Going into Wednesday night's game, I expected the worst. I thought the game would be a one sided affair, with the Leafs on the wrong end of goal explosion. I was wrong. The game was fairly even. It was a back and forth affair, that needed a shootout for Washington to come away with a 5 - 4 win. Kulemin gave the Leafs the lead in the first period with some fancy moves, and a beautiful shot. In the second period, it looked like my fears for the game were coming to pass, as Washington scored three unanswered goals in quick succession, to take a 3 - 1 lead into the third period. Even worse, was the fact that the Leafs had almost a full penalty kill to contend with at the start of the final frame. The Maple Leafs successfully took care of the disadvantage, and then took over on offense. Their style of play that had seemingly gone missing after the first five games was back, and the team was rewarded for their effort. Three straight goals by Brown, Versteeg, and Bozak put the Leafs in the lead, with half a period to go. However, a bad penalty call, and a broken play allowed Washington to tie the game, and eventually win it in the shootout. In a game that I fully expected the Maple Leafs to come up empty, I am more then happy with a point. Jonas Gustavsson deserves full credit for that point, because his stunning diving stick save in the second period kept the team in striking distance to mount a comeback. I will be at the Maple Leafs next game versus the Buffalo Sabres. Personally, I will be looking to see my first regular season win in two years/eleven games. Will I see that ever elusive win? Find out next time. Same Leaf time, same Leaf channel.
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