The Leafs get a B-

Ronald Neal
Contributor
With a quarter of the 2010-2011 National Hockey League (NHL) season now in the books, I think it’s time to analyze what exactly is happening in Leafs Nation.
For weeks now I’ve been preaching
it’s too early, and perhaps I was even holding out on participating in the inevitably contrived quarterly sports writing report card, but now, especially with the holiday season approaching and the bliss that are exams around the corner, we could maybe benefit from seeing the team participate in an equally contrived grading ritual, one that we will all soon be subject to anyway.
Put simply, the Maple Leafs are an “okay” team so far this season. Admittedly, this isn’t a very dangerous position to take, but their play and record speak for itself: they are a solid 8-11-3 a quarter in and have yet to hit their stride in either direction in the standings.
This past week has been a perfect example of the way the team has been performing as a whole.
A big win against the Dallas Stars on home ice kicked off what looked to be a promising week. Having just recovered from a near season-ending stretch of futility, the team was in fine form as they battled and out played their opponent to an impressive 4-1 victory. Kadri and Gustavsson continued to impress as they played in relief of offensive impotence and injury, respectively, and overall the team looked good.
Friday night against the Buffalo Sabres was, unfortunately, the inevitable flip side of the coin.
This game was essentially decided in the first period. Too many penalties early on and not enough composure from a well-rested team saw them down two goals early and Ryan Miller simply took care of the rest from there, which left the score to a heartbreaking 3-1 loss. There were some encouraging developments to be sure, though their penalty woes weren’t one of them; they were the result of a still very young team defending itself and retaliating against some questionable displays of aggression from those who call Buffalo, New York home. But the result was the same: you win some, you lose some.
At the end of the day, this may be the best we can expect from the team this year.
After finishing in the basement last season, though, maybe we can live with this.