The Leafs were a part of history last night when they went to the first shootout in National Hockey League history. We lost the shootout but salvaged a valuable point against a far superior division rival.
For most of the game it looked like Ottawa had no interest in winning. For a team many are predicting to win it all, they lacked any semblance of intensity and only seemed to awaken in the final six minutes. Bryan McCabe's goal early in the first period held up until the 14:12 mark of the third and Eric Lindros' wicked snap shot with 91 seconds remaining looked to be the story book winner until that damn Alfredsson tied it up in the final minute of play.
With players like Lindros and Jason Allison in the line up, I never stopped to consider the possibility Mats Sundin could be the one to leave the game injured. Seven minutes into the first the captain fell to the ice with an eye injury after being struck by the puck. After watching Bryan Berard fall to the ice in a similar fashion against this same team, you expect the worst, but reports today indicate he's okay and day-to-day. If the Leafs have any intention of being competitive, they're going to need Sundin healthy and at the top of his game. If Sundin had taken that first shot of the shootout last night instead of Allison, there may have been a different result.
It's great to have hockey back. We have Montreal next on Saturday night.
Current Record Last GameSeason Leaders0-0-1
1 point3-2 Shootout Loss vs. OttawaT. Kaberle - 2
E. Lindros - 1
B. McCabe - 1
