CBC-Sports

This week's work: Leafs at Bruins

December 4, 2009 04:42 PM | Posted by   Jim Hughson  

Read up on the latest tidbits and trends as Hockey Night in Canada’s play-by-play voice Jim Hughson takes you behind the scenes and into the game.

This week’s work: Toronto Maple Leafs at Boston Bruins | Saturday, Dec. 5, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT (CBC, CBCSports.ca)

The script:

Not often is the return to face a former team a big deal for a 22-year-old - usually there hasn’t been a body of work - but Phil Kessel made an impression in three years with the Bruins, especially last season when he scored 36 goals.

He also left an impression when it became obvious he wasn’t going to re-up in Boston and had to be traded. For that he will likely incur the wrath of the Bruin faithful. Turn your back on an angry bear and you’ll get clawed.
Kessel has made an impression with the Leafs too. He’s a one shot game breaker who passes the puck better than he’s given credit for and hasn’t missed Marc Savard as much as the Bruin centre may be missing him.

With Kessel gone the Bruins re-signed Savard and have locked up an impressive group down the middle. Savard, Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci aren’t quite Pittsburgh’s Crosby, Malkin and Staal but they’re all skilled and two of the three – Bergeron and Krejci – are just getting started.

Without Kessel the Bruins’ problem is getting finish for their slick middle men. With Milan Lucic hurt the Bruins need Marco Sturm to get rolling (two goals versus Tampa Wednesday), Blake Wheeler to develop quickly and Michael Ryder to get on one of his hot streaks.

In the last month the Bruins haven’t scored much, but they’ve given up under two goals per game so they’ll try to grind out a 2-1 or 3-2 win and outwork the Leafs. Lately that hasn’t been easy to do. Toronto is a respectable 7-5-3 in 15 games since Kessel got healthy and they’ve won four of five into Boston.

Look for Toronto to try and jump on a tired Boston team early. With their speed and recent work ethic the Leafs should be able to get a couple of power plays early, while the Bruins are still digesting two hours of standing ovations for Canadiens legends the night before.

On the hot stove:

Zdeno Chara isn’t having a bad season nor does he stand out as a Norris trophy winner. His start was rather slow and he’s picked it up lately, but has only one goal (into Friday’s game at Montreal) playing 24 and a half minutes per outing, including over three minutes a game on the power play.

Boston D-men have scored just 10 goals between them and could chip in a little more for a team in the bottom third of the league in scoring.

ISO camera on:

They’ll say all the right things about it being ‘just another game’ but you know that Kessel wants a big night against the Bruins just as Savard wants to crank it up against the Leafs.

Kessel has really helped lift the play of his linemates. We wondered which Leaf centre would be able to set up Kessel but it appears, in this case, the winger can make the line go. Ponikarovsky quickly figured out he can give the puck to Kessel and go to the net with great results. And the most important passer isn’t the centre but defenceman Tomas Kaberle, who hasn’t taken long to focus in on Kessel when he gets the puck.

Savard, who scored his 200th goal Wednesday, is just back from an injury and trying to produce with Wheeler and Byron Bitz. Not exactly Kessel and Lucic.

Tape-room topics:

We’ll watch Kessel and Savard closely but not likely at the same time. Without a true checking line Claude Julien will probably play Patrice Bergeron, Mark Recchi and Marco Sturm against Kessel and company with Chara and Derek Morris on defence. That’s a tough match-up for Toronto, but at least the Leafs now have a line that others might want to match against.

Julien guards the identity of his starting goaltender as though his life depends on it. If Tim Thomas gets the anniversary game in Montreal, expect the Leafs to see Tuukka Rask.

Another ghost from a past trade, Rask was the prospect given up to get goalie Andrew Raycroft whose buy-out is still on the Leafs’ books. Now 24, Rask looks every bit the prospect he was expected to be when Toronto drafted him 21st overall in 2005. He doesn’t make the coach nervous when he gives Thomas a night off and looks like he could be the heir apparent to Thomas who’s now 35.

From the stat pack:

Kessel has 10 goals in just 15 games with the Leafs. He would lead the Bruins in goals and be third in points.
And one other thing from the all Kessel file. He’s 57 per cent (28-21) on faceoffs.

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