On many nights, Jonas Gustavsson has been "The Monster" in name only.

The Swedish goaltender with the fearsome tag won just two of his first 11 decisions in this his rookie season and has not completed more than five games in a row since late December.

But following the trading of Vesa Toskala in late January and the arrival of Jean-Sebastien Giguere gave a more defined view of the Leafs' net plans for 2010-11 and beyond, Gustavsson has settled into a nice routine.

With Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Ottawa Senators, the 26-year-old has won four straight, has evened his regulation record at 13-13 and has pushed his save percentage over .900.

But it was the way Tuesday's win was accomplished—he bailed out his team from a series of giveaways in the early...

TORONTO (Mar. 17) – The actors are substantially different but the plot is exactly the same for the Maple Leafs at this juncture of the National Hockey League season. It is a virtual certainty in the post-lockout NHL that the Leafs will come on like gangbusters once the “quest” for a playoff spot has effectively ended. It is happening again in 2009-10, though the “quest” this season e

Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in...

from Greatest Hockey Legends,

The Leafs were hosting “King Clancy Night.” Clancy was as big a star as Toronto has ever seen. They honored him with the night, the jersey, and a number of stereotypical gifts that would keep any Irish eyes smiling.

Several junior players stepped on to the ice through large potato props. Red Horner emerged from a boxing glove. New York Ranger’s star Bill Cook hid in a shamrock. All the while the Knights of Columbus Minstrel Band played Irish music.

But the highlight of the night was when Clancy was introduced to the sold out arena. There has never been anything quite like it in sports before or since.

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The Leafs young budding star is on pace to play 70 games this season, as he did last year, so long as he stays healthy. When he came over to the Leafs, many people said his 36 goals last year was all thanks to Marc Savard. He would never accomplish the same on a pathetic Leaf team. Apparently, he also came with baggage, an attitude, poor discipline, blah blah blah. It would seem Sens fans will

Holy shit...I have a blog.
Remember when I said I was back? Well I mean it this time.
First things first. You may have noticed a not so shocking lack of "game in ten words or less" posts.
There is a reason for that. I hate doing it. It was a good idea that I might bring back next year but the Leafs season thus far has created a burnout of sorts, so no more of that this season *.
Secondly. Fuck the Senators. Bunch of gutless pukes, enjoy your first round exit ya tool bags.
Thirdly .I am loving the play of the youth movement in Toronto. There is still a ton of work to be done and players like Stalberg, Caputi and Hanson REALLY need some seasoning in the AHL. Sure they all show flashes of what might be but now they look like marginal NHLers.
Fourthly. did anyone expect the Leafs to miss Grabbo that much? Since his return they are on a tear. Love that crazy bastard.
Fithly. Seriously, fuck the Senators. Alfredsson is a piece of dog shit.
Sixthly. I am actually enjoying Leaf games again. I am past the whole "oh noes the Bruins might get Hall!" thing and am actually excited to see how the team gels together and grows as a group.
Seventh.....ly. I like soup.

*Offer void If I think of something hilarious or what not.

PS - I don't give a fuck about Tiger Woods, shut up about it
PPS - Fuck the Sens

Playing mainly for pride, the Toronto Maple Leafs made quick work of their provincial rivals on Tuesday night.

OTTAWA - The Toronto Maple Leafs spent most of Tuesday night looking like a team headed for the playoffs, while the Ottawa Senators looked like one on the outside looking in.

Super Kule is Super Hot.

That would have been the title for this post except that the Leafs are playing Ottawa again, so instead we're back with another episode of the Battle of Ontario Blow-by-Blow. Hard to believe, but this is the last time these two teams will meet this season. The Leafs have won 3 in a row against the Sens, and look to make it 4 straight tonight. Toronto leads the season series, 3-2 (6 points to 5), including the overtime victory from their last meeting just 10 days ago. In those 5 games, the Leafs have given up only 8 goals to Ottawa, while scoring 13.

