With the play of some of his forwards as far south as the team's travels on its current seven-game road trip, it might be time for Toronto Maple Leafs coach Paul Maurice to shake things up.
There's a chance the winless-in-three Leafs could offer a new look as early as Saturday (CBC, 7 p.m. ET) in Florida against the Panthers, who are unbeaten in three.
In the second half of Saturday's Hockey Night in Canada doubleheader, the Vancouver Canucks take their 10-6-2 road record to Phoenix to battle the improved Coyotes (10 p.m. ET).
While Toronto's top line of captain Mats Sundin between 15-goal man Nik Antropov and Alexei Ponikarovsky would likely remain intact, the same can't be said for the struggling trio of Jason Blake, Darcy Tucker and Kyle Wellwood.
Wellwood hasn't scored in 11 games and Tucker is without a goal in nine, despite the fact the unit has all the ingredients for success: playmaking ability (Wellwood), scoring touch (Blake) and energy (Tucker).
"That line is supposed to create offence so we have to make adjustments there," Maurice said of Blake, Tucker and Wellwood, who have combined for four points in the last eight games.
The big concern appears to be with Wellwood, who was pencilled in as the Maple Leafs' second centre entering the season. But a second hernia surgery in eight months derailed his start. He has admitted his body still feels a little "odd" on the ice.
"If he doesn't get stronger, well, without the quickness, you can't play in this league," said Maurice, who had a 10-minute chat with Wellwood on the ice in Tampa Bay on Wednesday. "He just hasn't moved as well as [at] the beginning of last year when I felt he played his best."
Wellwood and his linemates aren't alone in their struggles around the net. As a team, Toronto has found the net four times in its last three outings. Winger Alex Steen has one goal in his past nine starts, while power forward Mark Bell has scored just once in 20 games since returning from suspension.
The lack of offence has spoiled the efforts of goalie Vesa Toskala, who has given his team a chance to win every game in recent weeks. But a couple of defensive breakdowns earlier this week resulted in Toronto grabbing only one of a possible four points against Carolina and Tampa Bay.
"We are playing well enough to do better, but at the end of the day it's not happening for us," said Maurice, whose club is 1-2-1 in the first four games of the trip. "Our goaltending has been real good. It's just tight when you're not scoring."
Florida, meanwhile, has won three in a row and four of five, thanks in large part to a balanced attack.
While top centre Olli Jokinen has a point in nine of the past 10 games, it's been the effort by role players such as Radek Dvorak (two goals in three games) and Brett McLean (three points in three games) that has sparked the Panthers.
McLean, who returned to the lineup recently after hurting his wrist, scored the winning goal in Thursday's 5-4 triumph over Carolina. Dvorak also scored with Rostislav Olesz, another role player, drawing an assist.
"We're skating, we're creating, we're finishing checks, we're spending time on the penalty kill and we eliminate the [opponent's] best lines," Dvorak told the Florida Sun-Sentinel. "But we also can score and bring energy."
The win over Carolina put Florida over the .500 mark (17-16-2) for the first time this season and into eighth spot in the Eastern Conference standings with 36 points, one more than the Leafs (14-14-7).
Like Toronto, the Panthers have received stellar netminding of late. Former Nashville Predator Tomas Vokoun, who signed a free-agent contract in the summer, has a 2.34 goals-against average during the winning streak.
He is also 2-1-0 with a 2.01 GAA in three career starts against the Maple Leafs, but was nursing a sprained ankle on Oct. 18 when Florida fell 3-2 in Toronto.
The Panthers have won two of the last 10 meetings with Toronto and one of the past four at home, where they are 9-7-1 this season.
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Contact Us About Us HomeTuesday, January 6th, 2009