COYOTE UGLY !

What a well deserved ass-kickin’.

Most hockey fans were looking for tonight’s Arizona/Toronto NHL game to see if the Coyotes were good enough to even compete at the professional level.  They are what most pundits call a “tank team”,  those who take on lame, LTIR contracts just to make the NHL salary floor  – those who play in tiny, non-profitable home venues and those who hope to win the Connor Bedard sweepstakes to land a generational, franchise player as the top pick at this year’s June draft.

The Leafs fell into a bit of a windfall from a salary cap standpoint when goalie Matt Murray went down pre game Saturday.  His $4 mill + left a lot of room for players like Nick Robertson, Victor Mete and Wayne Simmonds to “legally” re-join the Toronto taxi squad.  After this home stand ends on Thursday, the Leafs leave on an extended road trip and could use the depth.  Surprisingly, not one of these new recruits was called upon for tonight’s contest.

The Leafs pretty much toyed with the under manned Coyotes for most of the first period, but ironically it was Toronto cast off Nick Ritchie who scored the one and only goal of the period with a power play goal at 19:34.

Well, as Uncle Jed used to say: “Pitiful, just Pitiful”.  How could a team with an $85 million roster not dominate and easily defeat a team with a hundred dollar cap ?  What’s worse, the final game of the ALDS Yankees/Gaurdians game was rained out !  The ‘Yotes made it 2 zip early in the second and then just smothered the over/under archivers from Toronto.  0 for 3 on the PP, a too many men penalty and a gigantic 13 shots on goal.  Let’s add another shot to the head for Jake Muzzin and you have defcon 5.

There was really nothing good about tonight’s game from a Toronto Maple Leafs standpoint.  The boo birds were out turning on their own and not one of Coach Keefe’s churning of forward line or defensive pairings was working.  And then, as if by magic, William Nylander put the game within reach with help from John Tavares’ 900^th point.  Just 24 seconds later, Mitch Marner lifted a backhander to tie the game.  The Leafs had outshot Arizona by 12-3 at this point in the third and the “MO” was changing.  It wasn’t until a poor clearing pass from Holl that allowed the “Yotes” to score the winner with 1:33 left.  The Leafs tried to bounce back but a reviewed hand pass left it at a deserved 3-2 loss.  Pitiful indeed.

HOPPER NOTES:  I liked the fresh new look of the Sportsnet set for Monday Night Hockey – welcome Keith Yandle and Cassy, what were you thinking with that jacket…is it just me: or should the Coyotes reconsider adding purple to an already ghastly color pallet on their jerseys…after tonight’s piss poor performance, I look forward to seeing Nick Roberston (Malgin), Victor Mete (Muzzin) and Wayne Simmonds (Ashton-Reese) make their season debut on Thursday against Dallas…you can’t tell me: that those NHL players who choose to wear mouth guards are going to benefit from constantly chewing on them outside their yaps whilst play is in progress…I guess I picked the wrong night to focus on new winger Ashton-Reese (# 12, LW, 4^th line, from the Penguins), he was rather ineffectual, was benched for most of the period and will likely be replaced by Wayne Simmonds on Thursday…always keep the ones you love close to you….comments please and CHEERS to y’all !