Before the game starts though, let's talk about Nikolai Kulemin for a second. I'd say he's probably my favourite Leaf forward right now, with Bozak as a close second. Currently, Kulemin has a 5-game point streak going, with 4 goals and 3 assists in that span. He's also a +3 for March after 8 games, averaging nearly 3 shots (2.875) per game since the Olympic break. He has 2 game-winning goals to his credit, plus a shorthanded goal. Right now I think he looks terrific on the top line with Bozak and Kessel as those 3 have combined for 17 points over the last 4 games.

A couple more thoughts before the game...

Gunnarsson is an incredible +11 after just 30 games played. He has 4 points in his last 5 games, bringing his season total up to 11 (2G, 9A), and is a +8 in 8 games since the break. His numbers, averaged out over an 82-game schedule would look like: 5.4 goals, 24.6 assists, for 30 points, and a plus 30. Wow. Only 9 NHL players have a plus/minus above 25, and all of them play for either Washington or Vancouver. Last season, only 8 players finished the year with a plus/minus at 30 or above.

I'm still very interested to see how the Leafs scoring race will shake down over the remaining 12 games. Kessel, with 6 points in his last 4 games, has taken over the team lead in scoring, 1 point ahead of Tomas Kaberle who appears to be struggling since returning from the Olympics. My instinct tells me that Kaberle is not going to end his season (and possibly his career as a Leaf) mired in a lengthy slump, so I expect him to bounce back and to make a run at reclaiming the team scoring title. Time will tell, I guess. 13 games to go.

Let's get this one started...

First Period

20:00 Gustavsson in goal. Awesome. He's got 3 wins in a row, lookin' for his 4th. Kessel, Bozak, Kulemin up front. Phaneuf and Beauchemin on the blueline.

19:35 Bozak bumped off the puck behind the Senators net.

18:05 Caputi cruises through the crease but can't hit the empty goal.

16:58 Penalty. Winchester. Didn't really see it. Called for elbowing.

15:55 Minute gone in the powerplay, nothing really happening.

15:25 Monster gives the puck away and the Leafs are hemmed in their own zone for 10 seconds by the shorthanded Senators.

14:55 Grabbo just misses with a backhand as the penalty expires.

14:09 Penalties. Phaneuf and Foligno for yapping, I guess. They call it roughing. 4-on-4.

13:20 Mitchell digs the puck out behind the Sens goal, sets up Beauchemin. Save Elliott. Good chance.

11:40 Kaberle with a nice defensive play to clear the zone. Yes, really.

11:30 Sens back in, Gustavsson with a good stop, rebound bounces off traffic and trickles past the post.

11:00 Huge kick save by the Monster.

9:10 Sens controlling the play for several consecutive shifts but no real scoring chances.

8:40 GOAL!!! Kessel! Awesome wrist shot eludes Elliott. Great pass by Kulemin. Bozak with the 2nd assist on the 3-on-2, sent away by XLB. 1-0 Leafs. Six game point streak for Kulemin.

6:20 Leafs control the play in the Sens zone for a long stretch without a solid chance.

5:55 Primeau tries to shovel a loose puck into the net.

5:40 Fight! Carkner looks like he's challenging Orr, but they both look like they're too tired to go, when suddenly we have XLB and Neil squaring off at centre ice. Stupid linesman won't get out of the way and what could have been a good scrap becomes a farce.

5:15 Save by Gustavsson, dangerous rebound cleared away.

4;50 Kessel gives the puck away right in front of the Leafs goal and the Sens get a chance out of the confusion. Alfie sets up Spezza who misses wide.

3:30 Gustavsson good kick save, rebound bounces over Spezza's stick.

2:45 Gustavsson with another good save, no rebound, after Gunnarsson gives the puck away.

2:20 Kaberle throws a hit and knocks down his man. Yes, really. Might have been accidental.

2:00 Carkner is flattened into the boards by Schenn deep in the Leafs zone. Scrum ensues.

:38 Penalty. Just as Stalberg is breaking towards the goal, Grabbo gets called for tripping a defender.

:00 Senators didn't really have enough time to threaten on the PP and the period ends. 1-0, Leafs.

Second Period

20:00 Sens still on the powerplay for a minute, 22 seconds.

19:15 Alfie with a hard shot from the point, stopped by Gustavsson. No rebound.

18:25 Chance for Ottawa, Gustavsson makes the save with his shoulder.

