Leafs Vs Senators Game Preview

Toronto Maple Leafs

Record: 0-1-1
Points: 1
Games Played: 2
Goals For: 7
Goals Against: 10


The Toronto Maple Leafs will endeavor tonight to get their first win of the season and improve their record to 1-1-1. There is a number of questions that remain unanswered for the leafs, mainly who will start in net and how their defense will perform. The Leafs lead the league for goals against with 10. However, they have managed to silence the critics so far, who said the Leafs were lacking in offensive fire power, as they have scored 7 goals which puts them third in the Eastern Conference, behind Washington and Boston.

The key for the Leafs tonight will be how they play in their own zone. The vast majority of the criticism lobbed by fans and pundits far has been aimed at Vesa Toskala, however, first year Leafs Francois Beauchemin and Mike Komisarek along with Sophomore Luke Schenn have underwhelmed considerably. If the Leafs are to win tonights game and eventually reach their goal for this season of making the playoffs, these three defensemen will really have to step up. Specifically when it comes to their defensive coverage, pinching at the proper times and clearing their own end. Considering the big changes the defense has undergone in the last few months, It is understandable that it will take a while for new Leafs to acclimatize, but the fans will not be patient for long. If you thought they are pissed off at Toskala now, watch what happens if he plays tonight and performs poorly.



Ottawa Senators

Record: 0-1-0
Points: 0
Games Played: 1
Goals For: 2
Goals Against: 5


Ottawa will saunter into Toronto on Tuesday hoping to break a streak of three losses in a row at the ACC. After a disappointing first game of the season, the Senators hope Newcomers Alexei Kovalev, Johnathan Cheechoo and goaltender Pascal Leclair will be able to bounce back from what most most people who watched the 5-2 loss to the Rangers agree was a mediocre debut for all three players. Many Senator fans are pinning their hopes on recent arrival Pascal Leclair to help them forget Ray Emery, or as he was called here in Toronto, "Bobble head". Leclair arrived before the trade deadline last year in a trade with Columbus that saw the 27 year old come to Ottawa in exchange for Antoine Vermette and a Second round pick, and he will be instrumental in Ottawa making the playoffs should they get that far.

The Keys to tonights game and to making the playoffs this year rest in the hands of: Kovalev, Michalek, Spezza, Alfreddson, Cheechoo and Leclair and well as youngsters such as Regin. If the Sens get the goaltending they are hoping for from Leclair, and Spezza and Kovalev get going, they may be able to beat the Leafs in their own barn.


Predictions:

-Gustavvson will play
-Stalberg will score
-Mayers wont play. if he does, it will be the last we see of him for a while.
-Kovalev does nothing
-Beauchemin and Komisarek are much improved
-Orr beats the crap out of someone and we get flashbacks of Wendel
-Leafs Penalty kill impresses
-Gustavvson impresses even more

Final: 5-3 Leafs