The Montreal Canadiens have been getting strong performances from Glen Metropolit, Andrei Markov and their league-leading power play. They weren’t nearly as successful in their last matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Undefeated so far on a season-high seven-game road trip, the Canadiens look to avenge one of their worst losses of the season Saturday night against their Original Six rival.

Montreal (18-18-3) is 2-1-0 against Toronto (13-17-8) this season, but lost the last matchup 3-0 at home Dec. 1 as rookie Jonas Gustavsson and journeyman Joey MacDonald combined to make 26 saves. It was the third time the Canadiens have been shut out this season.

But Montreal has found the back of the net 12 times in winning the first three contests of its current swing. The power-play unit has continued to be effective, going 8 for 13, and they lead the NHL by converting 24.6 percent of their chances.

Metropolit scored twice with the man advantage and Markov had his third such goal in three games in a 5-1 win over Carolina on Wednesday.

Canadiens lines Leafs lines 

L1: Cammalleri-Plekanec-A. Kostitsyn L1: Ponikarovsky-Stajan-Kessel 

L2: S. Kotitsyn-Gomez-Pouliot L2: Hagman-Grabovski-Blake 

L3: Pacioretty-Metropolit-Moen L3: Kulemin-Primeau-Stempniak 

L4: Laraque-Lapierre-D’Agostini L4: Mayers-Wallin-Orr 

D1: Markov-Spacek D1: Komisarek-Kaberle 

D2: Gill-Gorges D2: White-Beauchemin 

D3: O’Byrne-Bergeron D3: Schenn-Finger 

G: Halak G: Gustavsson 

Roman Hamrlik and Brian Gionta both took part in Montreal’s morning skate but will not play tonight. Habs coach Jacques Martin says they are day- to-day and are getting closer to a return. 

Metropolit is four goals shy of matching his season high of 14 tallied in 77 games with Atlanta and St. Louis in 2006-07.

Markov, meanwhile, has given the Canadiens perhaps their biggest spark over their current run with four points in three games after missing two months with a leg injury.

“He’s a great asset for us on the power play,” said center Tomas Plekanec, who notched one of his three first-period assists against the Hurricanes on Markov’s goal 89 seconds into the contest. “He can make the pass. He can do anything.”

Plekanec has a goal and eight assists on the road trip. He leads the Canadiens with 43 points, and is second in the NHL with 36 assists with four coming in two games versus the Maple Leafs prior to the last meeting.

Montreal’s Carey Price started in goal then, but the Canadiens are now giving the majority of the playing time to Jaroslav Halak, who has given up a total of four goals while starting each of the last three games.

Halak made 46 saves against the Hurricanes, one short of the career high he set in a 4-3 overtime win over the Thrashers on Monday. He’s 2-1-0 with a 2.33 goals-against average in three games at Toronto.

The Maple Leafs have been held to two goals or fewer in four straight contests, and are 1-3-1 after winning eight of their previous 11. Toronto is coming off its fourth straight road loss, 3-1 against the New York Islanders on Wednesday night.

At home, the Maple Leafs have won five of their last seven (5-1-1).

Niklas Hagman scored his team-high 16th goal against New York after managing one assist in the previous five games.

Phil Kessel, though, remains in a slump, going without a point in his last four contests. He has 13 goals and eight assists in 26 games, including two assists against Montreal earlier this month.

Markov working towards early return to HabsPrimera Liga round-up

BY WEB STAFFsportsnet.ca

One day after scoring his second goal in as many games against the Buffalo Sabres, Viktor Stalberg missed the Maple Leafs practice on Tuesday with an upper body injury.

Toronto coach Ron Wilson listed Stalberg as day-to-day and will not make the road trip to Long Island. The native of Gothenburg, Sweden left Monday night’s game in the second period after colliding with Sabres forward Adam Mair. Stalberg did not return to the ice.

Wilson added that the club will not recall anyone from the Toronto Marlies and that Ricard Wallin will return to the lineup. At Tuesday’s morning skate Wallin practiced on a line with Jamal Myers and Colton Orr.

The Leafs face the Islanders on Wednesday before taking a two-day break for Christmas. The schedule will resume on Boxing Day with a game against the Montreal Canadiens.

Silva facing month outSchenn to get second chance against the Sabres

It is the night I have been looking forward to (dreading with my entire being) for weeks now. Tonight could quite possibly be the best TV night for two weeks (during which, we are supposed to be filling our time with friends, family and frivolity…) so, stay in tonight…and say farewell to an old friend…new programming.

Here’s what I’m watching tonight:

Sing Off-

It is the LIVE finale…and it all comes down to democracy tonight. The final 3 groups (Spanish group, Nerdy Collegians and the Voices of Lee) will sing for the votes of the American People, and to win the ultimate prize…a pre-christmas 15 minutes. This show has been a GREAT December filler…too bad it was executed so quickly and will end tonight…but thanks to NBC for providing us with some entertainment last week and this week. I suppose I have to make a prediction here? Okay, I havent had much time to judge the odds of each group…so I will make a (bold and perhaps reputation altering) prediction based solely on 3 nights of cheers…The Spanish group will take it. Tune in to see if I’m right , tonight NBC 8pm.