17:54 Penalty. Stalberg lazy hooking penalty in the Sens zone.

17:35 Beauchemin stands up Spezza just inside the blue line.

16:40 Another hard shot by Alfredsson from the point, big rebound bounces harmlessly away as the Leafs all have their men tied up.

16:00 Kulemin rubs out Neil behind the Leafs net.

15:27 GOAL!!! Terrific goal by Mitchell. Nicely dodges a hit and then sends the puck top shelf. Bang. What a goal.

15:08 GOAL!!! Grabbo scores! 3-0! Stalberg and Caputi retrieve the dump-in and find Grabovski in front who slides it in. Suddenly the game is blown wide open. Sens call a time-out.

14:35 Dangerous rebound cleared away by Kaberle. I'm serious.

13:24 Penalty. XLB. Interference. That's like the 4th penalty tonight that I didn't really see. Either they're happening behind the play or the refs are being finicky.

12:40 Mitchell rags the puck shorthanded, killing a good extra ten seconds.

11:35 Spezza at the point (?), hard shot, dangerous rebound but the Leafs tie up their men. Doing a good job of that tonight.

10:56 Penalty. Ottawa. Volchenkov breaks up a chance in front by breaking Bozak's stick. Two minutes for slashing.

10:20 Shorthanded chance for the Sens, shot from the slot, another good save by Gustavsson, no rebound.

9:20 Puck goes over the glass and the refs are showing some amazing collective indecision. No penalty but they don't look entirely sure about it.

9:00 Penalty. Another one against the Sens. Sutton highsticking Beauchemin in front of the Sens net.

8:00 Good puck control by the Leafs. Shot by Kessel stopped by Elliott.

7:05 Monster stop on a breakaway for the Sens!

6:20 Nice play by Hanson to chip the puck out of the Leafs zone. Little things...

5:40 Neil with a chance alone in front, stopped by Gustavsson with a butterfly kick save.

5;00 Phaneuf loses the puck to create another chance for the Sens but then recovers nicely and ties up his man, and Monster is able to slap the puck into the corner.

2:50 Dangerous centering pass by Spezza knocked away by Schenn.

2:05 Kessel, set up by Kulemin, nearly scores again with another hard wrist shot.

1:34 Goal. Sutton scores after Cullen steals the puck from Kaberle. 3-1.

1:15 Sutton again with a hard wrist shot off Gustavsson's shoulder.

:00 Second period ends without much action after the Sens goal.

Third Period

20:00 Kessel, Bozak, Kulemin up front.

18:00 Not much happening first two minutes of the third. Chippy.

17:45 Kulemin skates in off the wing for a shot on goal.

16:55 Shot on goal by Lundmark from a bad angle and then Kaberle's point shot is deflected by Mitchell out of play.

16:10 Phaneuf hit from behind by Neil into Winchester. Dangerous hit, no call.

15;35 Kessel dishes to Kaberle, weak shot on goal, Kulemin looking for the rebound.

14:30 Alfie centres to Cullen with a nifty behind the back pass from behind the net. Cullen's shot deflected out of play.

14:20 Good chance for Kelly. Phaneuf saves a goal deflecting the puck over the net.

13:35 Caputi backhand just misses.

12:55 Stalberg breakaway... saved by Elliott

12:35 Kessel nearly sets up Bozak for a tip-in.

12:13 Nice. Schenn knocks Neil to the ice, starting a big scrum. XLB, Schenn, Neil, and Ruutu go to the box.

11:22 Oh, Jesus. Terrible hit from behind by Alfredsson on Beauchemin. Another scrum. Totally uncalled for. Should be 5 minutes. Just a minor. Not happy.

10:50 Hard shot by Phaneuf, set up by Kaberle, hits Elliott's mask, shaking him up.

11:00 Down at the other end, a great sprawling save by the Monster.

10:45 Nice glove save by Elliott. At the stop in play, Elliott goes to the bench and switches to an all-black mask.

10;30 Elliott makes a save on Stalberg, set up by Grabbo, and then goes to the bench again and switches to an all-white mask.

9:55 Gustavsson bobbles a glove save then needs to scramble for another save.

9:29 Penalty. Sutton hits Gunnarsson with an elbow.

