The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Caps vs. Maple Leafs, March 1st

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!

Tonight, the Caps return home for the back end of a back-to-back set. The Toronto Maple Leafs are in town, and for the Leafs it is one more year in an endless era of disappointment. Since 1967, in fact, the Leafs have the thoroughly unremarkable record of 1,326-1,426 with 383 ties and 47 overtime/shootout losses. In 39 seasons since that championship, they have failed to make the playoffs 13 times. This year is likely to make it 14, the last three in succession.

1967 is a long, long time ago. Here is how long…Chris Chelios was only five years old.

Has it really been a while since Toronto sipped from the Cup? Well, let’s take a look at what happened in 1967, and you decide:

We were still on Super Bowl I…in fact, we hadn’t even begun to use the term, “Super Bowl” yet. It was called the “AFL-NFL World Championship Game” (the term “Super Bowl” was introduced in 1970).

Albert DeSalvo – “The Boston Strangler” – was convicted of numerous crimes and sent to prison.

“The Doors” was released

The American Basketball Association was formed

Aretha Franklin recorded, “Respect”

Kurt Cobain was born

Boeing introduced the 737 commercial jet aircraft

“Expo 67” opened in Montreal

Elvis Presley married Priscilla Beaulieu

Tennessee repealed the “Monkey Law” (that which served as the basis for the Scopes trial in 1925)

The 25^th amendment to the U.S. Constitution on presidential succession was ratified

The Beatles released, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”

Karol Wojtyla was ordained a cardinal (later to become Pope John Paul II)

The first automatic cash machine was installed (Barclay’s Bank in England)

The musical “Hair” opened off-Broadway

The Disney film, “The Jungle Book,” was released

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting was established

NASA conducted the first test of a Saturn V rocket, which would later be used for the lunar missions of the Apollo space program

The first heart transplant procedure was performed by Dr. Christian Barnard, in Capetown, South Africa

The Royal Mail Steamer Queen Mary was retired

The “Concorde” supersonic aircraft was introduced

Terry Sawchuk and Johnny Bower were Maple Leafs

…yeah, it’s been a while.

But tonight we have two teams that are two points apart in the standings but perhaps miles apart in attitude. The Caps sit with 68 points in 65 games, three points out of eighth place in the conference and first place (and a top-three seed) in the Southeast Division. They’ve won two in a row, running up eight goals against two stout defensive teams in Minnesota and New Jersey. They’ve allowed only three goals in the last three games, including the 2-1 overtime loss to the Devils last Sunday. They added assets to address specific needs at the trading deadline – Sergei Fedorov, Cristobal Huet, and Matt Cooke – while giving up precious little from their prospect pool (which should not be seen as demeaning to Ted Ruth) or draft picks. Two of those newcomers paid instant dividends in last night’s win in New Jersey.

Toronto has the burden of expectations – the belief that the Stanley Cup is something of a birthright to Toronto, its hockey team, and its fans, which must weigh pretty heavily on them since they are last in the Northeast Division, 13 points behind surprising Montreal. Finishing in the top-eight is their only route to the playoffs, and they are five points out with 16 games to play and four teams over which they must yet climb.

The Leafs have done their part, though, over their last seven games:

Record: 5-1-1
Goals for/against: 21/16
Power play: 8/30 (26.7%)
Penalty killing: 22/30 (73.3%)

Toronto is 1-0-1 since the trading deadline, both games having been settled in extra time (4-3 shootout win in Florida, 3-2 overtime loss in Tampa). The Leafs were sellers at the deadline, dealing Chad Kilger, Hal Gill, and Wade Belak for three 2008 draft picks and a 2009 selection (none in the first round). But the players left behind haven’t done a bad job lately. Some of the better performances over the 5-1-1 run:

Mats Sundin: 4-4-8, +3, GWG
Darcy Tucker: 4-2-6, even, GWG
Nik Antropov: 3-2-5, +1, GWG
Dominic Moore: 2-3-5, +5
Jason Blake: 1-4-5, -3

In goal, Vesa Toskala has gotten the call in each of the last seven games. He’s provided some solid netminding with only one game having allowed more than three goals. Given Toronto’s effort at making a last push to get into the top eight, it is entirely likely that Toskala gets the call again tonight, even though he played (and lost, in a shootout) last night in Tampa. Over these last seven games, Toskala is 5-1-1, 2.10, .925. Seems the Caps will be facing another goalie who is hot.

If, however, Toskala is rested tonight (seems unlikely, given the Leafs don’t play again until Tuesday), Andrew Raycroft could get the call. That groan you just heard was from any Leafs fans reading this. Raycroft is 2-8-4, 4.07, .868 on the year. It would be fair to say he’s been disappointing.

These are two teams two points apart in the standings, but far apart in terms of the look and feel of them as they move forward. The Capitals were surprising buyers at the trading deadline, the Leafs were in selling mode (and would have been to a greater extent but for players exercising no-trade clauses in their contracts), picking up four draft picks for largely role players. It is a chance for fans to greet the new guys for Washington and get another taste of a playoff push – something absent too long in D.C. That’s why…

Caps 5 – Maple Leafs 2