Music: {allcanada} Florida (22-22-5) at Toronto (19-25-5)

Monday, January 31, 2011

{allcanada} Florida (22-22-5) at Toronto (19-25-5)

Game info: 7:00 pm EST Tue Feb 1, 2011
TV: FSFL, RSNO

The All-Star break couldn't have come at a better time for Phil Kessel (notes) and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Kessel even got a new car out of the weekend.

Unfortunately, both Kessel's Leafs and the Florida Panthers have spent much of the season stuck in neutral.

Toronto and Florida will each seek an improved second half beginning Tuesday night, when they face off against each other at the Air Canada Centre.

It's been seven years since the Maple Leafs appeared in the postseason, while Florida hasn't taken the ice for a playoff game since 2000. Neither drought appears likely to end in 2010-11, with the Panthers (22-22-5) eight points out of a playoff spot and Toronto (19-25-5) six points further back.

Despite his team's lackluster performance, Panthers president Michael Yormark is at least publicly putting a happy face on the season.

"I'm extremely proud of our organization's accomplishments thus far in 2010-11 but there is more work to be done," Yormark said on the team's official website. "We're going to work hard through the rest of the regular season, the postseason, the offseason and into next year's training camp, to build on these positives, while creating new successes and achievements for this franchise."

While the Panthers didn't have an All-Star this season, the Maple Leafs had the final player selected in the first NHL All-Star fantasy draft. As a reward for waiting, Kessel received a new car, $20,000 to donate to a cancer charity and a large number of text messages from his Toronto teammates.

"They were all just excited about the car," Kessel told the Leafs' official website. "They're all on trips and stuff. I was supposed to go with a bunch of guys on vacation. They're all happy for me. We've got a great team in Toronto."

That team hasn't played great lately, entering the break with three consecutive losses and six defeats in seven games. The slump has coincided with a seven-game goal-scoring drought for Kessel, who ranks second on Toronto with 19 goals.

Kessel put six shots on net but failed to convert last Tuesday, when the Leafs fell 2-0 at Tampa Bay for their eighth shutout loss of the season.

Kessel had a goal in Toronto's 3-1 home victory over the Panthers on Oct. 26, when Jean-Sebastian Giguere stopped 21 shots to earn the win. Florida returned the favor Nov. 10, beating the Maple Leafs 4-1 at home behind Tomas Vokoun's (notes) 32-save effort.

Vokoun is 8-3-2 with a 2.07 goals-against average and .933 save percentage in his career versus Toronto.

The veteran netminder gave a valiant performance with 33 saves in his team's final game before the break, but got outdueled by Bruins All-Star Tim Thomas (notes) in a 2-1 loss at Boston last Wednesday.

Bryan Allen's (notes) fourth goal provided the only offense for Florida, which has dropped five of six overall and will be playing the fourth of six consecutive road games Tuesday. The Panthers haven't played a home game since Jan. 21 and won't take the ice in South Florida again for another week. They are 11-14-0 on the road.