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# Flames 5 Leafs 1: Somehow Still in Eighth
- URL: https://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/flames-5-leafs-1-somehow-still-in-eighth/
- Published: 2012-02-15T04:42:03.000Z
- Updated: 2012-02-15T04:42:03.000Z
- Author: Jason Orach
- Tags: Game Coverage, #chorus, #Import 2023-04-05 10:50

As Sportsnet leads every commercial break with [Rick Nash](http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/54947/rick-nash?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) news people everywhere want Brian Burke to add a "forward with size". Ignoring the enormous cost of both Nash's contract and the likely trading chips to bring him here: it doesn't make sense. Toronto is sixth in the league in goals for per game and twenty second in goals against per game.

To be fair [Jonas Gustavsson](http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/72169/jonas-gustavsson?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) wasn't horrendous tonight, most of us have certainly seen him turn in worse performances, though saying he played "well" or really even "kinda ok" is a big stretch. At the team level between Gustavsson and Reimer's struggles the Leafs team goaltending is yet again among the league's worst (18th).

Tonight was an absolute horror show by [Dion Phaneuf](http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/54651/dion-phaneuf?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com), and the easy jokes for radio call ins will be that Calgary is glad to be rid of him. They only see him once a year now and after the game he turned in I'm not sure he did a lot to disprove them. It's only one game for him, though without [Carl Gunnarsson](http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/72010/carl-gunnarsson?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) who might be the only defensive d-man on the team the Leafs D is in trouble. Toronto had climbed all the way to 19th in shots against per game, a number sure to get worse the longer Gunnarsson is gone.

This team's issue is the same thing that's plagued the Leafs since the lockout: poor defense and goaltending. These are needs that absolutely have to be addressed if the Leafs want to improve. The Sundin and Raycroft era Leafs scored a ton of goals, bad goaltending means that doesn't matter.

A bright side? This is hopefully the low point of the season. An awful run of games sees the Leafs 1 point up on ninth though the [Capitals](http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/teams/washington-capitals?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) have a game in hand. Toronto has time to turn it around starting tomorrow night in Edmonton.