Leafs vs Buffalo-

Could easily be billed as Leafs vs Ryan Miller…because this guy has stoeln the last 2 games from us in a nasty, ugly way. Can Kessel, Poni and Blake figure it out tonight? Or will it be the unlikelies that step up? It could be a goalie duel as the Monster comes off a great game  (and is no longer a shut-out virgin) against Boston and will be in net again tonight. The Leafs would love to continue winning before Christmas , (and this is the last game on tv before the break…unless you are a rich Leaf fan and have Leafs tv) but they will have to figure out “Americas Goalie” tonight to keep it going. RSO 7pm.

Christmas Movie: Die Hard-
recently voted the “Christmas Hater’s Favourite Christmas Movie”…so whether you are in the mood for some Christmas-themed commi-terrorist killing or are consider yourself a Humbug…this would be a perfect option for tonight. CHCH 8:30

Whatever you decide to watch, have a great TV Night.

result: Leafs 2 Bruin 0

A very old rival came to town…but a renewed bitter aftertaste was left in the ACC tonight.

There are now new reasons Leaf fans hate when the Bruins come to town. It’s the ex-team for new fan-favourite Phil “the Vessel” Kessel, They are in the top echelon of the Eastern Conference, we gave them our goalie a couple years back (in exchange for Raycroft…) and it keeps coming back to bite us, and now…a massive (contoversial perhaps) head shot on Matty Stajan seals the age-old original six rivalry.

The Good:

• The Leafs stop the (bleeding…) 2-game losing skid.
• Gustavsson gets his first NHL shut out.
• Blake finally gets a pretty goal…beauty of a pass, beauty of a shot top corner over the glove of Rask.
• Schenn (the future…) is back in the game.
• After a massive hit on Stajan going up the middle—team members take offense and take on some tough cookies — such as the behemoth freak of hockey…Chara.

The Bad:

• An ugly first goal (not complaining…did you see Toskala last night?) by Kaberle to open the scoring, one Rask would take back in a second.
• I usually never do this…but Kessel has been a ghost in all the games against his former team…
• The head-shot on Stajan with 5 mins left to play, and on his birthday too!
• Leafs have a 4 min penalty they could not capitalize on…powerplay has been abismal lately.

Next game: Monday vs Buffalo (again!?)

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SPRING REVIVAL DESKTOP WALLPAPERS | SPRING REVIVAL STOCK PHOTOS

Even Viggo Mortensen can't be happy with this team

On the heels of the storied franchise’s 100th anniversary celebration, the current edition of the Montreal Canadiens is simply taking a big, steamy shit on 100 years of success.  “Do you smell that, do you smell that?” asked long time fan Girard Depedis. “Its the smell of a steaming pile of garbage, which is exactly what the Habs are this year. They remind me of this massive dump I took last night after eating four 7-layer burritos from Taco Bell. Just downright nasty.”

The Canadiens currently see themselves having a record of 15-18-3, and are just two points ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the basement of the Northeast Division.  The fact that the team is playing so poorly coupled with the possibility of getting passed by the Leafs is clearly not sitting well with the fans. “Fuck me, if the Leafs finish ahead of us I might just have to kill myself,” explained Andre Riendeau, a 16 year old native of Montreal. “Being this bad is one thing, but being worse than Toronto is the ultimate kick in the nuts. I would rather eat a huge pile of cow manure then get beat by those guys.”

Even some of the oldest Habs seemed to have turned on the team as is the case for 88 year old Benoit Rouleau. “In all my years of watching this great team I have never seen anything like this,”  said Rouleau who has been a season ticket older for the last 30 years. “I might be wrong but maybe it has something to do with all the different ethnicities that are on the team. For christ sakes we’ve got a nigger, a WOP and a spick. In my day it was nothing but white french canadians.” Rouleau’s son Alec quickly apologized for his father saying that his dad is from a much older era where different races were not treated with the same respect they are today.

Wednesday was PVR overload for me…and I had to stay up super late to catch every (rare) minute of NEW shows.

Singing, Dancing and Comedy ruled the night…and here’s my recaps of all the reasons I stayed in last night:

The Sing off:

Each group sang a medley of a particular group, included were The Who, The Beatles, (shocker…) Jackson 5, Beach Boys and Journey 
Then one was voted off; Forced to sing a “swan song” with ironic lyrics. in this case, it was (the group that shouldve gone last night) The Older Women group… and they sang “Leaving on a Jet plane”.

Next, the “judges” picked a song for each group to sing…and I gotta tell ya…this was a huge bust. Each song was an eyebrow raiser, did NOTHING for their arrangments/voices, at times were unrecognizable and most were over 15 years old (what IS the demographic?) Not that it came as a surprise to me, the “judges” are the most un-watchable segment of this show— I can sit through sob stories, swan songs and video-pieces out the wazoo…but as soon as the Pussy Cat doll starts (hearing herself speak) imparting her infinite wisdom (trying to fit lines of the song into dialog) I turn the channel to ANYTHING less blood boiling.

moving on, then another group is given  the axe (is that a song? if it is…it’s in the swan song repertoire), and it is… The Socals (tanned LA college group), and they sang a song I didnt recognize…but it had the words “leaving” and “on my way” in it, so it was fitting.

