Real Emotional Trash

Hey, just checking in after watching a ridiculously intense final game of the regular season for the Leafs. They edged Montreal, 6-5, in regulation and now have to hope the Islanders lose to New Jersey tomorrow afternoon to make the playoffs. Hopefully, the Devils, who are already set with a playoff spot, don't put all their scrubs in, but that's a big possibility. The Leafs played the Islanders Thursday night and could have helped their cause with a win, but they were outworked and lost handily, 5-2. Tonight's game was a seesaw affair, with the Leafs dominating the first period and taking a 3-1 lead early in the second only to see Montreal respond with four straight goals. But Toronto got a fluky goal late in the second and used some power plays to score two more early in the third to take the lead they were able to hold. Had Montreal forced overtime, the point they would have received would have eliminated Toronto, so the win in regulation was especially huge. Now we just have to hope the Devils win tomorrow. Of course, this is for the right to face Buffalo in the first round, a team with the best record in the league, so it could be a shortlived playoff run for the Leafs.

UPDATE: It's Sunday and the Islanders just edged the Devils, 3-2, in a shootout. Jersey opted to rest top goalie Martin Brodeur and played a pretty lifeless game until late in the third, when they scored twice to tie the game, including a John Madden goal with 0.9 seconds left. Jersey backup Scott Clemmensen played decently enough during the game, but in the shootout he looked pretty bad. Fark. So the Leafs are all done, missing the playoffs for the second year in a row by a whisker. Time to root for some other teams. I'd like to see Buffalo run the table. They've got a fun team to watch.

Drop the puck:

• I'm hoping to get out for a 10-mile run tomorrow morning before we hit church. It's supposed to be in the 20s in the early morning; just what you hope for in April.
• I know they're important to the overall natural balance of things, but I can't get too worked up about the disappearance of bees in the U.S.
• The organizers of Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, Minn., in June have come out and said they will enforce a new U.S. Track and Field rule banning the use of MP3 players by race participants. The rule is supposed to increase safety by ensuring that runners are more aware of their surroundings. Violators will be disqualified. This rule is actually in place for a lot of races, but I've never seen it enforced. I've worn headphones in just about every race I've ever done and it hasn't affected my ability to run safely. Especially in the case of a marathon, I like to have music to distract my body from the pain it's enduring. As long as you're not blasting it at a ridiculous volume and pay attention to what's going on around you, you're not going to have a problem.