So they do remember how to do the more than one win in a row shpeel. Who’d of thunk it? And in overtime, too–something they’ve rather sucked at all year. Again, who’d of thunk it? Now if only it actually mattered. Still, it’s nice to see them starting to play a little bit better with each other. Even if it’s still difficult to get excited over a few wins strung together. So difficult, in fact, that I’m bowing out of that race right now.

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Back in January, we didn’t get off so lucky. Well, actually, we didn’t really get off at all–hence the 3 2 loss. We actually pretended to play a little tiny bit better then, too. Or so I kept telling myself, anyway. Funny how all these teams we keep sucking against tend to add up. A few years ago, a win like this might have sent every Leafs fan between here and Toronto into ultra party mode. Now? We just shrug. And I go back to getting things ready for the arival of the girlfriend.

Well now, would you look at that. A win, and a rare one at that. Even more so seeing as it’s in overtime. I’d pretty much accepted they’d forgotten how to do that, and then last night, they proved me wrong. Now if I could just work up the energy to smile about it. Unfortunately, it’s still a meaningless win–and probably the only one we’ll see this week.

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We might have threatened at one point to win our last game versus the Bruins. Only problem? We didn’t. Rather, we kind of tried to make it look like we were going to, and then promptly fell apart. Kind of like we did last night, giving up the lead for all but the last goal. Well, I guess what goes down must come up. Still, is it next season yet?

Sigh. Again. We did almost tolerably well. Until the third period. Again. A minute and 16 apart, they managed to throw two behind us–that sunk us. Not that we weren’t sunk before that, but that pretty much guaranteed we weren’t going to be surprised. I used to look forward to the next time we won. Now, I’m just looking forward to the end of the season.

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We shut them out in January. Then went back to sucking. Then came the multidirectional trade. And then, more sucking. Now? We’re in the league’s basement and closing in on the last game of the season. On the bright side, baseball starts up in a month. The bluejays can’t do much worse… can they?

It was a hell of a close game. Sens draw first blood, Leafs somehow manage to come back, lots of people having face first meetings with the boards. Or, in some cases, the opposing team’s fists. And still, even though it was Ottawa, and even though we won–in a shootout on a Kessel goal no less, I don’t feel the excitement I want to feel. Or, even, should feel. There’s maybe 16 games left in the season, at the outside. We’re dead last in the conference, and flirting with dead last in the league. And the game was that tight against a team who’s got half its roster on the sidelines with the flue. And we still played hell not losing. The game had everything an Ontario rivalry could and should have. And I can only shrug.

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I was more excited at the beginning of February, when we shut them out 5 nothing. We’d just landed the trade for Phaneuf, and it looked like we might be staring at a slightly different–more charged up–team. Or maybe they were just fooling us. I can go either way. Right now, though? I’m leaning more towards they were just fooling us. Don’t get too excited, Leafs nation. They’re not done making you sweat yet.

I’ve run out of ways to say it. And we’re running out of games to do otherwise. The 2010 Toronto Maple Leafs, even after a huge as hell trade, are playing basement hockey. I want to blame the olympic break. But, I know better. So, who’s looking forward to 2010-2011?

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Different result in December. Granted, that was 3 months ago–the team’s been halfway decent and three quarters the way to craptastic since then. But, at least they won that one. Consolation for this round? At least it ended in a shootout.

Well, Now that all that excitement’s well over with, back to business as usual. Which, roughly translated, means we up here in the great white north set our sights on another playoff missed. I’m willing to chalk this last game up to just returned from the olympic break. But somehow, I don’t think that’s it.

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We didn’t do any better in January either, getting beaten up on 4 2 instead of Tuesday’s 5 1. Still, at least this time we only sucked very slightly less. And Burkey pulled the trigger on a trade as a result of it. Will it help? Well… it can’t hurt.

Fortunately, or not if you’d prefer, I wasn’t able to watch last night’s game. The parents lack Leafs TV and this computer would explode were I to try and get it via the intertubes. So, I watched the opening cerimonies for the olympics instead. Turns out, best decision I could have made. WE got 30 shots on net. And didn’t have a decent scoring chance since the first period–a shot that went off the post. And, for the first time since the trade that rid us of Toskala, we were shut out. Us. The team that was supposed to be improved. I think we need a little more improvement.