So it is down to three: Nerdy College Group, Spanish group and the Voices of Lee (whom I have wanted to go since night one…) The winner will be decided next monday…on a live (and totally democratic) results show (and probably the last live/new thing before Christmas…)

SYTYCD-

***spoiler alert: after much filler, much recapping and much guy-liner (Glamebert was there…) a winner was crowned: Diamond in the Rough Russel beat the Crown Jewel of dance Jakob for the title. See my full report in the previous post.

SNL: Christmas -

If you live in Canada, you saw this last night. If you live in the States (or Canada) you can watch it on NBC tonight (our country seems to get the best of both worlds….:)

It was great, a look back at the classics including :
Alec Baldwin as an ornery head-Elf (“Elf You!”), Steve Martin’s Christmas Wishes, Hugh Laurie and a disfunctional Christmas (“Sit down Judith!”), Two A-holes at a nativity scene (“hear that babe?”) and Will Farrel as Roubert Goulet…absolute classics.
This is the first (and only) Christmas Special I have seen this season (I will be watching the Grinch, White Christmas and Muppet Christmas on my own…commercial free thank you.) and it was totally worth the extra two-hours of TV…Americans…watch it tonight, Canadians…you have one more chance tonight!

and the Leafs lost…so did the Raptors… Roy Hallday is a Philly…a trifecta of sports let downs in TO.

We made it half-way through the week…and are being seriously rewarded with a (Tuesday dethroning…) fantastic night of television. And considering it’s also snowing at my house…it’s almost like a Christmas Miracle…an ALL NEW night of song, dance and (watchable) Christmas specials…

Here’s what I’m watching tonight:

SYTYCD: Finale-
Last night felt rushed…tonight is going to feel like a snails pace…2 hours worth of video pieces, “best performances of the season”, judges accolades and tears, Paula Abdul sightings (…?), and random guest performances…until the very last 2 minutes where Cat will finally reveal the winner of this season!

You want a bold prediction right? Well, the odds are against me…I no longer have a 25% shot at the right guess (1 in 4), this season they have made it far more difficult with a 16% chance (1 in 6). those are worse odds than me passing my math exams by guessing “c” on every question.

Here’s my method:  I believe that the married couple are not going to make top 4. That eliminates 2. Then I don’t think Ellenore will win…now its 1 in 3. And I think a guy will end up winning…1 in 2. Now comes the tough choice between star-quality and god-given talent.

I think Jakob will win…there.

Tune in tonight 8pm, FOX/CTV

Sing Off-
It is now down to five groups: Bright sweaters, Nerdy College, LA college, Spanish and Older women.
I personally think the judges made the wrong decision last night eliminating the All-Girl group with the funky hair…but look whos judging I guess. Maybe the Pussy Cat Doll didnt like the competition for face time? But this is the last show before next week’s finale…so it should be good. One will go again tonight, making a TOP 4…which will then be voted on (bringing back democracy!) to decide the ultimate winner. This means, Nick (I sing too) Lachey only gets 2 more shows, and 4 more hours of (extended 15 minutes) his revived career.

Tune in tonight, 8pm NBC

SNL: Holiday Moments-
I am so unbelievably excited for this…! 2 hours of past and present SNL Christmas episodes/sketches…including appearances from Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin. And any time I get to see more Debbie Downer skits, Molly Shannon, Classic Steve Martin, Will Farrel, or Kristiin Wiig as “Gilly” or “A**holes buying a tree“…I’m so there. Now, this is airing in Canada TONIGHT on Global…but is advertised as being aired tomorrow on NBC in the US. So, not sure if this is two seperate shows or just staggered airing. but definitly tune in tonight, 9pm Global.

Leafs vs Phoenix-
“The Game that Couldve Been“…as in, if the Coyotes HAD moved to Hamilton…this wouldve been the first game of the potential rivalry. But alas, it’s jsut another game against a team we can beat, extend the streak and get into a play off spot. Stakes high enough for you? Its on Sportsnet tonight, 7pm.

Whatever you decide to watch, have a great TV Night.

Luke Schenn isn't smiling anymore

While everything seems to be pointing to greener pastures in Leaf land, for one player this current win streak and good play is a little bittersweet. That player is Luke Schenn. Schenn is coming off of a stellar rookie season but is currently sitting in the press box as a result of playing himself out of the starting lineup. If the Leafs continue to play well and improve defensively, it will be hard to imagine Schenn being insterted into the NHL lineup again. There is also the consideration that surprise standout Carl Gunnarsson will return from injury shortly. He has definitely played better than Schenn this season and as a result will likely get the edge when he returns. With that being said, the Leafs cannot have their #5 pick from 2008, their prized stallion, their future captain sitting in the press box and not developing.

The only answer; the Toronto Marlies. It may sting for all Leaf fans, it may create some tension with Schenn and it will definitely cause an uproar in the media but realistically, Schenn should have been sent down last year. The only reason he was kept on the Leaf roster a season ago was to justify Fletcher’s move to trade up in the draft to get him. By keeping him on the roster, Fletcher was able to show Leaf fans that the trade was a success, when in fact Schenn should have been sent to the Marlies to develop.