8:20 Leafs struggle to get out of their zone on the powerplay.

7:20 Penalty ends without any good opportunities for Toronto.

6:50 Mitchell with a shot on goal, stopped by Elliott.

5:20 Sens pressing the Leafs for a minute but they're being held to the perimeter.

4:50 Schenn takes a hit into the glass but keeps on truckin'.

4:20 Wallin gets away with one, shooting the puck into the crowd, but the refs decide not to call it.

3:05 Kulemin with a nice play to knock down a nuetral zone pass and then knock a Senator into the boards before dumping the puck back in deep.

2:30 Caputi, Grabbo, Stalberg, 3-on-1. Caputi takes it all the way but doesn't really get a good shot away.

1:50 Good work by Grabbo and Caputi deep in the Ottawa zone. Clock ticking.

1:20 Elliott goes to the bench.

:55 Great kick save by Gustavsson.

:50 GOAL!!! Wallin hits the empty net from centre ice. Assists to Lundmark and Beauchemin.

:30 Ruutu bumps Schenn into the boards.

:10 One more good save by Gustavsson.

:00 Game ends. Great complete game for the Leafs. A bit sloppy in the 2nd period, but totally outworked the Senators for the win.

The First Star - Phil Kessel. Big goal set the tone and looked dangerous all night.

The Second Star - Jonas Gustavsson. Monster with 30 saves and his 4th win in a row.

The Third Star - Nikolai Kulemin. Solid 2-way effort continues to impress.

Honourable mention to John Mitchell who probably played his best game of the year.

And that's the end of the BoOBbB, at least for this season, possibly forever. Who knows. Leafs win the season series 4 games to 2. Super Kule, super hot. See ya all next time!

Playing mainly for pride, the Toronto Maple Leafs made quick work of their provincial rivals to claim bragging rights in Ontario. Phil Kessel scored his 26th goal and John Mitchell and Mikhail Grabovski tallied 19 seconds apart in the second period, leading Toronto to a 4-1 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.

And here's the theme for the post-game thread. I'm taking wagers that more of these will be used by Leaf fans crying over the alleged dirtiest hit on the ice this year (Ovechkin got 2?  Alfie should get the fucking season for that! [paraphrase of one dumbass leafer on the sports pages this evening])Try not to use too many guys.  You'll need some when you start getting excited about the Kaberle

The Montreal Canadiens can go a long way toward ensuring a playoff spot on Tuesday when they visit the New York Rangers.

from Mike Zeisberger of the Toronto Sun,

Wayne Primeau can almost feel his gut still churning when he thinks about the Maple Leafs horrifying plane ride from Toronto to the New York area in the wee hours of Sunday morning.

“It was one of the scariest flights I’ve ever had, for sure,” Primeau said Monday, still shaking his head in disbelief.

“The turbulence we experienced for about two minutes was unbelievable ... At one point, I was thinking about my family and kids. I was hanging on for dear life.”

continued

HNIC's senior online reporter Tim Wharnsby dishes out the latest news, buzz and inside information from the hockey world.

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The NHL isn't alone in having to deal with controversial hits in the past week. During Sunday night's...

No jokes about the sexual orientation of hockey players. No hysteria-inducing references to ballet's, and no postings of that guy in the Maple Leafs fairy costume that comes up every 3 months or so. Not yet anyway.Just the final game of the season series. Here's where we stand before the puck drops on game #6:WIN/LOSS: Toronto 3 Ottawa 2ORR/CARKNER: 3-2GOALS SCORED: Toronto 13 - Ottawa 8Besides

Each week, CBCSports.ca's senior hockey writers conduct (mostly) friendly banter on the latest hot-button issues in the NHL. Tim Wharnsby and Jeff Marek square off in this edition.

Hockey fans are well aware of the recent mini-drama involving Sidney Crosby's equipment from Canada's gold medal game. The stick he used to score the winning goal went missing along with a glove, leading to a Canada-wide search and a $10,000 reward.

The equipment was eventually found, and the hockey world breathed a sigh of relief. But not so fast. It turns out that Crosby's gear was only one example of a growing problem. NHL-related items have been going missing for years, and there are currently several ongoing investigations.

