The Toronto Maple Leafs lost 5-2 to the New York Rangers who are one of the Stanley Cup favourites.
The Good
James Reimer made 37 saves and couldn't really be blamed for any of the goals. If he's recovered from his concussion then that is good news.
James van Riemsdyk scored a goal on the powerplay which is nice to see because otherwise the PP was as bad as usual.
Mikhail Grabovski scored because he's great and everyone that hates him can go play in traffic.
John-Michael Liles picked up a couple of assists. I wasn't a big fan of his new deal based on the timing (after his concussion) and term for his age. Having said that, maybe the Leafs can get a couple of good years out of it.
The Bad
A lot of mental errors led to goals. A lot of bad coverage.
Dion Phaneuf and Mike Kostka were eaten alive tonight. They played over 30 minutes and were both -4 which was well deserved based on their play. I don't think that this is a long-term pairing.
Colton Orr and Mike Brown barely combined for more than six minutes of ice-time
The Ugly
Whenever the Rick Nash - Brad Richard - Marian Gaborik line were on the ice they tended to dominate. That's why a Kessel for Nash deal never made any sense. You don't trade high end talent for high end talent. You add high end talent to high end talent.
The Leafs blew a two goal lead and the 3rd and 4th goal were a direct result of the Leafs' new deep style of defending. If you're giving up the point, you need to clear the front of the net. Both were deflections.