The Leafs have had a history of poorly developing prospects ranging from Luke Richardson to Alex Steen and the recently departed Jiri Tlusty. The Leafs have failed to create a system or process to bring their prospects to the NHL at the appropriate time. However, there is still a chance to right the wrong made with Schenn. Send him to the Marlies to earn his stripes and learn the intrincacies of the game. I say let him stay in the minors for the rest of the season. The one thing the Leafs do have a lot of is time until they can actually compete and contend for the Stanley Cup.

Yes…I said that rare little word that means so much to a TV-hobbyest…NEW! If you are like me in any way, you have been somewhat scrambling to find something to take your mind off another monday, and you are sick of turning to a rerun of CSI Miami, Entertainment shows or Holiday Specials (there’s a reason why they are only acceptable once a year…)

Tonight you are in luck!
Here’s What I’m watching tonight:

Sing-Off-
I introduced this one a few weeks back when NBC started running suspicious promos for a show that looked vaguely familar to their “choir” show from a few seasons ago. Not only does it sound like that show, and have the same basic premise…you will also see some of the same (“celebrity”) faces involved. Yes, everybodys favourite husband (straight-man to a blonde-dim-witted “singer”) Nick (I’m still here…) Lachey will be the (annoying Seacrest impersonator…) host. But if you are going through “performance reality-show” withdrawal and already have the first episode of American Idol PVR’d…this will be a good show to fill the holidays. The premise is acapella groups competing for a record deal (15 minutes…)

The judges are ALSO celebrity music heavy-hitters (…you can decide):  

1. Ben Folds (because this is isnt JUST a mainstream pop show…says NBC)
2. Shawn Stockman (if the name doesnt ring a bell…think Boys 2 Men, I kid you not)
3. Nicole Sherzinger (the one with the unfortune name, but the ONLY Pussy Cat Doll with any face time)

This is a week long affair by the way, so once you get involved…you will need to clear your week to follow it. Beginning with a 2-hour premiere tonight, continuing tomorrow night and wednesday night, with the LIVE finale on Dec 21st. So get your holiday spirit on, wrap yourself in a snuggie, ignore the self-important schmultz…and enjoy this( let’s face it…entertaining) Christmas Filler.

tonight, NBC 8pm

Jennifer Hudson Christmas-
Fresh off the heels of Carrie Underwoods (two-times longer) Christmas special…another talented (yet slightly less a fan of American Idol) idol alumni (but not associated…really) Jennifer Hudson takes an hour to talk family (she has one now…), holidays and singing (there will be lots of it). I anticipate that THIS Christmas special will have more to do with Christmas than Carrie’s, because Jennifer can’t hold a room like the perky blonde….and she relies on her power voice for her fame (grocery money). So this will have less laughs, but more “O Holy Night” and just as much big hair.
Tune in tonight for a free J-Hud Concert, ABC 8pm.

Leafs vs Sens-
I can tell you from experience…THIS is the nastiest rivalry in all of sport. Being a hard-core Leaf fan and living 4 years in Ottawa opened my eyes to unrepeatable acts of violence, insults, and inhumane displays of fan-dom. So tonight, I am safe in my own neck of the woods, where wearing my Blue and Whites is cheered instead of jeered (and spit on, and kicked and hazed…) and hopefully tonight I will be crying tears of winning joy, instead of just…crying.
The Leafs are coming off a BIG win against Ovechkin (and his team), and Ottawa has been one of the better (yet still underperforming)  Eastern teams all year. With very different records, a score to settle and pride on the line the hot-handed Phil “the vessel” Kessel, Poni, and Hagman will try to outmatch (booooo) Alfie, Fisher (Carrie’s boy…) and Mihalek (the Heatley replacement).

Tune in tonight, 7pm Sportsnet

So you have lots to keep you occupied tonight …finally a Monday with some chutzpa! Whatever you decide to watch, have a great TV Night.

Kessel, glad to not be facing the Bruins

The Raptors may not be able to beat a strong team at home, but it’s nice to see the Leafs are getting the hang of it. Matty Stajan and Phil Kessel each had three points and Vesa Toskala made 34 saves tonight to lead Toronto past the NHL-leading Capitals 6-3 tonight at the ACC — their third straight win on home ice and second against Washington in three weeks.

Some dude named Alexander Ovechkin got it going with a power play goal two minutes in and Nicklas Backstrom followed to give the Caps a 2-0 lead before Toskala settled in and the top line went to work. Goals by Stajan and Kessel tied it and a power play goal by Niklas Hagman made it 3-3 through two after another by Backstrom had given Washington a 3-2 edge. Stajan’s second just over five minutes into the third was the winner, with Lee Stempniak and Alexei Ponikarovsky adding a bit of insurance late.

An impressive win, even with Washington starting backup goalie Michael Neuvirth. Toronto is getting hot at home at the right time too, with five of the next seven at the ACC, including the Sens on Monday and the Coyotes on Wednesday.

