First shootout win!

PWHL Toronto won the first shootout victory in league history. And Troy Ryan is stone cold, no nerves. Montréal just kept using Marie-Philip Poulin (you're allowed to in the PWHL) and he went with someone different all but once, and then brought out a defender to win it. Some of the best forwards hadn't been tried yet, but nope, the defender had it.

It was almost a heartbreaker as Toronto went ahead in the third and Poulin (grrrrr) tied it up with 18 seconds to go.

Then Toronto took an emergency defensive penalty in overtime. But it's a win (only two points, but Toronto will take any win right now).

Next game is Tuesday in Ottawa, and if you live around there, I believe Ottawa threw out the tarps and opened up more seats for sale.

Leafs are bad and should feel bad

In the other Toronto game, the Leafs lost and confirmed everyone's priors. (Particularly the model makers who had the Leafs as probable to lose the game.) Heads need to roll. (They won't.)

Recap: Canucks blow the lead twice, win anyway
Why do the Leafs absolutely suck when tied? Er, this recap won’t really answer that question.
PPP LeafsCathy Squires

I'll be honest, my big takeaway from that game was a slightly hot rage that Nikita Zadorov could have been on the Leafs if they'd been willing to just turf some overpaid players to fit his salary in. The man can defend better than... maybe everyone. But how to make cap space? Klingberg wasn't officially unplayable yet.

I'm sure Keefe said some stuff post game, but I'm tired of the arch sarcasm that meets his every word. The NHL is a fire the coach league, it's true. And every GM wants the new-coach bounce to disguise his own sins. It's not if Treliving will fire him, it's when. And no, I don't mean soon. But the fate of every coach is to get fired.

First, though, Treliving has to make some kind of trade. Because you can't fire a coach (you just extended) with that kind of winning record (when your only good goalie is on IR) and not worry he's going to walk off and make you look stupid by winning a lot on his new team.

Of course Keefe has only ever coached the Leafs, so of course he has a winning record, but the Leafs are so bad they really should rip it all down. Nothing at all is more fun than the drama of firing people and trading players for picks to dream on until they become the defenceman the coach just won't play because he hates him personally.

It's the only way to get catharsis, isn't it? The coach is never going to call out the players, except when he does. And then how dare he do it like that.

Yeah, sorry, speaking of annoying sarcasm, but this Keefe stuff is reaching levels of polarization that's the equal to the very, very irritating time when Sheldon Keefe invented hockey and practices and offence and just everything, and he was beloved by all to the exclusion of all reason.

Teams win, teams lose, and no there isn't just one reason why.

And these damn people have the nerve to be playing tonight against the Kraken. Preview will be out very, very late today. You are morally obligated to stay up until midnight to watch this, though.

No more Leafs

Junior hockey drama:

I don't know what this is really all about, but it's something to do with challenging Hockey Canada's power, and teams trying to get players from eastern provinces into leagues where they won't lose NCAA eligibility. Is there a white hat and a black hat here? Not likely. Does anyone give a monkey's about the majority of the kids playing on these teams who aren't every going to be pro players. Nope.

London beat up their arch rivals in more ways than one, I guess. Also, you know you're in hicklandia when there's Syngenta ads on the boards.

So, this is the time of the year when people go on about American Football, isn't it? Talk about that if you like, it might be a nice break from the Leafs.

From The Branches