The hockey gods were with the Leafs last night, and again not with the Islander's goaltenders, as Kevin Poulin went down with an injury during warmups forcing man mountain Mikko Koskinen to make his first ever NHL debut. I saw him play for the Bridgeport Soundtigers last year and he was forgetful except for when he walked by me in one of those handshake lines and was nearly 7 feet tall on skates. Big boy. Anywho, back to the game, Chemmy and I made the short but hectic drive from Fairfield County, CT to the Nassau Coliseum (stopping at Moe's Southwest Grill on the way). Yes the Coliseum is hard to get to, but it's actually got a quaint small town rink feel to it that's very welcoming. Much better than the labyrinth of MSG or empty bowels of the Prudential Center.

Of the announced 7,000+ fans on had, only a few were complete chuckle heads. The worst being a wannabe US Army soldier (I say wannabe cause he was wearing an Army shirt, had the jarhead haircut, but was skinny as a rod maybe 5'10", 160lbs. The Army doesn't make them that small.) Anywho when the Canadian anthem was sung he turned his back to the ice with arms crossed in front of him. Then for the American anthem he saluted the time whole. Finishing it off with a "F*** You Canada" directed at the Leafs bench before puck drop. Real classy guy, especially considering there are 15 Canadians on the Islanders' roster to only 7 Americans. Great job.

You all know how the game went, so I'm not going to repeat what I saw (Every Leafs goal was scored in the end in which I was sitting), but I can definitively say that the Leafs need to take a cue from the Isles and hire hot chicks to clean the ice during TV timeouts. Never underestimate the importance of eye candy.

Your links after the jump.

Leafs Links

BoO Examines Friedman's 13th Thought and Doesn't Like It

But if Allaire continues to work with Reimer, Rynnas, and Giguere....?

Kaberle Starts Leafs Comeback

And a pretty goal by Tomas it was.

Game 54 in 10

11 - I was there!!! Woo!

Chess Game in Yellow

LeafsHQ breaks down the Kessel/Wilson talks.

Armstrong Has 3 Point Night on Emergency Goaltender

And he got the first star.

Why the Toronto Maple Leafs are not Doomed

Answer: Good young scoring forwards.

Game 53 (Thrashers) Scoring Chances

Tomas Kaberle does nasty work.

Kaberle Will Be Dealt and Here's Why

VLM thinks he's gone and gives his reasons why.

Ed's Reads

Ed reacps the game.

Other Links

Behind the Net Lays Down the Gauntlet

Hawerchuk's had enough of the "Just watch the game" talk.

Inside Gary Bettman's Super Bowl Party

DGB has the low down on Bettman, Kessel, and chicken wings.

From The Branches