So Friday was admittedly a bit of a bust — hopefully you made plans last night so that you can be free to STAY IN tonight! It’s a very full night…expecially if you like sports, classic Christmas specials and comedy…

Here’s what I’m watching tonight:

Saturday Night Live-
It’s new, and it’s hosted by Taylor (at some point will bare his chest) Lautner… this will be a good one to watch in private…don’t let your kids stay up, better to enjoy him alone (am I right ladies?) so that you can’t be convicted for your comments. Not only is (17 year old, keep that in mind) Taylor hosting, but Bon (I have better hair than you) Jovi is performing! To me, this is absolutly can’t miss TV for anyone (with eyes). It will be intertesting to see if Yaylor can keep his own withe the pros…because let’s face it…he’s not generally paid to “act“, and there may even be one or more sketches where he might have to wear a shirt. Tune in tonight, NBC 11:30pm

Leafs vs Washington-
The Leafs will try again to suffocate the wonder boy, Ovechkin, in hopes of getting back on the winning track. In the last meeting, The Leafs pulled out a shoot-out win…spoiling Ovi’s party in the capital of Hockey…his favourite stage to put on a performance. Should be a good one…if Toskala’s up for it. CBC 7pm

Christmas Classics:
The Polar Express (an eerily realistic- Tom Hanks-filled flick…)
Its a Wonderful Life (just TRY to hate this movie)

Another Suggestion—
For those who want to try a new sport on for size…the womens finals in Curling is on tonight, this determines who will represent Canada at the games…TSN 8pm

Can you picture Leafs PA announcer Andy Frost saying, “Captain of your Toronto Maple Leafs, TOMAS KABERLE!”

Sounds a little weird to me, how about you? I guess I’m still in Sundin mode.

As weird as it sounds, Kaberle is the best choice on the team for Captain. I wouldn’t have even hinted at the thought last year, or any year prior to this. I was one of the many rooting for him to be traded, but for whatever reason he seems to have grown into a more mature player, which isn’t hard to do on a team so young.

At 31, Kaberle is still in his prime and his stats show it. He’s the team leader with with 30 points (2G, 28A) which is setting up to be a career year for him if he manages to stay healthy. There’s also just something intangible about what he’s bringing to his game that’s actually making me like him as a player again.

The only other option I could see as a choice would be Nik Hagman, 30, who is a hardworking beast and 2nd on the team in scoring (30 points). I really wished to see Matt Stajan, almost 26, grow into the role, and down the road he still may, but right now I don’t see that happening. (Coincidentally all three players are top 3 in Leafs scoring, but don’t think that’s the reason I’m mentioning them.)

The question I ask is why SHOULDN’T Kaberle be the new Leafs captain? And if you don’t think he’s a good choice, who should the Leafs name? Or should they keep things the way they are and have a bunch of Alternates?

THE CANADIAN PRESS

TORONTO — It was the kind of moment where Toronto Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson couldn’t help but feel a little optimistic.

Standing in front of hundreds of kids on an outdoor rink Tuesday, he told the crowd that he expects his 29th-place team to make a run at the playoffs.

“Just keep believing,” Wilson said. “I think we’re eventually going to get there.”

There is an undeniably good vibe around a team that has gone 6-1-2 over its past nine games and is starting to narrow the gap between itself and eighth place in the Eastern Conference. The Leafs were still five points back of Tampa heading into play on Tuesday, but the mountain no longer seems too high to climb.

With the team in good spirits, the timing of its annual outdoor practice couldn’t have been much better.

Players wore neck warmers on a crisp December afternoon and heard chants of “Go Leafs Go!” while being put through their paces. Less than 24 hours after a 5-2 victory over Atlanta, everyone was feeling good.

“It’s easy to come here today and have some smiles on our faces,” said defenceman Francois Beauchemin.

Smiles were much tougher to find back in October, when the Leafs dug themselves a big hole by starting the season 0-7-1. The rough stretch has left little room for error the rest of the way.

Toronto is targeting December as a crucial month to make a move in the standings. With the team essentially playing every other day, it has a chance to pile up some points in a hurry.

There’s already a feeling that things are heading in the right direction.

“We’ve been aware of the gap between us and eighth place and all we’ve been trying to do for the last couple weeks is close that gap,” said defenceman Mike Komisarek.

The Leafs are facing another set of back-to-back games, hosting the New York Islanders on Wednesday before visiting Boston on Thursday. They close out the week by hosting league-leading Washington on Saturday.

One bright spot of late has been the production from the top line of Alexei Ponikarovsky, Matt Stajan and Phil Kessel. Those guys have combined for 21 points over the past six games while spending most of the time together as a unit.

Kessel, with 10 goals in 17 games as a Leaf, seems to be enjoying his new surroundings.

“I’m feeling more comfortable,” he said. “I think we’ve got some chemistry going. I think (Stajan) is starting to know where I’m going to be at. We’re reading off each other so it’s going right.”

Thursday’s game in Boston will mark Kessel’s second visit to his former home in less than a week. Wilson said the winger was a “wreck” prior to Saturday’s 7-2 loss there — the Leafs only bad performance in the past three weeks — and expects his star player to be more comfortable this time.

