As I've already pointed out in the game recap, last night's win was a cathartic one for me. To see the Buds get the bounces they missed in the previous game and the goaltending that they deserved was a nice way of cleansing the palette. Here's hoping that with Colby Armstrong and John-Michael Liles healthy, the team can get start stringing together some wins.

The rather sobering reality, however, is that the Leafs still have quite a hill to climb, as both the New Jersey Devils and the Washington Capitals have games in hand, and could easily leapfrog the Leafs for the remaining two playoff spots. It's going to be a long battle.

Now, my lead-in isn't really related to my featured link today, but what the heck, this is a good interview clip anyway. Brian Burke recently sat down with George Stromboloupoegprogjpsogsous to talk about accepting a gay NHL player when they decide to come out:

Plenty of links after the jump as usual. Enjoy, everyone.

Leafs Links:

Ray Ferraro Apologizes
I think this whole thing gives Dion Phaneuf more ammo for Ferraro than anything. So embarrassing for him and awesome for us.

In the Pipeline
Greg Thomson looks at Leafs' prospects in the CHL with his first post over at The Leafs' Nation.

Reimer blanks Pens as Leafs rebound from collapse in Pittsburgh
Jeff Blair with a recap over at the Globe and Mail.

Please stop the Nazem Kadri yo-yo
Can't say I'm so upset about it, but Michael Langlois at Vintage Leaf Memories has a few thoughts to share.

Other things the Star compared last night's Leafs loss to
Cam Charron wasn't so bothered by the Leafs' loss to the Pens the other night, and he doesn't think you should be, either. Of course, he's from British Columbia, and they aren't exactly well-known for being graceful in defeat. (Kidding, Cam.)

Examining the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Second-Half Schedule
Lukas Hardonk has a look at The Hockey Guys.

Other Hockey Links:

Introducing: The Mario Lemieux Hat-Trick
Danny Gray's latest offering also caught the eye of some folks over at Puck Daddy. Not a bad idea, if you ask me.

Is No News Good News?
Jonathan Willis says... probably. From The Leafs Nation.

Zone Start Effects on Stats
Yeah, they're important. From David Johnson at Hockey Analysis.

Lies, damned lies, statistics and bright line rules
The latest from Tyler Dellow.

1.35 Million Viewers for the All-Star Game on NBC
Via Puck The Media.

Backhand Shelf Podcast
Hey, they noticed the video we posted over here of the "Somebody f***ing go!".

That one sad guy
This is honestly a pretty funny idea. Glove tap to Backhand Shelf for pointing this one out.

Backhand Shelf speaks with Mark Recchi at the CHL Prospects Game
There's a great quote about the Dr. Recchi episode in here. Worth a read. From Dave Cunning at Backhand Shelf.

NHL Reffing: an Epidemic?
The Silver Fox takes issue with the Leafs' first game against the Pens. I'd say last night's game was pretty shoddy in terms of officiating as well, but it just happened to work out more in the Leafs' favor.

From The Branches