The Toronto Maple Leaf hype train took a temporary stop this evening after the team dropped a convincing 5-1 loss to their rival Montreal Canadiens. The roster was comprised of primarily AHL players, but that didn’t stop Babs from giving it to his squad. Babs was seemingly rattled after the game, insisting that no player really separated them self from the others and that everyone was tough to evaluate as a whole.
Ouch.
Alright, so not many of these guys will be on the ice with the rest of the Leafs on opening night., but still, a few of the youngsters are still battling for a spot. The lone bright spot came on a goal by Kasperi Kapanen, who has struggled to stay with the Buds over the past few seasons. He even admitted, though, that the fans deserved a better performance out of their players tonight.
Leafs fans were likely disappointed to see that goaltender Garret Sparks, who led the Marlies to the Calder Cup last season, let in five goals on 36 shots. Despite the down night, he remained in the crease ‘til the end of the game.
The two teams will link up again on opening night when the Leafs host the Habs at Scotiabank Place. Time will tell which of tonight’s players will be on the ice for the event.
(H/T Mark Masters)