Another aspect of Toronto’s game that seems to be providing some comfort of late is the goaltending. Vesa Toskala looked sharp during the win over Atlanta on Monday and Jonas Gustavsson is expected to make a return to the lineup soon.

With so many pieces falling in place, it’s not surprising that the mood of the players is decidedly more positive. They all realize the importance of continuing to build on their good run.

“Last game was a good step,” said Komisarek. “We got a couple goals, we’ve got some confidence, we built some momentum, we got the fans behind us. The building was loud and excited, the atmosphere was great.

“We’ve got to keep that going.”

Added Kessel: “We’re just trying to get on a roll here, win some games and get ourselves back in it.”

Notes: The refurbished rink the Leafs practised on is the 10th completed project the team has been part of in Toronto … More than $235,000 was spent on upgrades and improvements to the rink.

Kessel return Tuesday? Toskala activatedBig guns set sights on Canales

Remember when Thursday night used to reign supreme as the “must watch” TV Night? Well, it has lately been usurped by the likes of tuedays and wednesdays…but it still offers some good reasons to stay in and not make any plans.

Here’s what I’m watching tonight:

Survivor-
THE reason to get excited for thursday night…this show is absolutly amazing this season! Russel is a player we have not seen the likes of since Boston Rob (slimy, deceptive AND got the girl who ended up winning), Johnny Rotten (the dead grandma goes down in history) or even Richard Hatch (the orginal “snake”). But Russel has managed to not only outsmart the players…but also the entire game! He anticipated “multiple idols” and found them all. He came tot he island to “win” not to “win money“…there’s a difference.

And as much as I could go on about Russel, there are other players in this game…all who have yet to fully realize the power of Russel. Shambo has trusted him from the first southern-charming session. But last week, she was kept on the outs in the decidion to vote out John. Will her eyes fianlly be open to her role as either the “swing” vote or the useless decoy vote?

Dave is also starting to develop his own plans and (if he was really intelligent) could align himself with enough people to take out Russel. It looks as though Jaison and Mick could be persuaded in that direction if the deal was firm enough.

The girls are all useless pawns (whatever happened to strong female contestants? right…they get voted off early as “threats”) and will go along with whoever has majority and sleeps the closest to them.

There are still plenty of good (new) episodes left until the finale of this show, so if you have NOT bought into this franchise for a while, this would be a great time to start…seriously. (Hint: Russel is the pilsbury -dough- boy looking one with the southern accent and the devil’s blessing) tonight, 8pm CBS/Global

Leafs vs Boston-
You might do a double take…Boston again? The answer is yes. Boston again. But this time the Leafs are coming off of two very solid games, their confidence is high, and Kessel is NOT the only guy scoring. Toronto is also coming off a pretty busy schedule–they played last night and monday night, and will play again on saturday…you can thank the Olympics for that! So…the question is…are the Leafs capable of pulling this off? If they do, they will gain another 2 points in their run for 8th place in the East, they will have defeated a nemisis that brutally embarassed them in their last meeting, and will put together an astonishing 3-game win streak.

Most will not be able to watch tonight (thanks to Leafs TV) but you can follow the Twitter play-by-play here: http://twitter.com/MapleLeafs you are welcome. Puck drops tonight 7pm, Leafs TV

Other suggestions:

Three comedies that are all holiday themed and new tonight: Parks and Recreation (NBC 8:30) The Office (NBC 9pm) and 30 Rock (NBC 9:30) (…wow NBC dominates the laugh factory tonight…)

Whatever you decide to watch, have a great TV Night.

Life is good in Leafland at the moment

Now that they have this whole “winning at home” thing figured out, the remainder of the season could get a little interesting for long-suffering Leafs fans. Jason Blake scored with just over four minutes left tonight to give Toronto a 3-2 win over the Islanders at the ACC, the Leafs’ second straight home victory and seventh win overall in the past 10 games.

Blake’s winner, his fifth goal of the season, came after a pair of John Tavares power play goals wiped out a 2-0 Toronto lead through two periods. Francois Beauchemin and Ian White gave the Leafs that lead with goals in the first and Vesa Toskala took a shutout to the third for the second straight game, saving 30 of 32 shots in the end to get it done. I gotta admit, the guy is playing pretty, pretty well these days.

With the win, the Leafs bump their point total to 27 and their record to 10-13-7 (or 10-20, in the language of other sports) — still only good enough for second-last in the NHL, but now just five points out of the last postseason slot in the Eastern Conference with 52 games to play. Doable, for sure, especially with the way the boys have played the last few weeks. How about a little excitement in this city, guys?

Tuesday night is a hard one to follow…but this Wednesday certainly has the chutzpa to make it close! Especially if you are snowed in like I am…you will appreciate (take your mind off the arrogance and pure evil of the city plows…) having lots to tune into tonight!

