The Maple Leafs have one more regular season hurdle to jump before concentrating on the "Big House" spectacle in Ann Arbor, MI on January 1 against the Detroit Red Wings.
Toronto faces the Carolina Hurricanes in an unusual Sunday night match at Air Canada Center, which is just as important in the grand scheme of things as the January 1 contest at the University of Michigan stadium. Toronto has 43 points and is currently seventh in the race for a playoff spot in the tight Eastern Conference, with six teams within six points in the standings.
Carolina is under .500(14-15-9) and is only three points out of an automatic playoff berth in the Metropolitan Division standings, in spite of lengthy injuries to goaltender Cam Ward and forward Jeff Skinner, as well as struggling play from Jordan Staal, who has just 18 points in 38 games this season.
Both of the Staal brothers have enjoyed a level of success playing against the Maple Leafs during their career, as older brother Eric has 37 points in 34 career games against Toronto and Jordan has 10 goals and six assists in 23 games.
Leafs center Tyler Bozak is expected to make his return on Sunday after missing a dozen games with a strained oblique muscle. Bozak has had difficulty staying healthy in the first year of a five-year, $21 Million contract signed in July, playing only 16 games. He is expected to resume his place on the top line between James van Riemsdyk and Phil Kessel, who have had difficulty producing consistently and playing sound defense in his absence.
The 27-year-old center has been much maligned for his presence on the Leafs top line and his lack of contribution for making his wingers better players, but statistically the pair is averaging a point per game with Bozak on their line and significantly lower per game with Peter Holland or Nazem Kadri playing up the middle.
Jonathan Bernier will get his third straight start for the Leafs in goal, making it very likely that he will be the starter in the Winter Classic on Wednesday.
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The third episode HBO’s 24/7 Road To The Winter Classic aired unedited in the US on Saturday night and made a bit of news regarding the contract status of defenseman Dion Phaneuf, as Leafs Assistant GM Claude Loiselle was seen talking to GM Dave Nonis about the status of negotiations:
Areas of interest to look forward to for 24/7 on Sportsnet will be a plethora of Randy Carlyle’s F-Bombs(which will be bleeped out), a whole lot of Phil Kessel(just kidding), Joffrey Lupul shopping in New York City will be of interest for the female viewers and David Clarkson’s verbal sparring with Detroit’s Todd Bertuzzi over Jonathan Bernier’s water bottle.
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An interesting standalone tidbit from New York Post columnist Larry Brooks in his Saturday column:
"Boy oh boy, would the Maple Leafs love to find a taker for Nazem Kadri."
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Listen to the new edition of Leaf Buzz with myself and CTV's Norman James, as we discuss the Leafs performance in December, the impending Dion Phaneuf contract and a few other tidbits.
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