Lee Stempniak News

It goes without saying that the Toronto Maple Leafs are a terrible hockey team. Yes I realize they won tonight but that doesn't change the fact that they are 4-11-6 and are headed for yet another year of missing the playoffs.

John Tavares spoke matter-of-factly about his introduction to the NHL. If John Tavares has had a difficult time adjusting to life as an NHL player, few have noticed.

When Brian Burke celebrates his one-year milestone as Maple Leafs president exactly one week from today, he'd best be checking the candles on his anniversary cake.

Your agent was cooped up at home for the last couple of days and discovered that an extended period of listening to talk radio during one of the periodic crises that afflict the Leafs, can make a person almost as crazy as your average Leaf fan.

The Washington Capitals will try to avoid a second straight loss tonight in a matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre.

A season that is going south hit a low point down in Dixie last night with a 6-5 shootout loss.

Blessed with a 3-0 lead after one period of play, the Toronto Maple Leafs looked poised to avoid having the Carolina Hurricanes leap frog them in the standings for the a oecoveteda 29th overall spot in the NHL, the position the Leafs occupied before tonighta s a oeepica battle against the a Canes.

Tom Kostopoulos of the Carolina Hurricanes takes a hard hit from the Maple Leafs' Jason Blake.

The Toronto Maple Leafs were in North Carolina Wednesday, licking their wounds after yet another loss and preparing for today's game with the Hurricanes.

My, how times have changed. There was a time when a Maple Leafs-Senators game would be almost a guaranteed sellout, especially with the number of Toronto fans in the barn.

Yes, it sounds like a broken record, but the Leafs have now given up the first goal in 15 of 17 games this season and have fallen behind by two goals in eight of those contests.

But what Vesa Toskala and Phil Kessel were able to achieve a ' Toskala played his finest game of the season, Kessel scored two more goals to continue to impress a ' wasn't enough to help the Leafs successfully come back from three goals down to beat the powerful Chicago Blackhawks on home ice Friday night.

Matt Stajan. Mississauga's own Matt Stajan checks the scoreboard during NHL action at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto in this file photo.

Detroit, 7 p.m. TUESDAY vs. Minnesota, 7 p.m., NOTES Leafs coach Ron Wilson mused about playing defenceman Ian White as a forward.

Was it the Maple Leafs, suddenly a very competent looking hockey club after two straight victories? Or was it the Detroit Red Wings, or at least the current injury-riddled, talent-depleted version of the squad that went to the Stanley Cup final the past two springs but was steamrolled 5-1 by the Leafs last night? Hard to say.

Phil Kessel scored his first goal with Toronto and Jonas Gustavsson made 35 saves to lead the Maple Leafs to a 5-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night.

When the Detroit Red Wings face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre tonight , they face more than the usual, "If the Leafs win, they'll act like they won the Stanley Cup" pressure.

Leafs beat 'Canes in 'basement bowl' Caption: Toronto Maple Leafs players congratulate teammate Jason Blake after Blake scored the go ahead goal against the Carolina Hurricanes during their NHL hockey game in Raleigh, North Carolina November 6, 2009.

Wilson doesn't name starting goalie for Canes Jonas Gustavsson skates off the ice as the Tampa Bay Lightning celebrate their overtime win on Tuesday night.

Jason Blake always looks tired after practice, dead tired. His face goes fire-engine red, his hair mats to his head and he looks like a hockey player in desperate need of some liquids, if not an afternoon nap.