Once a formidable playoff foe, the Toronto Maple Leafs have fallen prey to two damning forces: themselves and mathematics. With a handful of games left on the schedule, the Leafs have been eliminated Carolina has the fifth seed and Florida is one point behind Montreal for a ticket to the show. How do ya like that? The postseason could very well include two teams from southern states, while the squads in the epicenters of hockey sit home. To be honest, I'm not all that thrilled at the prospect. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't enjoy it some.
Tonight's game is the away end of a home-and-home, which culminates with a matchup on Friday night at the Wach.
The big news in Toronto is that the team signed Christian Hanson, son of Dave Hanson from Slapshot, to an entry level deal yesterday. Imagine the headlines around the league if Philadelphia, home of the Broad Street Bullies, signed a Hanson. They'd probably be all "Hanson Signs With Flyers" and shit. Haters.
Nah but the real, actually impactful news is that Tomas Kaberle should be ready to go for Leafs after missing 25 of the last 27 games with a broken hand. Nary a trade deadline goes by without stories linking Kaberle to the Flyers, including a nearly done deal that would have sent Jeff Carter and a first-round pick to Toronto in exchange for the D-man. By the power of Gene Hart, Kaberle refused to waive his no-trade clause, and Carter became a star in Orange & Black.
Both teams are coming off losses to the Bruins, with the Leafs getting spanked on Saturday by a 7-5 count. But of the two teams, the Leafs literally have nothing to play for except pride, and that's gotten them nowhere so far this season. The Flyers, on the other hand, need to beat up on the weak teams they face the rest of the way to maintain their home-ice lead on the Hurricanes, who continue to put up win after win.
Puck drops at 7:30 tonight.
Original Story:
http://www.the700level.com/2009/04/fl...
