Playoff push goes through Philly for Leafs
Posted March 3, 2011 12:25 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have played eight straight one-goal games, earning at least one point in each contest. Their recent matchups with the Philadelphia Flyers have been neither close nor nearly as successful.
Toronto looks to continue its surprising playoff push Thursday night when it visits Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia.
Watch the game tonight, live on Sportsnet Ontario at 7 p.m. ET.
The Maple Leafs (28-27-9) have jumped back into the postseason race by earning a point in 13 of 15 games (9-2-4) since the All-Star break and are 10th in the East, four points back of eighth-place Carolina. They’re 5-0-3 in their last eight after beating Pittsburgh 3-2 in overtime Wednesday.
Mikhail Grabovski scored 42 seconds into the extra session off a nice pass from Phil Kessel for Toronto, which headed into the break 19-25-5 and seemingly out of playoff contention. Kessel scored the tying goal just over five minutes into the third period for his eighth goal in as many games.
“Right now we’re worried about our own business,” captain Dion Phaneuf said. “We’re not looking at the (out of town) scoreboard, praying and hoping for help.”
Rookie James Reimer has been a large part of Toronto’s recent run.
Reimer made 27 saves and improved to 6-0-3 with a 2.06 goals-against average in his last 10 starts. He left midway through the second period of Sunday’s loss to Atlanta after being hit in the head, but he made a quick recovery to help continue the Maple Leafs’ resurgence.
Fantasy notes: Nikolai Kulemin has found the back of the net in two straight and has 0-1-1 in his two starts against the Flyers this season. Claude Giroux’s 58 points lead the Flyers and he is a point-per-game player in eight career tries vs. TOR. | Follow Chris Nichols on Twitter
“We came out storming in the third,” Reimer said. “The guys deserved it. … It was a real sweet victory for us, it was a good one to watch.”
Reimer has yet to face the Flyers, who have dominated Toronto in recent meetings.
Philadelphia (40-16-6) has outscored the Maple Leafs 9-3 in two victories this season, including a 5-2 win Oct. 23 in which the Flyers held a 40-14 shot advantage.
Brian Boucher made 31 saves in the most recent matchup, a 4-1 win Dec. 9. However, he had his four-game winning streak snapped Saturday in a 4-1 loss to Ottawa.
Claude Giroux assisted on Scott Hartnell’s first-period goal for Philadelphia, the East’s highest-scoring team which has been held to two or fewer goals in three of its last five.
“In the first period we dominated the game and we skated and were playing together,” Giroux said. “There was no issue for the first period, then we just stopped playing and it cost us two points.”
The Flyers went 0 for 4 on the power play and are just 2 for 27 over their last eight games. Their opponents, meanwhile, have converted 3 of 8 chances with the man advantage in the last three.
Philadelphia has won six of seven versus Toronto, outscoring the Maple Leafs 28-15 during that stretch. Danny Briere had two goals and an assist in the last meeting against Toronto, while Grabovski and Kessel each have a goal this season against Philadelphia.
The Flyers have beaten the Maple Leafs five straight times in Philadelphia, outscoring Toronto 26-11 while winning four of those contests by at least three goals.
