Darren Calabrese
Welcome to the last stand of the 2010-11 Toronto Maple Leafs, a three-game road trip that begins tonight in Minnesota (8 p.m., LEAFS TV) and wraps Saturday night with a game in Detroit against an old Norris Division rival (I sure miss those days).
Two points against the struggling Wild are an absolute must, and there will be plenty of reason to keep one eye on the out-of-town scoreboard. The eighth-place Buffalo Sabres are in Montreal to play the Habs tonight, holding a five-point edge on the Leafs with a game in hand. The Hurricanes and Devils, also still alive in the tangled mess just outside the eastern conference playoff picture, are also in action.
Jonas Seigel at AM640 has the expected lineup for tonight's game here.
The links:
The Leafs continue to farm the NCAA for unsigned talent, inking U.S. college prospect Tyler Brenner to a deal yesterday.
Leafs HQ with a whole lot more info on Brenner. His entertainment tastes raise a possible red flag: Sex and the City is listed as his favourite movie and TV show.
The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle on the Brenner signing. He played his college hockey at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Toronto Star reporter Mark Zwolinski says the Leafs' top two lines must step up on this road trip.
Captain Dion Phaneuf tells the Toronto Sun this road trip is important. Yes, yes it is.
Coach Ron Wilson talks to Terry Koshan of The Sun about big hits and player safety.
Some Leafs are doing a lot of scoreboard watching these days.
Chemmy at theleafsnation.com on why Leaf fans should be cheering for the Canadiens to win the Northeast division.
Matt Cooke's suspension was the talk of the hockey world yesterday. Here's Roy MacGregor's take from today's paper, and thoughts from our stable of puck writers from the Globe on Hockey blog.
Clarke MacArthur and Luke Schenn were the most outspoken Leafs on the issue.