The Leafs came out completely flat in this game and Vesa Toskala rose to the occasion allowing an Ovechkin wrist shot from the top of the circle to hit him before going in the net. The Leafs allowed only eight shots on net in the first period despite the defensive coverage being pretty horrible yet went to the locker room down 3-0.
In the second period the Monster era began. Gustavsson came off the bench having not warmed up as the starting goalie and having sat cold on the bench for the better part of an hour and a half but acquitted himself well. Gustavsson stepped in behind shaky defense and made a number of big saves. I doubt Gustavsson thinks this was his best game but he looked very solid.
The Leafs scored four goals with Gustavsson on the ice and allowed only three if you're looking for a moral victory. Personally I'm looking for a single reason why Vesa Toskala should even be this team's backup and I'm looking for a reason why our defense has been so godawful.
On top of that, the Leafs don't seem terribly truculent to me. In the first period when they were getting laughed out of the building by Washington it would have been a great time for our big tough team to start throwing hits and change the momentum of the game. Toronto has two days off before hosting the Sens. Let's hope Wilson gets a better effort on Tuesday and our defense settles down. Let's also hope Gustavsson gets the start so that we don't have to hear it from Ottawa fans all week.
