The Toronto Maple Leafs took on the New York Islanders last night in what was expected to be a good game given how either team has been playing of late.

The Islanders, for one, have been playing some great hockey and it seems that years of misery is perhaps coming to an end. With the addition of some veteran players and their rookies coming into their own, the Islanders have begun the 2014-15 NHL season on a good note and many seem to think that this year they will battle for a playoff spot. I tend to agree.

That being said, last night should not have been an indication of what that team could have offered. They were ultimately let down by their netminder as Halak was beat five times in a row on the blocker side and could not seemingly figure out his angles. Halak was brought in by New York to help bolster their presence between the pipes and, despite playing well overall this year, last night was not a good showing at all.

With respect to the Leafs, I did like their overall game (after) they scored that first goal. Throughout the first half of the first period it felt that the team was going to be walked all over and put up a stink. And while they may have started a little slow, they got their feet beneath them and put the game away pretty quick.

Some of the problems I personally had with last night’s game was the lack of trust in the bottom lines, both offensively and defensively. In saying that, I am aware that the 4th line hasn’t been very effective of late and the bottom pairing defenders haven’t been great either, but the goal of this season was to roll four full lines and have depth on defense.

None of that was apparent last night as the Leafs, much like last year, relied on their top two lines and, well, Dion Phaneuf on defense.

I suppose that at the end of the day all we have to say is that Toronto walked away with two points and a solid victory, but for me I’d like to see an improvement in the abovementioned. If this team is going to compete all year and not fall off once the race for a playoff spot kicks in, they are going to need to learn to roll all four lines and use their depth effectively.

Phil Kessel came up big for the Buds with two beautiful snipes. There's something to be said about the way this guy can release the puck and pick a corner like he does. Kessel would also set up JVR who would also put away a rather nice goal of his own after a terrible bounce off the end boards ended up in Toronto's favour.

I was excited last night for David Clarkson as he not only ended the night with one goal (should have been two in my opinion), but he also did what he does best; pester the opposing players, finish his checks, and get in the dirty areas. He successfully banged around, crashed the net and create some chances for his line.

His second "goal" which was waved off, for me should have counted. I missed the ruling from the official, but from what I saw he kicked the puck toward the front of the net which redirected off the skate of an Islanders defender and in the back of the net. Either way, two goals or one, I liked what Clarkson offered last night.

In conclusion, while the Leafs appeared to walk all over the Islanders with a 5-2 victory last night, I'm not convinced it was a direct reflection of their effort as much as it was bad goal tending.

It’s still early and it may take another few weeks for the new players and or coaches to really get comfortable in their new roles, but as mentioned, if Toronto doesn’t want a repeat of oh, I don’t know, the last ten years or so, they had better get their entire team working together.

Thanks for reading!

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