Here’s what I’m watching tonight:

SYTYCD-
2 more get eliminated tonight, making 8 into 6…and one more week until the finale! I have already made mention of my prediction for the outcome—I think the time has come for married couple Ballroom Ryan and Wifey Ashleigh. If this does come about, producers will have completly missed out a rare opportunity for a (seriously attractive) married pair to dance TOGETHER on the show…real chemistry onscreen (like Brad and Angie in Mr & Mrs Smith…once in a lifetime chance!) But then, perhaps if they both get eliminated they will treat us to an impromptu final dance (and they lived happily ever after…) We shall see…The only others I see as “at risk” would be Kathryn(because she was ballroom Ryans partner)  and Legace (due to his lacklustre hip hop routine and solo).

results tonight, FOX/CTV 8pm

Barbara Walter’s Special: 10 Most fascinating (in her opinion…) People-
I made the announcement, and list of the 9 that have been revealed in a previous posting —remind yourself here:
http://tvnight.wordpress.com/2009/12/02/10-most-fascinating-2009/ 
I would tune in just to see who wears more make-up…Gaga or Lambert. My predictions still stand for who will get the unique annual honour of being “the most fascinating” (most personally invaded, most exposed private life…) and they are: Oprah, Taylor Swift, Obama, Octomom, Mackenzie Phillips or Ellen Degeneres. I think those are all good guesses…thoughts?

tune in for the big reveal, ABC 10pm (so late? Lambert must be performing…)

Leafs vs Islanders-
After Duane Roloson STOLE a game away form the Leafs in their last bout— The struggling Islanders (to put it lightly) will be looking to repeat the effort tonight in Toronto. But the Leafs won their last game and have been on a bit of an encouraging point-streak as of late—so no doubt they will be looking to feast on a team lacking in confidence (if there’s something we know all too well…it’s that sometimes its hard to win …when you suck.)

Leafs take on Tavares…err…The Islanders tonight 7pm TSN

Whatever you decide to watch (post-shoveling), have a great TV Night.

Uncharacteristic for this time of year–This monday was (surprisingly) full of new content to tune into…and I’m SURE you watched at least one or two Christmas Specials (hard NOT to…we were kind of cornered!)

Did you watch one of these?

Carrie Underwoods Christmas Variety Show-
This one came up really quickly…and everytime I thought about whether or not to watch…I was torn (but of course..I did). When the idea of a show forces people to scrunch their faces/squint in confusion, or emit a “really?!?” (meaning…”what the heck?!”)–it’s usually a sign that most people will watch out of pure curiosity to see if it will be better than they imagine. The show was in the traditional variety format of yore– singing, lots of guests, behind-the-scenes skits etc. At first I couldnt really get my head around the focus…was it supposed to be Christmas–sy, or was it just a Carrie concert at Christmastime, or was it a chance to see Carrie and some friends have a Christmas-esque party? I decided just to stop over-thinking (around the time her mom came out to “sing”) and enjoy the kinds of programming (corn) that passes (people put up with) this time of year. Carrie is adorable, she sings really well, she has lots of talented friends and a very cute family…thank you for giving me something to watch for two-hours in place of Dancing with the Stars.

Leafs vs Thrashers-

Result: Leafs 5 Thrashers 2

After an “I-Dont-Wanna-Talk-About-It” game on saturday night…I watched last night as a loyal (yet resigned to another embarassing slide) Leaf fan…and was pleasantly hopeful after getting through the first period without a deficit. After the intermission, The Leafs came out with a mission…and with a renewed (or just…new) propensity for breakaways, tape to tape passes and rebound control…the second and third period was ALL Leafs (welcome back Antropov and Kubina…good riddance…)

The Good:

• Leafs scored the first (second, third AND fourth) goal!
• Toskala (the rare) made some game-savers early on to give the Leafs a chance.
• The Leafs had a couple of great odd-man rushes (that in most games do not materialize), but one in particular was a 3-1…and they capitalized on the chance!
• Poni got two goals within 2 minutes of eachother…in pretty fashion!
• The leafs didnt visit the penalty box very often…which is also rare.
• A win at home.

The Bad-

• Grabovski passing instead of shooting on more than three ocassions that could have given him some (much needed) points on the board. This guy is all speed, all finese…but no results!
• Failed to capitalize on a 2-man powerplay for almost 2 full minutes…what has happened to our powerplay prowess?
• Thrashers looked stunned throughout the game— lots of giveaways, odd-man rushes, penalties and no defense infront of their young goalie. Shame on you.
• Kessel didnt score! (save it for thursday against Boston Phil…)

Next try: Wednesday vs Islanders

You Might also have run into: The Santa Clause (my only favourite Tim Allen vehicle), Christmas Shoes (Isnt hearing the song enough?), Lots of NFL and lots of Curling (try it…do it….)

Party time with Alexei Ponikarovsky

Well, the Leafs may be up and down these days, but at least they’re finally winning some games. Fresh off a 7-2 pounding in Boston Saturday, Toronto used a five-goal second period flurry to easily beat Nik Antropov and the Thrashers at the ACC tonight, 5-2.

Goals by Lee Stempniak, Matty Stajan and Mikhail Grabovski gave the Leafs a 3-0 lead by the midway point of the second and a pair of Alexei Ponikarovsky goals 28 seconds apart late put it out of reach. Toronto out-shot Atlanta 12-6 in the period and 28-24 in the game.

Vesa Toskala was back between the pipes, making his first appearance since getting banged up Nov. 23, and actually strung together a pretty, pretty, pretty good game. The former San Jose backup superstar pitched a shutout until a Bryan Little power play goal early in the third and Marty Reasoner goal less than a minute later, but made a handful of nice saves earlier to keep it scoreless.

