In case you missed it, Peter Budaj put in a spectacular effort last night to help his team in the #greatesttankbattle, but was eventually foiled by his teammates, who pumped five goals in on the Tampa Bay Lightning. Here's hoping that the Habs can surpass the Leafs in the standings.
For those of you who, draft pick or no, can't stop vomiting at the idea of cheering for Montreal, I'd encourage you to start cheering for the Toronto Marlies. I think Danny Gray is on to something here when he says that we might as well focus our attention on whatever playoff hockey we can get in Toronto:
This is your chance to watch guys like Jake Gardiner, Carter Ashton, Nazem Kadri, Ben Scrivens and Joe Colborne play some exciting and meaningful hockey. Add in players like Jerry D’Amigo, Jesse Blacker, and Marcel Meuller and you have a team full of potential Leafs playing playoff hockey. Plus you’ll get to see Mike Zigomanis do whatever it is he does that gets Don Cherry so hot and bothered. (be from Ontario?) You’ll also be able to see Spencer Abbott and Josh Leivo play their first games with the franchise maybe they’ll be Leafs one day and you can say you’ve like them since they were Marlies.
Jump for more.
Carl Gunnarsson done for season with separated shoulder
James Mirtle tells us that Gunnar will probably also miss the World Championships.
Story from Jeffler at MarliesHQ.
Goaltender Independent +/- rates for the Leafs
From Cam Charron at The Leafs Nation.
With average goaltending, the Leafs would have made the playoffs
Something of a contradiction to his other post, but Cam Charron again discusses the impact of shooting percentage and save percentage on the Leafs' playoff hopes.
Now the Maple Leaf GM has a persecution complex
Michael Langlois ponders some of Brian Burke's more recent comments.
Toronto Marlies Roundup: April 4th-Update
The latest from Kyle The Reporter.
Defensive Zone Coverage Part 1
A nice, basic breakdown from dawgbone98 at The Copper & Blue.
It’s not just a cliche – you have to take the hit to make the play
Justin Bourne uses the Mike Komisarek The Unfortunate as a case study.
Parity - It's Not Just A Myth
The latest from Tyler Dellow is good stuff.
Backhand Shelf Podcast
They discuss the Leafs-Sabres game, among other things, but also recommend, not for the first time, that you follow @67Sound. I second that.
The Montreal Canadiens' application form for the vacant GM job
From Down Goes Brown.
Other Great Pierre McGuire Awkward Moments
The latest from Dirty Dangle.
The "Anatomy" of a Good Hitter
From Bettman's Nightmare at Arctic Ice Hockey.
Glendale mayor fires shot across NHL’s bow
Complaining at this point about a deal she agreed to just seems dumb. I mean, it was dumb to agree in the first place, but really. From David Shoalts at the Globe.
Mayor rips Devils owner after ruling in rent spat
Yeah, the mayor of New Jersey ain't happy with the NHL, either. From David Porter at the Globe.
