Nazem Kadri wasn't one of the stars of the game but he made a case for why he belongs in the NHL in the 3-2 win over Buffalo last night. He scored the winning goal on a laser shot from the high slot and provided the Leafs with some needed secondary scoring. The Leafs offense has sputtered at times in the last 15 games as duo of Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul have slowed down to a more reatistic pace. Kadri might have also been the goat when he took a tripping penalty with 4 minutes left in the game had Buffalo scored on the powerplay.
Good - Kessel had a superior game last night with 10 shots on net, one-third of the team total, and his 20th goal of the season. When he is on his game he is defensive minded in his own end while still creating scoring opportunties on the offenisve side.
Bad - Giveaways continue to be a problem with 16 on Thursday night. At times it is mental errors and other times it is just bad execution though perhaps they are one in the same. In one case it did lead to a Sabres goal when Mikhail Grabovski turned over the puck leading to a Derek Roy goal to tie the game 2-2.
Good - For the second straight game James Reimer stopped 40 out of 42 shots. It appears Reimer is slowly coming back to form which is just what the Leafs need if they are to hang on to a playoff spot.
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