This one was pretty much the opposite of Saturday’s loss to the Bruins, though I’m not complaining about being on the good side for a change. It also helps to get that ACC monkey off the Leafs’ back, especially with six of the next eight at home. The Islanders are in next for a date on Wednesday night.

I’m happy to be the bearer of good news- this weekend is “re-run” free– a breath of fresh air after a disappointing, re-run laiden week.

Here’s what I’m watching tonight:

Leafs vs Bruins-
This is a big night for Phil (the saviour) Kessel, as he faces his old team for the first time this season. Will he continue on his two-point per game tear he’s been on lately? Will the pressure be too overwhelming? Will Chara trample him like roadkill? The Bruins are coming off a tough and emotionally draining loss in La Belle Province (Montreal) which had their (neverending) 100 year celebration last night, and the Bruins were the victims to a celebratory shellacking. Will Tim Thomas be back in net for Boston…either way, The Leafs will face a less-reliable back up or a potentially unstable number one goalie. Ron Wilson is going with Joey McDonald in net (Toskala went from “number one” to Option C in a matter of 20 games…unbelievable). Leafs have won points in 7 straight games and are on a modest “roll”…but Boston will be a test of talent and the ability to hold momentum. Tune in tonight, CBC 7pm

SNL-
It’s new, Blake Lively (Gossip Girl) is hosting, Rihanna (the reinvention) is performing, and they are (finally coming to their senses) using Kristin Wiig far more often…a very good bet for saturday night! I hear the next three SNL’s are new, that will take us all the way to Christmas…thank you NBC! Tune in tonight if only to see Kristin Wiig do her Kathy-Lee impersonation, or Rihanna wearing something spikey (stay clear Mr.Brown)  or that lights up. NBC 11:30pm

Have a great Saturday and an even better TV Night.

Come celebrate with Phil Kessel

Holy 1967, are these Leafs for real?! The boys in blue and white made it four straight on the road and points in seven of eight overall with a commanding 6-3 win in Columbus last night, picking up a pair of goals each from Phil Kessel and the 2006-07 version of Jason Blake.

Joey MacDonald, starting for a brokenhearted Jonas Gustavsson, stopped 33 of 36 shots to pick up his first win as a Leaf. He’ll be counted on for a week or so more, since it was announced yesterday that The Monster will be having another minor procedure done to try to get his heart rate nice and good after a scare Tuesday in Montreal.

Anyway, back to Kessel: How can you not love this man? Two goals, giving him 10 and 15 points in 15 games, and he finished it off with his first career brouhaha in the third period with some nobody named Kris Russell. Straight badass, that Kessel is.

Lee Stempniak and Nikolai Kulemin also scored for Toronto and Mikhail Grabovski and Niklas Hagman each picked up a pair of assists. Kristian Huselius, Jason Chimera and Jan Hejda scored for the Blue Jackets, as if it matters.

As good as they’ve been playing, the Leafs still sit 29th in the NHL, though now a commanding eight points ahead of the dreadful Hurricanes. Now six points out of the East’s last playoff slot, Toronto is in Boston Saturday looking to make it five straight away from the ACC.

As I was walking up to my seat tonight, it struck me that this was the first Jackets game I’d gone to since the 9-1 fiasco against Detroit. That seems like ages ago, but between the long road trip and my having had the flu last week, I can’t think of any other Jackets game I would have attended. Surely, I thought, after that realization, tonight has to be better than that.

Sigh.

It was just a pathetic performance by the Jackets tonight. They came out sloppy and never tightened it up. Bad turnovers, blind passes, lazy offsides…you name it, we saw it tonight. Mercifully, another small weeknight crowd, so the damage to Columbus’ collective psyche may have been limited.

And like rain on your wedding day, or ten-thousand spoons, when all you need is a knife, isn’t it ironic that the Jackets outshot the Leafs? Even that’s deceiving, though, as the Jackets spent much of the night playing on the perimeters. Many of those shots on goal were from fairly impossible angles. And even when they did get some quality chances, Joey MacDonald managed to look like last year’s Steve Mason. While Steve Mason looked like this year’s Steve Mason. Which isn’t entirely fair. While Mason wasn’t super sharp (and nor was Mathieu Garon, who replaced him after Toronto scored four times), the defense was lax. So many times when Toronto had the puck in the Jackets’ end they seemed to have all the time and space in the world to move the puck around.

Phil Kessel made himself look worth all the picks Toronto traded for him, scoring twice. And adding a fight with Kris Russell late in the third, which may have been the sole entertaining part of this game for me. Jason Blake also scored two goals for Toronto.

Columbus scored a couple late goals to make the score look more flattering, but don’t be fooled if you didn’t see the game. It was just ugly.

I’m going to the OSU-Michigan hockey game tomorrow. Hope the Buckeyes put on a more credible performance than the Jackets did tonight. Then Saturday Columbus fans finally get a crack at Adam Foote (unless he suddenly comes down with the swine flu). Hoping for better from that game. It’s gotta get better, right?