We played quite well. I’d even go so far as to say we were awesome. Definitely the better out of the two teams. And we still gave it up. At least we waited until late in yet another third period before we lost all hope of winning. I’d say more, but I’ve run out of ways to say it. The 2010 Toronto Maple Leafs, even post trade, suck. If not at the game, then definitely at this whole winning thing. No, that will not make me start cheering for Ottawa. Even if I’d probably be able to watch more of their games.

I was watching the local CTV Ottawa station last night, and they must have devoted about 10 minutes to just how bad it’d be if the Leafs were the ones to put a stop to Ottawa’s 11-game winning streak. And after that newscast, that’s precisely what they did. Giguere was awesome in net, not that it would have made a whole lot of difference if we’d gone with the monster instead-the awesome was happening in front of him anyway. Kessel nearly managed himself a hat trick I don’t know how many times. Schenn managed to double his season total of 2 goals in one night. And Phaneuf, well, he’s Dion Phaneuf. What the hell more do you want? Ottawa’s owned us for the better part of the last couple years. Last night? We owned them.

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We hadn’t played them since before Christmas, at which point the margin was closer, but we still managed to win. I think that very well might have been the last time I thought we might be playing consistently. I still have my doubts if we are, but I’m trying very hard now to actually find that caring thing I used to do. Instead, I only find anticipation of Monday. When, as is the rule, the other shoe will probably drop. Welcome to Leafs Nation 2010, Dion. Hope your golf swing’s as good as your slapshot.

All the news reports say we won. Even the commentators while I watched last night confirmed it. Mike confirmed it from the third row at the ACC–lucky bastard. So I guess we did. I should be excited. Or, at least surprised. I’m not. In fact, I’m not really anything. As I wrote on Sunday, all I can do is shrug.

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A completely different team barely lost the last trip around that block on Saturday. By then, I’d pretty much already lost that lovin’ feeling for my badly beaten team. Sadly, I haven’t gotten it back yet. Even more sadly, I don’t even care.

We saw it coming from a mile away. Especially after losing 6 in a row and very much being at risk of doing worse than North Carolina. These are potentially huge trades that very much change the overall look, at least on the face of it, of the Team. And yet, it’s just another article to appear in my RSS reader.

Away goes half our forward lineup, with Mayers, stajan and Hagman getting airmailed to Calgary. On the up side, we get a defenseman that’s actually capable of doing something with the puck besides throw it away. We lost Ian White in that trade too, but he didn’t do much last night besides give the damn puck away anyway. In return, the unlikely happened. We actually got someone who could possibly be a good match with Caberle–hello, Dion Phaneuf. Could it possibly be that we might actually have something that calls itself a hockey team now? Again, all I can do is shrug.

In related news, Toronto ditches Deadweight Vesa for J.S. giguere and a pencil to be named later. It cost us Blake, too, but oh well. Hopefully we still have someone who we can stick with the thrill, or it’s gonna be painful. Oh, wait. We’re Leafs fans. We’re used to painful.

I just don’t get it. We had the lead. No, sorry. We ruled the goddamn ice. For half the game. And then we pretty well dumped it. 3 sweet goals in the first, including two Kessels. So what in the bloody hell just happened? We gave up a goal in the second. And 4, count ‘em, 4 in the third. What? Even on our worst night we didn’t do that. Seriously. I missed much of the game, but was able to figure out roughly why it is we managed to, um, not hold a lead–his name is toskala. Stop the season; I want off.

We had a lead. For about a minute ten, we had a lead. And then we sucked. We were tied for a very small part of the game. Briefly at 1, and then again in the third at 4. Overtime killed us again. You know, it’s a strange thing I’ve noticed recently. I’m not even disappointed anymore when we lose. I think I’m kind of used to it. And that, um, scares me.

At least it was an attempt at being a game. Going into the second period we had it tied at 1. Of course, that didn’t last very long–by the end of the third, we’d given up a lead to the Kings and tied it up again. And then we kind of tried to make it interesting in the third, but well, it ended up just hurting. Somehow we managed putting a third in the net, which would have been awesome if they hadn’t already put 3 more there. Way the season goes, Leafs fans. Right down the crapper. At least we have Brian Burke. Right? Right? … Right? Anybody?

