
What are the Leafs' chances? I liked their effort against Montreal on Saturday, winning in a shootout. But the Canadiens only showed up for for brief periods of time in that one. I don't like how the Leafs panicked as soon as the Habs put on some pressure. It reminded me of the Pat Quinn era. I don't think that they are giving 100% for 60 minutes either. The Thrashers are. And their record is a testament to that.
Marian Hossa has not scored in 3 games, after getting off to a red hot start. Hopefully he doesn't break out tonight.
We should expect Bobby Holik, who has drawn praise from his coaching staff for his great 2-way play, to be all over Mats Sundin tonight, neutralizing him.
The Thrashers are averaging 3.75 goals per game. The Leafs: 3.33 goals per game.
A bigger difference is goals against per game. The Thrashers have a 2.58 goals against average. The Leafs have allowed an average of 3.91 goals per game.
That stat is what makes me think that the Thrashers will win this one about 5-3.
If the Leafs do pull out a win, it should be a major confidence booster. But they need to play a solid 60 minutes to stop a team like Atlanta.