PHILADELPHIA (Jan. 7) – In spite of their numerous shortcomings, the Maple Leafs of 2009-10 have displayed a willingness to compete on most nights, and have lost more than a few games because of talent rather than application. Wednesday night, at the Wachovia Center, was a different story. The Philadelphia Flyers – not exactly challenging for a division or conference title – looked like world beaters against an apathetic Leaf team that was either overcome by fatigue, or simply uninterested in going into battle.
The 6-2 loss here in Philly thoroughly reflected the ease with which the visitors were dispatched, on a night when a second consecutive triumph may have re-kindled a touch of playoff fervor among the masses. Instead, the weak display by the Blue & White off-set Tuesday night’s efficient comeback at home against Florida and proved – again – how desperately this club requires a core shake-up. There may be some basis to argue that the Leafs were tired, having flown here after the Florida game, while the Flyers had Tuesday off. But, the eagerness provided by opportunity should have been more than enough to compensate for a bad night’s sleep.
Most of the Philadelphia goals were way too easy – exemplified by Danny Briere somehow creeping unnoticed behind the entire visiting platoon to score a breakaway tally in the third period. This wasn’t an ordinary breakaway in which a player accepts a nifty pass in full flight. Instead, the Leafs were so egregiously out of position up ice that Briere was 15 feet in the clear before he got to the center red-line. Additionally, the nail-in-the-coffin marker occurred only 30 seconds after the visitors finally lit the lamp – an impressive rush and wrist-shot by Nikolai Kulemin slicing into the Flyers’ 4-0 cushion. Even that couldn’t get the Maple Leafs interested.
Rubbing salt in the wound was Flyers’ pest Daniel Carcillo, who finished off an immaculate stick-handling effort to give the home side a 3-0 lead midway through the second period. In his normally demonstrative way, Carcillo gyrated with his arms and hurried past his teammates on the bench to accept fist-pumps. Instead of turning back, however, he continued past the visitors’ bench and visibly taunted the Leaf players. That elicited an angry reaction from Jamal Mayers, who corralled the Flyers’ winger a few minutes later and unleashed a sequence of haymakers.
Afterward, Mayers spoke evenly but critically about Carcillo.
“I guess times have changed,” said the Leafs’ veteran. “There were times when guys would take a suspension [to avenge a taunting opponent] but, unfortunately, I think that happens to be the culture out there for some players in the league today. It is certainly not something I would like any of my teammates to do. I know an honest guy like Ian Laperriere [who fought with Mayers in the opening period] would never think that’s an acceptable way to act but [Carcillo] is still young and he may learn that’s not the way he wants to be viewed.”
The Maple Leafs flew home immediately after the loss for practice on Thursday at the MasterCard Centre. They’ll bus down the QEW on Friday at 10 a.m. for that evening’s encounter with the Buffalo Sabres, once again foregoing a morning skate at HSBC Arena. That strategy failed only three weeks ago – also on a Friday – when the club went to Buffalo on the day of the game and got blitzed, 5-2.
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