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The Toronto Maple Leafs rebounded and earned a split of their home-and-home series with the Buffalo Sabres with a 4-2 victory at Air Canada Center on Saturday night.
James van Riemsdyk scored twice in his return to playing left wing, as Toronto installed newly acquired center Peter Holland between van Riemsdyk and Phil Kessel. Nikolai Kulemin scored his first of the season, breaking an 18 game regular season goalless skid stretching back to last season, and Mason Raymond added an insurance goal late in the third to thwart a late Sabres rally.
James Reimer was steady between the pipes, making 33 saves and earning his fifth victory of the season. Toronto improves to 12-7-1, which ties them for third place in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference with Detroit.
Head coach Randy Carlyle was generally pleased with the effort of the newly acquired Holland, who had two shots on goal and won seven of 11 faceoffs in less than 12 minutes of ice time.
“I thought he did OK….it’s hard when a young guy comes in. It’s not like we hid him in the lineup.” Carlyle said. “We put him in a position to play with Kessel and van Riemsdyk. That’s what we believe in, we believe that if you acquire players or have young players, it wouldn’t be right to put them in a non-offensive situation. “
Defenseman Mark Fraser left Saturday’s game early in the first period with a lower body injury, which forced the Leafs to shuffle their defensive pairs for the remainder of the game. Fraser missed over a month after suffering a knee injury in Philadelphia on October 2, but Carlyle does not think that this injury is as serious.
“We thought it was something that would go away, it would subside through the course of the second period.” Carlyle said. “I don’t think it is something that is going to be weeks or whatever, I hope it’s day to day.”
Fraser’s injury will be reassessed on Sunday to determine how long he will be out of the lineup.
Carolina Director of Hockey Operations Ron Francis was at the Ricoh Coliseum Saturday to view the Hurricanes AHL affiliate Charlotte Checkers - Toronto Marlies game, a fact which may add fuel to the fire regarding potential interest in defenseman John-Michael Liles.
The 32-year-old Liles was demoted by the Leafs on Friday to make room for Trevor Smith in the wake of Nazem Kadri’s three game suspension and scored a goal and assist in the Marlies 4-1 victory.
The Hurricanes are second last in the Eastern Conference with 39 goals scored and are looking for offensive help on their blueline after losing defenseman Joni Pitkanen for the season with a heel injury. The Canes have rookie Ryan Murphy and former ex-Sabre Andrej Sekera playing in most offensive situations and could use Liles experience as a puck carrier and power play quarterback.
Pitkanen and his $4.5 Million salary were placed on LTIR before the season and GM Jim Rutherford used $2 Million of that newly created space to sign stay-at-home free agent Ron Hainsey. Although the report indicates that talks have not advanced significantly, Carolina does have room to take on Liles contract and could be holding out to see if he can get the Leafs to pay a larger portion of the remaining three years of the deal.
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The Leafs have reached the one-quarter mark of the season and have achieved a level of success with their 12-7-1 record. It is a good time to take a look at how the players are performing individually, focusing on where the club should feel comfortable with their performances or where they need to improve.
Goaltending
Jonathan Bernier – Grade = A : Bernier has exceeded all expectations after being acquired from the LA Kings over the summer. The former first rounder plays goal with a steadying, calm demeanor, handles the puck well, has a lightning quick glove hand and controls rebounds well. In spite of Don Cherry’s assertions, Bernier is not being coddled or protected and has often been the sole reason why the Leafs have been close in the games he’s started.
James Reimer – Grade = A : Reimer has responded to the challenge of sharing duties with Bernier with his best performance as a pro. His .942 save percentage is near the top of the league, his rebound control is much improved from last season and he bounced back effectively after colliding with teammate Josh Leivo in October.
Defense
Dion Phaneuf – Grade = B+ : The Leafs team captain leads the club in ice time(24:23 per game) and has been more steady defensively than in past seasons with Toronto, but at the cost of slightly reduced offensive numbers. Phaneuf leads the club in goals by blueliners with two and is one of the few Toronto blueliners who can effectively play with physicality.
Cody Franson – Grade = B : Franson leads all Leafs defenseman in scoring with 12 points, but has not registered a goal with his booming shot to this point. The lanky blueliner still has his defensive zone challenges and does not appear to ever be willing to use his size advantage for the physical side of the game, but is an integral part of the Leafs potent power play and top two defensive pairings.
Carl Gunnarsson – Grade = B- : Gunnarsson has only one assist in 20 games playing on the top defensive pairing with Phaneuf, but his main responsibilities are as a shutdown defender, which he is very effective at. His stay-at-home mentality does allow Phaneuf to take more offensive chances, which is the type of blueliner Toronto could use more of.
Jake Gardiner – Grade = C : Gardiner’s performance has been spotty at best through the first six weeks of the season. The 23-year-old has not followed up on his impressive post-season showing against Boston last May and has only scored four assists in 20 games. His puck rushing ability and on-ice vision are top notch, but he at times can be a defensive nightmare. His best performance of the season was in Boston, where he registered seven shots and controlled the puck whenever he was on the ice. That is the Gardiner the Leafs need to see more often.
Paul Ranger – Grade = D : Ranger returned to the NHL after a three year absence and at times, it looks like he has forgotten the concept of how to play defense. The game in Buffalo on Friday is a perfect example, he was out of position during a penalty kill that allowed Steve Ott to tie the game and was caught flat footed on Marcus Foligno’s game winner. He will really have to step it up to stay in the lineup throughout the season.
Morgan Rielly – Grade = B- : The decision of whether the 19-year-old former lottery pick should have been kept with the team could begin to questioned if he continues to be scratched, but after some early defensive lapses, Rielly settled in and showed the poise and skills that made the Leafs draft him fifth overall. With excellent skating ability and offensive daring, Rielly could be a special player.
Mark Fraser – Grade = C+ : Giving Fraser an average grade is sort of by default, since he has missed 13 games with a knee injury and is now injured again, but he represents the only tough defensive defenseman who makes opposing forwards pay in front of the net during power plays and when rushing into the defensive zone.
Part II – The Forwards on Monday
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