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Canucks double up Leafs 4-2
By TonyH | November 16, 2008
A tale of two goalies
Luongo shines while Toskala falls apart
VANCOUVER – Having just been given the hook by coach Ron Wilson midway through the second period, Vesa Toskala peered up at the scoreboard, shrugged his shoulders, then plopped his butt on the Maple Leafs bench.
“I actually felt really good,” Toskala said later. “I guess that’s what sucks the most.”
In what turned out to be a tale of two goalies, Toskala came out on the short end of a 4-2 decision to Roberto Luongo and the Vancouver Canucks in a rare late afternoon start at GM Place yesterday.
While the loss can not solely be pinned on Toskala’s shoulders, there is no doubt that he struggled to make the big saves — he had trouble making any saves, for that matter — when his team needed them the most.
PULLING THE PLUG
And when Daniel Sedin scored at 8:31 of the second period to put the Canucks up 4-0, Toskala finally was yanked in favour of backup Curtis Joseph, leaving behind an ugly performance that saw him beaten four times on nine shots.
The goals weren’t real stinkers but that does not change the fact that his save percentage on the night was an awful .555.
Toskala insists he was not “embarrassed” by the performance but management has to feel that the team’s No. 1 goaltender needs to pick up his game. His 7-5-3 record is respectable, to be sure, but the 3.07 goals-against average and .886 save percentage he brought into the contest certainly are grounds for concern.
Source: continue reading this story at the Toronto Sun
Topics: Maple Leafs, Scores |