With the Toronto Maple Leafs sitting 13th in the Eastern Conference one game shy of the halfway point, there is no arguing their playoff chances are slim to none. However, ever since the calendar flipped over, the Maple Leafs have gone 3-1 in the last nine days.
With a record of 16-20-4, the Maple Leafs are one of the last teams people would expect to have won three of its last four games. However, despite the team's below-average record and poor play to wrap up 2010, players such as Phil Kessel, Mikhail Grabovski, and Nikolai Kulemin have been getting a lot more attention lately.
Why? Because all three have been on fire for some time now.
Kessel, who slowed down considerably after a rapid start to the season, has 12 points, including seven goals, in his last 12 games. In 40 games this season, Kessel has 17 goals and 12 assists, putting him on pace for 34 goals and 24 assists for a total of 58 points. This kind of production is not what the Maple Leafs acquired him for, but is certainly much better than what he was giving them just a handful of weeks ago.
After two mediocre seasons, Kulemin has finally found his game. His ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Lukas Hardonk
American Hockey League Proving Its Worth for the Toronto Maple Leafs
January 9th, 2011 by Lukas Hardonk Leave a reply »
Advertisement