Here in Ontario, it’s a pretty nice day.  The sun is shining, and, while the temperatures aren’t balmy by any stretch, it is comfortable outside.  Nicer than it has been in the past little while.

And what does all this mean?  

Well, it means a lot of things.  It means spring may truly be here.  You could also say it would be a nice day to head on down the QEW and visit our good friends in Buffalo tonight.

As is usual the case, the HSBC arena expects tonight’s game between the Maple Leafs and Sabres to be a sellout, with about half of the arena donning the blue and white, hoping for a chance to see their modern day heroes put a dent into the already dwindling playoff hopes of Buffalo.

And it will be Curtis Joseph who gets the start tonight against the Sabres, who will have Ryan Miller back in between the pipes.  

Joseph is coming off his best performance of the season, a game where he only played about five minutes, but still came away as the victor.

And deservedly so.

Joseph sprung into action after Martin Gerber was ejected, and looked sharp in his short stint, robbing the Washington Capitals of many glorious chances in regulation and the extra frame, before going a perfect three-for-three in the shootout to seal the victory for the Leafs.

For the record, that was Backstrom, Semin, and Ovechkin who were stopped by the veteran net-minder.

The Leafs have also called up goaltending prospect Justin Pogge in light of the Gerber suspension.

It is unknown whether Pogge will get the start Saturday night when the Leafs go head-to-head against the conference leading Boston Bruins.

 

Harrison comes home

The Toronto Maple Leafs also announced today that they have signed defenseman Jay Harrison to a one-year deal, believed to be worth the league minimum.  

Harrison, a former Maple Leaf draft pick, left the club at the start of the year to pursue a career in Europe.

Harrison is expected to add depth to the AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies, as they are in the middle of a tight playoff race, though one can’t rule out seeing him possibly getting in some game time at the NHL level.

 

Follow me on Twitter, HockeyBarn.com

A couple of real quick announcements as I am pleased to announce a few new partnerships.

First, you can follow me on Twitter by searching for Derek Harmsworth, or for the blog name, MapleLeafsLive.  

The Twitter blog will be the fastest way to keep up on my latest articles, as well as get instant Leafs news such as trades, or lineup notes.  

To follow me on Twitter, click here.

Secondly, I am pleased to announce my addition to the HockeyBarn.com family.  

I know a couple other talented Bleacher Report writers have joined “The Barn”, and I look forward to working with them, and everyone else, over there.  

To follow me on HockeyBarn.com, check out my profile here.