From The Branches

Not a whole heck of a lot happened yesterday on the ol' Barikosphere so here be your links without the pomp and circumstance. All Hail Megatron Friends of the blog HOCKEE NIGHT with their recap of Saturday's game. Leafs Still Have a Mountain to Climb Even with

The Leafs were outclassed by the Chicago Blackhawks for two periods last night. After nine consecutive games where they earned at least a point, the loss at the ACC prevented Toronto from making up any ground on the 8th and final playoff spot. I doubt that anyone expected the Leafs

Lost amidst the Leafs playoff push has been the sudden resurgence of captain Dion Phaneuf's offensive game. After scoring only 18 points in his first 55 games as a Leaf, Phaneuf has 12 in his last 20. Even stranger, he's done so without feasting on the

Scott Hartnell and the Flyers did just that last night in the city of brotherly love as the Leafs continued their amazing run of late with their second win in as many nights. That makes 6 wins, 1 loss, and 3 OT/SO losses in their last 10 games, good

While to many, the stars of the show last night were Mikhail Grabovksi and Phil Kessel, it's still hard to ignore the fact that James Reimer stopped 27 of 29 shots last night for a .931 save percentage yet again. I would say that although the first goal

So last night didn't go so well for the Toronto Maple Leafs because the Sabres and Hurricanes both won their games, thus raising the 10th to 8th points gap back up to 6. This makes the already low chance that the Leafs would make the Playoffs even lower.

Yesterday afternoon, Brian Burke scored with a buzzer beater to trade John Mitchell to the New York Rangers for a seventh-round draft pick. After what was a relatively quiet deadline day, expensive champagne was uncorked, fine bottles of single-malt whiskey were shared, and later, several Colt 45's were

Burke can afford to relax - David Shoalts Brian Burke’s biggest concern on deadline day, as he freely admits, is not pulling off that big trade. It is to avoid doing something stupid. Amen to that. We all know what today is, so sit down, strap in, and get

The Leafs are in the southeast this morning, gearing up for a 5:00pm bout with the Atlanta Thrashers. During their last visit to the city, Toronto was able to put nine goals past the Thrasher's over-matched goaltenders. Since then Atlanta has gone a measly 3-10-5 and nearly

Those of you who have been anxious for Brian Burke to pull off more deals will likely have to wait another 48 hours. The Leafs have yet to make a highly anticipated move for a top four defenseman, and it's doubtful they would do so today or tomorrow,

6 goals in 5 games since switching to black tape. Of course, it's nothing more than a sticky, 1 inch wide placebo but it's worked magic for Kessel. He's taken back the team lead in goals with 25, and is tied for 15th in

PPP Rabble: A statue! A statue! We found a statue! Can we erect it!? Sir Hawerchuk: But, how do you know he is a statue? JP: BECAUSE HE LOOKS LIKE ONE! (There are many cheers from the surrounding rabble.) Sir Hawerchuk: Bring him forward. James Reimer: I'm not

Reimer Overcomes Illness, Guides Leafs to Victory Battling through an early bout of indigestion, Reimer came up huge for the Leafs on Tuesday night, making 28 saves en route to a 2-1 victory over the previously red-hot New York Islanders. Phil Kessel may have potted the game-winner—a blistering shot

That's right boys and girls, today is Mystery D-Man Day! Or for those of you not fans of the Maple Leafs, Tuesday. Burke Hunting for Blueline Help - Eat. Sleep. Leafs. "We're trying to add by tomorrow if we can," said Burke, who has

If so, please enjoy this photo of Brett Lebda being thrown into the glass. I hope it makes your day a little sunnier; it sure put a smile on my face. In the Land of Leaf-Related Links there is precious little to choose from, but the one I'm

After last night's disappointing shootout loss to the Ottawa Senators, seven points separate the Leafs from the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The schedule doesn't get any easier from here and the Buds needed the victory badly. The effort and urgency of wins in

Entering last Saturday night's HNIC game against Montreal, Kris Versteeg and Tomas Kaberle were still members of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Seven days later, Brian Burke has turned those two players into three (possibly four) draft choices and a highly regarded prospect in Joe Colborne. Add in the

Well, only a few. It's only natural that Tomas Kaberle trade talk is going to dominate the day's chatter. I, for one, won't pretend for a moment to be more interested in anything else, or even to be sick of hearing about the upcoming

Oh, who am I kidding? The Leafs hardly stand any chance at all of making the post-season. Let's just be thankful that they moved ahead of the Florida Panthers to slide into 25th overall, and now sit only one point behind The Colorado Avalanche for 24th. There are

MacArthur: We're Not Raising the Flag on this Season With Kris Versteeg shipped off to Philly for two draft picks on Monday night, outward signs—which Brian Burke denied—began to pointing to a rebuild this season in Toronto. "I definitely don't want to hear

Mouth guards in the GTA will rest easy knowing that public enemy number one Kris Versteeg will no longer be chomping their friends, relatives, or neighbors anymore. He's moved on to greener pastures. If you're not a mouth guard, however, it's hard to feel

The Maple Leafs: A Pessimistic View (Part II) - Vintage Leaf Memories Burke is a sharp guy, but his reputation was highly overblown when the Leafs hired him (and obviously had their eye on him long before he arrived). He won a Cup, yes, in Anaheim. But just as he

I usually take a small break during my Sunday morning (Vietnam time) classes to check on the progress of the Leaf game on each Saturday. The Leafs lost? Bummer. The Leafs lost to the Canadiens? Even more so. It's extra homework for those kids today. If life hands

Lots of Leafs news to chat about today. Colby Armstrong and Jonas Gustavsson are dealing with injury issues, Jean-Sebastien Giguere may have discussed his future in Toronto with Brian Burke yesterday, and the Leafs are set to visit the Habs in Montreal tonight. Giguere wants to stay but only if

He's on a 4 game scoring streak. Hot sauce. Friday Morning Links for Friday Morning People It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year For a Non-Playoff team BCP sees the upcoming 2 weeks as the night before Christmas. Leafs Upended at Home Kovalchuk now only