I always get this sick feeling in my stomach whenever we play a team that might actually have the slightest chance at maybe being halfway decent. I have no idea why. Well okay, I do have an idea why, I just don’t want to talk about that right now. Instead, I’ll just resign myself to the fact that that’s the reason we did absolutely nothing productive last night. I mean, yes, we got 39 shots on net. But we got nothin’. Not even a penalty shot that could be reversed and made into an opposing team goal. Instead, we’ve won an impressive 1 game on this road trip we’re on, and come home more battered and bruised than when we left. Sound like the story of our lives as Leafs fans yet? I thought so.

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Compare last night’s game with 2 and a half weeks ago, when we actually won by a slim margin. Huge difference in performance and outcome. I mean, it was a win, and it was barely so, but I was expecting it to be another round of oh my god do we ever suck. Instead, we were treated to a surprising dose of oh my god we might only be craptastic. Nope, we definitely suck. Thanks for reminding me. Now, back to waiting for a team we can beat consistently.

I think we might have forgotten how to play again. At least for about 4 minutes in the third period. We had the game. Had it. Right up until a stupid penalty and our craptastical penalty kill had a chance to suck. It was tied when the third managed to close out. Overtime, we usually do slightly better in. Usually. But then we don’t usually take stupid too many men on the ice calls either. Not even 30 seconds left in the game, not even 10 seconds left in the game, and they throw one in on a power play that shouldn’t have happened. And they wonder why it is we place bets on who’ll do worse than them. My uncle, while we were out for coffee last night, seemed surprised we were in second last. My response? At least we’re not in last.

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We played a little better in November, of course that was the we could actually play consistently. Managing 4 3 I actually sort of considered the possibility that we might have then been turning around after an ultra crappy start. I’d like to point out, just for the record, I was mistaken. Stick a fork in this team… I think we’re done.

It was almost a good game. Almost. right up until the third. even Toskala looked kind of like an NHL goaltender. Then we started into our usual suckitude. We lead 2 0 after 1. They managed to tie it up in the second, but we hadn’t gotten completely outplayed yet. We saved that trick for the final frame. They put another two on us, leading 4 2. Well over halfway through the period, we somehow managed to get one back. Might have gotten them both, but in the last few minutes of the game a shot that had nothing but net waiting for it bounced off a Leafs player’s ass. And, of course, didn’t go anywhere near the bloody net. That’s the 2009-2010 season in a nutshell for us, folks. Of course, if we could actually stay awake during the third period we might not have needed to curse the fact that shot didn’t end up going in. I think I can count the good defensive plays on one hand. And offense? Well, not really. The bright spot was a stupid cross-checking penalty in the last minute of the game–which, of course, we couldn’t take advantage of. It’s nights like that when I ask myself why I turn on the game. But, goddammit, I’m Leafs fan. Almost diehard. Which, yes, means I get to sit there, watch a crappy game, then come online and bitch about the said crappy game. But, because I’m *almost* diehard, I can still find that little bit of realism here. And, realisticly? We suck.

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we did better back in December, holding them to just 2 goals while we managed to sneak 5 past them. How we managed that I don’t really remember, if I ever knew at all. I don’t think I did. But whatever it is we had during that game, can we please go back and find it? It’d make me less likely to get drunk during the next one.

The thrill did it again. Exactly what we’re paying him to do. Tied at 3, going into the third. Just over 5 minutes left, he blows one through to close it out. If I’d actually remembered to watch the whole game I’d have probably been surprised as hell. As it is, I’m still to this day trying to figure out why in the 7 levels of hell Nashville has a hockey team. But, they do. And we nailed them. Now if only that actually counted. Ah well, can’t have everything.

I figured the Flyers thing wouldn’t carry over against Washington. Even though we smacked them around twice before already, but apparently we were due. By all appearances–well, according to everything I could get my hands on re: that particular game anyway, we ended up pretty flat last night. Did they spend 12 hours in the emergency room too?

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We doubled them up in December pretty good, ending up coming out on top in a 6 3 game. And we kept their new captain off the board that night as well, I believe. Can’t say that for last night. Oh well, what do you expect during a week when Toskala of all people actually gets–and earns–a shutout?

