The Maple Leafs lost to the Canucks last night, 2-1, in a game that can be best described as “irritating”. Arvind has your recap here, but it can best be summed up as the Leafs trying to score, and Jacob Markstrom (quite rudely, in my opinion) not allowing this to happen, save a late James van Riemsdyk goal. I, for one, found this quite frustrating.

But! Hey! You know who did score last night? Martins Dzierkals, Maple Leafs prospect, current Solar Bear, and my favorite Latvian (did you know he was born in a town called Ogre? Now you do!). Check out this nifty breakaway goal against the South Carolina Stingrays:

Florida seems to agree with him! He had a goal and an assist last night in the Solar Bears’ 4-2 win over the Stingrays.

Have some links for your Sunday:

ICYMI

Is Our Leaf Blog Biased? - Pension Plan Puppets
Betteridge’s Law of Headlines, okay?

Maple Leafs by the Numbers: #15 Kaberle, Meeker or Harris? - Pension Plan Puppets
The Czech defender is one of the greatest to patrol the blue line

Stuff We Didn’t Write

Leafs’ Morgan Rielly believes he can join elite blueliners | Toronto Star
Rielly has always had the tools to be a No. 1 defenceman, now he has the confidence.

For Maple Leafs’ Nikita Zaitsev, CrossFit training key to his success | Toronto Star
Like everyone else who does CrossFit, Nikita Zaitsev wants to tell you all about doing CrossFit.

Loss of Henrique May Affect Bottom 6 - All About The Jersey
With the stunning trade of Adam Henrique and Joseph Blandisi for Sami Vatanen happening just the other day, there are still angles to be parsed out and analyzed.

Is Victor Mete still in the NHL to stay? - Eyes On The Prize
With the World Junior Championship coming, it might be in the Habs' best interest to let him go.

Now Is Not The Time For A Montreal Canadiens Rebuild - Last Word on Hockey
While the Montreal Canadiens have struggled this year and the temptation to rebuild gaining momentum, now is not the time for a Montreal Canadiens rebuild

Dmytro Timashov scores twice as Toronto Marlies down Belleville | Maple Leafs Hotstove
The Toronto Marlies got back to winning ways in an ill-tempered Friday night tilt in Belleville.

Oilers coach McLellan defends Russell from 'nerds out there' - Sportsnet.ca
This is my favorite hockey article headline in a long time.

Senators claim Chris DiDomenico off of waivers - Sportsnet.ca
Chris DiDomenico is an Ottawa Senator again.

From The Branches