God's of the Third Period Meltdown
Posted 1:47 PM ET | Comments 0
By Ryan MacLeod
Any hockey fan can read the title and already know I am talking about the Toronto Maple Leafs! This article will be unconventional as it will be more of a rant than an informative column, but hey, we all need to blow off some steam from time to time.
So honestly, can someone tell me what is wrong with Toronto? Is it too much to ask for a team to hold onto a 2-0 lead with less than 2 minutes to go? And what the hell was Ponikarovsky thinking last night when with a wide open net he decided to stand around and wait for Stillman to strip him of the puck and set up the game-tying goal, at the other end of the rink.
This was supposed to be a December to remember! The Leafs had a great streak of wins, they were back above .500 and were in a position to gain significant ground in the East. But now they've lost arguably their best defenseman for two months and threw away a guaranteed win in just a matter of 4 days!
This is NOT the type of Christmas present I expected from the blue and white.
Or maybe I was just blinded by the recent wins and forgot that this team is really just not a playoff contender and we should expect to lose games in the final minutes. Perhaps my sights have been set too high when I dream of this year's Toronto squad finishing 5th place in the Eastern Conference.
If this is so, can someone please bring me back down to earth? I need someone to just grab me off this cloud and drag me kicking and screaming back to earth. Actually, I think Ponikarovsky has already done just that!
I don't know, I will try to stay positive, but if last night is any indication then this team is better fit to compete in the AHL.
www.omgwtfbbq.com
Any hockey fan can read the title and already know I am talking about the Toronto Maple Leafs! This article will be unconventional as it will be more of a rant than an informative column, but hey, we all need to blow off some steam from time to time.
So honestly, can someone tell me what is wrong with Toronto? Is it too much to ask for a team to hold onto a 2-0 lead with less than 2 minutes to go? And what the hell was Ponikarovsky thinking last night when with a wide open net he decided to stand around and wait for Stillman to strip him of the puck and set up the game-tying goal, at the other end of the rink.
This was supposed to be a December to remember! The Leafs had a great streak of wins, they were back above .500 and were in a position to gain significant ground in the East. But now they've lost arguably their best defenseman for two months and threw away a guaranteed win in just a matter of 4 days!
This is NOT the type of Christmas present I expected from the blue and white.
Or maybe I was just blinded by the recent wins and forgot that this team is really just not a playoff contender and we should expect to lose games in the final minutes. Perhaps my sights have been set too high when I dream of this year's Toronto squad finishing 5th place in the Eastern Conference.
If this is so, can someone please bring me back down to earth? I need someone to just grab me off this cloud and drag me kicking and screaming back to earth. Actually, I think Ponikarovsky has already done just that!
I don't know, I will try to stay positive, but if last night is any indication then this team is better fit to compete in the AHL.
www.omgwtfbbq.com