I had to check that score twice. No, wait, three times. Really? There’s a 0 in the Flyers column? Against Toronto? No, sorry, against Toskala? For serious? Reality, meet fiction. That just doesn’t happen with this team. Now, if we were playing Carolina… wait, nevermind. That doesn’t happen with them either. It would be worth noting if I thought we’d do anything with it.

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We sucked last time we played them. Overly so. We looked more like a team deserving of the league’s basement–accurate, considering where we are in the standings. Definitely not worthy of a 4 0 win. Philadelphia must have all called in sick. Only explanation. Not that I’m complaining by any means…

someone please tell me what happened? We had an awesome game going into the third. Absolutely awesome. Down 1 0 in the first, we came back to knot it up before the end of the period. We jumped ahead in the second, although that didn’t last all too long before Carolina tied it up again. Then the final 20 minutes showed up, and… I don’t think we did. We seemed like we were getting outplayed. And in the last 5 minutes of the game, they managed to get ahead of us. An empty-netter cieled it, not that it was needed. Damn shame, too–I do believe we managed nearly 50 shots on goal this time around, for what little good that did us. Happy 4-game losing streak, Leafs Nation!

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We faired a little better in our last game againnt Carolina, losing 6 4. That was a hell of a game to be watching, for sure. I mean, this one was good except for the third, but that seemed to have more of the team I thought I’d see all year. Wonder what happened to them. Has anyone found them yet? Brian Burke would like to know.

You just knew it was going to be a very bad night after the game should have been 2 1 Leafs. A shot went off the toronto goal post, and less than 15 seconds later, we drew a penalty shot. Or did we? Nope, say the on-ice officials. They say the post shot went in instead. And, due to some obscure rule about there not being allowed to be 2 goals on one stoppage of play, the penalty shot was pretty well kissed goodbye. We never saw a chance to equalize since. And we were even sort of actually trying this time. Not cool would be putting it rather… well, nicely.

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we had better luck last time, coming out on top 4 3 and at least pretending like we could put together a winning routine. Of course, we couldn’t, but we tried to make it look like it anyway. Now, here’s hoping we can at least pretend to pull it together for Tuesday. We play the Hurricanes again, and so far… well, we’re not impressive against them, either. And yeah, as Mike already suggested, let’s just altogether stop playing Buffalo. That might help too.

We’ve managed to put together a nice little losing streak. One we’re working our way through the first period of tonight’s game to try and extend. On the buffalo side of the rink it was ice, but I think on the Toronto side it mysteriously became quicksand. By the time I got bored and fell asleep, it was 2 0 halfway through the second period. It didn’t get a whole lot better–3 0 by end of period. We of course made it interesting in the third, but by then it was pretty well all over but the cheering. Guys, the game started at 7:30, not 9. Try and remember that for next time. Oh, and by the way, tonight’s game started at 7. Please show up to the rink now.

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They beat us back in December by the same score. We played just about as well back there, too. Maybe slightly better, but not by much. I’m scratching my head trying to find a game we’ve actually won against them this year. If we have, and I doubt it, it was before the blog existed in its current form. We really should investigate fixing that at some point. Really.

I’ve run out of things to say about our losses. We sucked. We weren’t shut out, but we still sucked. Philadelphia was all over us like nobody’s business. Some of those goals I don’t think we even tried to get in the way of. I never thought I’d say it, but I kind of miss the days of eddy. The good eddy, not the one we got stuck with the last year of his contract. Guys, I know I said we were used to losing. But I also said we’d like to win a few of these. Let’s try that, why don’t we.

Can we just duplicate this game and play that for the rest of the season? Seriously. Where was this team on Sunday? And the goals came from folks you wouldn’t expect them to come from this year on top of that. They play the Flyers tonight… oh, dear god I hope they show up. Been a while since we had a thing that called itself a winning streak.

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We pulled this off before, at the end of November. And, I do believe, we were involved in something that called itself a winning streak then. At least, I’ll say we were. We still won’t make the top 10 when everything shuts down for the season, but hey, if last night means the start of something good, it might make things a little more interesting. Like I’d complain about interesting.