Gomez Injured or Just Too Small to See?
I had the pleasure of watching Scott Gomez 6 years ago at the World Junior Hockey Championship in Winnipeg. My cousin Chris St. Croix was a defencemen for the US team that also featured the fiesty little Gomez. I’m not sure what memories stick out more - Gomez stickhandling through the entire Canadien team, or watching him being interviewed just after the game. Gomez looked like he was about a foot shorter than the interviewer
Did I mention Scott was still wearing his skates?
It’s hard to believe the Devils are playing without their five million dollar forward. They were baddly outshot by the Leafs tonight but managed to win anyways, mostly due to the exceptional if expected play of Martin Brodeur. But you also can’t discount the defensive play of the Devil’s entire team. The Leafs had a monopoly on shots but they rarely got quality scoring chances - an important distinction.
I mentioned a few days ago that the Leafs would live and die by their forecheck. Tonight was a perfect example of what I was talking about. The Devils sat back, even when they got a powerplay midway through the third period. They waited and waited, content that the Leafs would, eventually, make mistakes.
They also scored in the ways I noted the Leafs simply cannot and will not. Mikael Tellqvist, in relief of JS Aubin, who came down with the flu, was called upon to make several big stops coming off of odd-man rushes. The Devils are a defensive minded team through and through, but their big guns are a very skilled group, and they easily could have stung the Leafs worse than they did. Of course, the game-winner was an absolute flub of a shot that bounced off not one but two Leaf defenders before slipping into the goal.
Although the Buds lost their second game in a row, they can take some positives from this game. Down to their third string goaltender, they received simply excellent goaltending that kept them in the game even when they couldn’t buy a goal. They managed 34 shots against one of the stingiest teams in the league, and they played very well late pressing for the tying goal. They were literally beaten by only a few lucky bounces. They also looked much better than they did a few nights ago against the Bruins.
The word is now out that the Leafs are only marginally better than they were a year ago, so the next month or so will be crucial for this team. Now is the time for Maurice’s team to show its character. Solid play will keep them in good playoff form and allow them to compete not only for a playoff spot but for home-ice advantage. A slide now could drop them very quickly into the absolute clot of teams in the 7-10 slots, and much worse, could do irreparable damage to the team’s psyche. They need to prove to themselves and to the rest of the world that they are indeed better than they were a year ago.