Hockey Trade Rumors

The conversation begins again. It has to. It has to because with any kind of goaltending the Maple Leafs don’t lose to the New York Islanders Thursday night.

The conversation begins again, because there were boos instead of Lous at the Air Canada Centre. And the more there are boos, ask Ron Wilson about that, the more calls there will be calls for Roberto Luongo in the Maple Leafs net, because over two nights, one a win, one a loss for Toronto, the number of weak goals given up is five.

And the Leafs have only relinquished 11 goals against, not counting into an empty net, in this condensed season. They have played reasonably sound team defence over 12 periods, except for about 30 minutes of brainless, listless play against the Islanders.

You can’t give up 40-foot wrist shots for goals the way the rookie Ben Scrivens did. You can’t follow that up by allowing Keith Aucoin’s shot between the legs. If Scrivens’ stick is on the ice, he stops it. Same with an earlier goal. Those are basics.

When he was pulled — after giving up just three goals against in his first two starts — Scrivens slammed his stick on the bench, then he slammed his mask to the ground — he knew this way no way of turning victory and his No. 1 standing in goal into questionable status again. That 1.50 goals against average he entered the game with is now a thing of the past.

http://www.torontosun.com/2013/01/24/luongo-to-leafs-talk-sure-to-heat-up