LIVEBLOG: HABS 5, LEAFS 4

How you feel about the Leafs and the playoffs depends on whether you want to believe or whether you want to know.

If you believe, you might conclude that it isn't over after a the 5-4 loss to the Montreal Canadiens which left them in 10th place in the Eastern Conference with 19 games left in the season. If you want to know, well, the Leafs play 14 of their last 18 games vs. teams ahead of them in the standings and how are they supposed to beat those top two teams after leaving two critical points on the ice tonight vs. the Habs, who got goaltending from David Aebischer -- who gave new meaning to ole, ole, ole when he whiffed on Alexander Steen's goal which got Toronto within one -- which wouldn't have been good enough to win a playoff series in the United League?

This was a kick in the pants for Leafs fans. That boneheaded penalty Jeff O'Neill took which led to Montreal's 4-2 goal was a real killer, and two goals allowed off the faceoff? What was that? Some Leafs fans are going to obsess over the officials -- all four of 'em -- somehow missing Garth Murray's high-stick on Mats Sundin with 1:31 left, but this was a game that had playoff-style officiating, and the teams were probably informed beforehand that only obvious fouls were going to be called. (Yet O'Neill still ended up taking a penalty, what, 175 feet from his own net?) Montreal's top-ranked power play was 3-for-4, so more laissez-faire reffing probably helped the Leafs. Yet they still lost.

So did the Raptors (and how!), but here's the benefit of having a diversified sports portfolio: Our Syracuse Orange trounced No. 12 Georgetown 72-58, and that's almost enough reason to run around the neighbourhood drunk and naked. Andy Rautins, Leo's kid, hit four three-pointers.

FIRST PERIOD: The Habs go up 3-1 and after the dreaded goal in the last minute of the period by ex-Leaf Mike Johnson. Alex Ponikarovsky totally left Thomas Plekanec alone to tap in a centring pass on the first Canadiens goal, which came 1:38 after the Leafs had opened the scoring. The Leaf goal by Bates Battaglia was a bit of a gift since the Maxim Lapierre-Guilliame Latendresse-Steve Begin line stayed out longer than a 17-year-old on a long weekend. Suffice to say, it's looking grim for the Leafs, but it's early yet.

SECOND PERIOD: The Habs came in having just traded away a veteran defenceman, they're playing a goalie who hasn't started in two weeks, Aebischer, Saku Koivu is reportedly sick as a dog and they're still giving the Leafs a right good kicking, although 5-2 flatters them a bit. The heat will probably be on the Leafs' best players seeing as Mats Sundin-Ponikarovsky-Nik Antropov and Tomas Kaberle-Bryan McCabe are a combined minus-9 (they did contribute a power-play goal) while the Habs are getting great nights up and down the lineup from Radek Bonk, Alexei Kovalev, you name 'em. Andrew Raycroft got the mercy pull after the fifth Habs goal (third on the power play), but there wasn't much he could have done.

THIRD PERIOD: Nice rally but the Leafs -- minor-league call-up Jeremy Williams and Steen scored, which made it a more interesting final 10 minutes for the fans, but the Habs weren't giving up a three-goal lead tonight.

Leafs-Canadiens summary (Yahoo! Sports)

That's all for now. Send your thoughts to neatesager@yahoo.ca.