Darryl Boyce.

That the Leafs have strung a few victories together will, as always, invite the same snide plan-the-parade comments as any success from the Toronto franchise does. The fact is, however, that with Reimer delivering stellar goaltending rather than the inconsistent goaltending that has plagued the team for years, suddenly the Leafs are finding themselves very competitive against good clubs.

That doesn't mean a playoff berth is imminent. They're too far back. But if the rest of this season is about making sure young players get all the ice time they need to establish themselves as NHL regulars, it's proving to be a fruitful period. Notable for his strong play on this road trip, for example, has been defenceman Carl Gunnarson, a youngster who seemed to have taken a step back earlier this year but is now back at the level he was last year.

For Ottawa, meanwhile, the fact that up-and-down defenceman Erik Karlsson will represent the club at the all-star game in Raleigh this month is a strong commentary on how those core players Murray hoped and believed would carry the club have failed.

It's hard enough for Senators fans to stomach what's going on. But to have the Senators below the Leafs (Toronto hasn't finished above Ottawa since the '03-04 season) must make it downright depressing for Ottawa supporters. 

The Leafs, for what it's worth, are still 26th overall, but moving out of the bottom five is clearly within reach with Columbus, Florida, Calgary and Buffalo all now within range.

 

 

 

 

Rumours and Decisions

So should the Maple Leafs have been the team that ended up with Wojtek Wolski?

Well, it's pretty clear they had their shot before the former first rounder was peddled by Phoenix to the New York Rangers on Monday for 32-year-old defenceman Michal Roszival.

It was about a month ago that Coyotes GM Don Maloney inquired about Leaf defenceman Francois Beauchemin, just before GM Brian Burke enforced his usual Christmas trading freeze 10 days in advance of the NHL's freeze. Maloney asked about Roszival at the same time, and given the similarities between Beauchemin and Roszival, it stands to reason that Wolski was the property dangled in front of the Rangers and Leafs.

While enticing in some ways after a 23-goal season last year, Wolski is an enigmatic forward who comes with an onerous $3.8 million cap hit. That's the same as Beauchemin, but about $1.2 million less than Roszival.

So the Rangers received Wolski and a valuable $1.2 million in cap relief. The Leafs, it's clear would have then wanted Wolski plus something (a draft pick) for Beauchemin, and that's undoubtedly where the possible transaction stalled. The Coyotes then turned to Roszival, a victim of the MSG boo-birds, knowing that New York would be interested in acquiring an offensive player after losing Alexander Frolov to a season-ending knee injury.

Maybe Wolski, who played junior for the Brampton Battalion, would have been a nice fit for the Leafs, the young centre the team was looking for. But he's no sure bet, and clearly the Leafs either felt they could hold out for a better offer for Beauchemin, or continue to believe he's an invaluable veteran presence in the dressing room alongside young captain Dion Phaneuf.

Last night in Los Angeles, Beauchemin was the choice of Leaf coach Ron Wilson to be on the ice in the final seconds defending a 3-2 lead. Beauchemin made a great play standing at the blueline with less than 20 seconds left, but it was the outstanding defensive work of Luke Schenn that really stood out as the third-year blueliner continues to show his maturity.

Schenn was on the ice for the final 1:42 of play to kill a Phaneuf slashing minor. James Reimer, meanwhile, picked up another win and fending off a hard Kings charge in the final minutes. The Leafs could be facing a roster decision this week if J.S. Giguere is ready to go, but at this point, it would be hard to demote Reimer given how well he has played.

Reimer, along with Marlie callups Darryl Boyce and Joey Crabb, have been significant contributors of late for the Leafs, who won their third straight. Boyce scored the opening goal of the night for the Leafs off a pretty one-on-one rush, while Crabb set up Phil Kessel for the second Leaf goal.

It was a gritty Leaf effort in the 41st game of the season, bringing the club to the official half-way point of the season having accumulated 38 points. The win moved the youthful Leafs past slumping Ottawa into 12th spot in the Eastern Conference.