The Toronto Maple Leafs are trying to finish the regular season on a high note and the team is currently playing very well as they head for a road game at Scotiabank Place against the Ottawa Senators in Ontario, Canada on Saturday night.
The team has won a point in eight straight games and rumors say that the Maple Leafs and the Vancouver Canucks have started to work on a deal for goaltender Roberto Luongo, something that has been rumored since before the lockout season started. The team has had a great boost from Joffrey Lupul, who has come back strong after missing 25 games after suffering a broken forearm.
Lupul has helped the team go 4-0-3 since returning and has put in seven goals and two assists after playing five of those games and the team has been able to improve from its 13-11-1 record without him in the lineup. The team enters the game after a 6-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes that saw Lupul score the game-winning goal and he has had strong play with Dion Phaneuf, setting him up with an assist in the same period. The team was down 2-0, but was able storm back after tieing the game up.
Toronto is currently in the playoff picture in the Eastern conference and is 19-12-4 with 13 games left to go in the season. The team hasn't been able to make the playoffs in nearly a decade and a win against Ottawa would tie them with the Senators for fifth in the conference with a victory.
The Senators have been nearly as good while winning six of seven games while dealing with a number of injuries, including Jason Spezza. The team is dealing with an injury to Craig Anderson and has been ranked first in goals against in the league. The team is ranked 21st with 2.5 goals per game and are ninth in power play percentage. The team is ranked second in penalty kill percentage and have 44 points this season.
The Maple Leafs have been playing very well, ranking fourth in scoring with over three goals per game and ranked fifth in penalty kill percentage. The team is ranked 16th in goals against average and 14th in power play percentage as they have 42 points. The Canucks and Maple Leafs are not close to a deal year for Luongo but things could move quickly as the NHL trading deadline approaches.