Here are ten example of high-profile ongoing investigations into NHL items that seem to have disappeared.

The item: Daniel Alfredsson's Stanley Cup ring
Missing since: 2004
Case details: Alfredsson famously guaranteed that the Senators would win at least one Stanley Cup. However, there is no evidence that the ring from that championship is currently in his possession.
Investigation status: Progress has proven difficult, as every time the victim is questioned about it he gets upset and storms away.

The item: The Toronto Maple Leafs' first round draft picks
Missing since: September 18, 2009
Case details: A review of the NHL's draft list shows that the Leafs do not have either of their next two first round picks, despite those picks being critical to their rebuilding effort.
Investigation status: While Leafs GM Brian Burke has denied that a crime took place, every Leafs' home game this year has produced 18,800 new eyewitnesses who confirm that a robbery was pulled off.

The item: Brian Campbell's clavicle
Missing since: March 14, 2010
Case details: The clavicle, last seen Sunday morning, has since been replaced by a loose pile of jagged shards and bone-colored dust.
Investigation status: While investigators are said to have a suspect in the case, a thorough sweep of the crime scene failed to uncover any evidence such as DNA, fingerprints, or Olympic medals.

The item: Sean Avery's medication
Missing since: About two weeks ago
Case details: Avery appears to have recently gone off the medication which had prevented him from acting like an attention-starved sideshow, saying ridiculous things, having any discernible personality, responding to outside stimuli in any way, and being an effective player.
Investigation status: No firm leads, but authorities strongly suspect that Larry Flynt is involved.

The item: A Philadelphia Flyers playoff-caliber goaltender
Missing since: 1996
Case details: Oddly enough, the team's front office seems completely unaware that anything is missing.
Investigation status: If we can't solve it now, there's always next year. And the next. And the next...

The item: The piano on Lee Stempniak's back
Missing since: March 3, 2010
Case details: The item apparently holds great sentimental value to Stempniak, since he hadn't been seen without it since November 2008.
Investigation status: Let's just say everyone's pretty sure it will turn up on its own.

The item: Scott Gomez
Missing since: 2007
Case details: Gomez signed an enormous free agent deal with the New York Rangers. He's never been heard from since.
Investigation status: Prime suspect Glen Sather claims to have an alibi, insisting that Gomez was traded to another team in the off-season. But a brief examination of the player's stats and the NHL's salary cap rules reveals that to be clearly impossible.

The item: Tomas Kaberle's copy of the NHL standings
Missing since: 2008
Case details: It's really the only possible explanation for the whole NTC thing, right?
Investigation status: Authorities are anxious to locate the item prior to this year's draft, since it will give Tomas plenty to think about when he's traded to the Oilers.

The item: Personal items from several Montreal Canadiens
Missing since: March 11, 2010
Case details: Various players reported the recent theft of several cans of shoe polish.
Investigation status: It's the strangest thing, they were right here until those two fans walked by and... oh good God, they couldn't have.

The item: Matt Cooke's karma
Missing since: 1999
Case details: Philosophers believe that the karmic effects of one's deeds will actively impact present and future experiences. However, this delicate universal balance seems to have been mysteriously absent during Cooke's NHL career.
Investigation status: Good news! The Boston Bruins have located the missing item, and have promised to personally return it to Cooke this Thursday.

Hello, this is a feature that will run through the entire season and aims to recap the weekend's events and...

No. 1 Star: Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals Down 3-0 entering the third period and without Alex Ovechkin,...

UNIONDALE, N.Y. - The New York Islanders defied their recent history to knock off a Stanley Cup contender and a bottom-feeder in less than 24 hours.

The New York Islanders defied their recent history to knock off a Stanley Cup contender and a bottom-feeder in less than 24 hours. Despite having the NHL's second-worst penalty kill and third-worst power play, the Islanders killed off seven penalties and scored power-play and short-handed goals in a 4-1 victory over the lowly Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday.

The streaking Calgary Flames come into Vancouver to play the hot Canucks in what could be the game of the weekend.

No. 1 Star: Chris Pronger, Philadelphia Flyers Who says Pronger's lost a step? With less than 20 seconds...