Home Analysis Game Reviews Game 35 Scoring Chances: Maple Leafs 4 vs. Stars 0

460810142_slide — DALLAS, TX - DECEMBER 23: James van Riemsdyk #21 of the Toronto Maple Leafs scores a goal against Kari Lehtonen #32 of the Dallas Stars during the second period at American Airlines Center on December 23, 2014 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Game 35 Scoring Chances: Maple Leafs 4 vs. Stars 0

Dec 23, 2014

With their long road trip in full swing, the Leafs got an important victory in their last pre-Christmas game, shutting out the Stars in Dallas.

Toronto did well in the first half of the game, finishing the opening period even in chances and ahead 1-0, and then dominating the first 15 minutes of the second, carrying the play and earning two more goals. After that, Dallas controlled the game, getting the bulk of the chances and putting Toronto under pressure. This mostly came at the end of each period; Dallas out-chanced the Leafs by a 6-1 margin in the last five minutes of the second, and by the same margin in the last seven minutes of the game. They couldn’t solve Jonathan Bernier, though, as he earned a 43 save shutout.

Status	Overall			Even Strength			ES Close
Team	TOR	DAL	%	TOR	DAL	%	TOR	DAL	%
1	9	13	40.9%	9	9	50.0%	9	9	50.0%
2	10	9	52.6%	8	9	47.1%	5	1	83.3%
3	6	12	33.3%	2	8	20.0%	0	0	-
Total	25	34	42.4%	19	26	42.2%	14	10	58.3%

The ES Close numbers show how effective Toronto was in the first half of the game, one of their better performances this month. The third period attack was to be expected from the Stars, and given that they never got close on the scoreboard, it doesn’t reflect too badly on the Leafs.

Club	St	P	Time	TSc	Note	Toronto						Dallas
TOR	ES	1	19:05	0	GOAL! Kadri from Van Riemsdyk	43	81	21	3	4	45	91	83	14	2	33	32
DAL	ES	1	18:45	1	Ja Benn drives	25	43	21	3	4	45	91	83	14	3	33	32
DAL	ES	1	16:32	1	Eakin post from Klingberg	42	81	19	3	4	45	16	20	21	3	33	32
TOR	ES	1	16:23	1	Lupul from Kessel	42	81	19	3	46	45	16	20	21	3	33	32
TOR	ES	1	15:56	1	Winnik drives	24	26	71	46	51	45	21	38	72	3	24	32
TOR	ES	1	14:33	1	Kessel drives	42	81	19	3	4	45	91	83	14	2	6	32
DAL	ES	1	14:04	1	Fiddler from Goligoski	23	18	20	12	44	45	10	22	38	3	33	32
DAL	SH	1	13:58	1	Eakin deflects Seguin shot wide	26	42	3	46	45	-	20	90	91	14	6	32
DAL	SH	1	13:21	1	Segin wide from Daley	26	42	3	46	45	-	20	90	91	14	6	32
DAL	SH	1	12:14	1	Cole from Klingberg	25	21	3	46	45	-	22	39	83	72	3	32
DAL	ES	1	11:59	1	Cole deflects Klingberg shot wide	25	21	3	44	46	45	22	39	83	72	3	32
TOR	ES	1	08:25	1	Bozak from Kessel	42	81	19	46	51	45	10	22	38	3	33	32
TOR	ES	1	07:25	1	Santorelli drives	25	42	21	46	51	45	90	83	21	2	3	32
DAL	ES	1	07:02	1	Daley from Hemsky	42	81	19	46	51	45	91	83	21	4	6	32
DAL	SH	1	05:15	1	Seguin post from Spezza	26	42	3	46	45	-	20	90	91	14	6	32
TOR	ES	1	04:01	1	Phaneuf from Kessel	42	81	3	51	45	-	16	72	3	6	32	-
TOR	ES	1	02:03	1	Bozak drives	42	81	21	12	44	45	22	91	14	3	33	32
TOR	ES	1	01:56	1	Bozak post from Van Riemsdyk	42	81	21	12	44	45	22	91	14	3	33	32
DAL	ES	1	01:46	1	Sceviour from Horcoff	43	81	21	12	44	45	10	22	38	2	6	32
DAL	ES	1	00:35	1	Eakin drives wide	24	26	71	46	51	45	16	20	39	3	33	32
DAL	ES	1	00:20	1	Roussel from Klingberg	24	71	20	46	51	45	20	21	72	3	33	32
DAL	ES	1	00:06	1	Spezza wide from Roussel	24	71	20	46	51	45	90	21	72	3	33	32
TOR	ES	2	17:29	1	Holland from Clarkson	24	26	71	46	51	45	90	21	72	4	24	32
TOR	ES	2	16:35	1	Kessel wide from Kadri	43	81	46	51	45	-	91	14	3	33	32	-
TOR	ES	2	16:05	1	Polak from Holland	24	25	4	46	45	-	91	14	3	33	32	-
TOR	ES	2	14:56	1	Van Riemsdyk wide from faceoff	25	43	21	46	51	45	10	22	38	3	33	32
DAL	ES	2	13:44	1	Seguin post from Klingberg	43	18	21	3	4	45	91	83	14	3	6	32
TOR	ES	2	13:39	1	GOAL! Van Riemsdyk from Kadri	43	18	21	3	4	45	91	83	14	3	6	32
DAL	ES	2	10:49	2	Garbutt drives wide	42	81	19	46	51	45	10	16	38	3	33	32
TOR	PP	2	09:30	2	GOAL! Bozak from rebound of Phaneuf shot	42	81	21	3	4	45	20	14	4	24	32	-
DAL	ES	2	09:20	3	Ja Benn from loose puck	25	43	21	12	44	45	91	83	14	2	6	32
TOR	ES	2	08:44	3	Smith drives	23	26	71	46	51	45	90	21	72	3	33	32
TOR	ES	2	07:03	3	Phaneuf from Kadri	25	43	21	3	4	45	90	91	14	6	24	32
TOR	PP	2	05:05	3	Clarkson drives	43	19	71	44	51	45	10	14	2	4	32	-
DAL	ES	2	04:21	3	Eakin wide from Klingberg	23	26	71	12	46	45	20	83	21	3	33	32
DAL	ES	2	03:55	3	Seguin from Demers	23	25	21	3	4	45	90	91	14	4	24	32
DAL	ES	2	03:43	3	Seguin post from Demers	25	42	21	3	4	45	90	91	14	4	24	32
TOR	ES	2	02:28	3	Bozak drives	42	81	19	46	51	45	10	20	22	2	6	32
DAL	ES	2	02:16	3	Fiddler from loose puck	42	81	19	46	51	45	10	22	38	3	33	32
DAL	ES	2	02:10	3	Fiddler from Klingberg	42	81	19	46	51	45	10	22	38	3	33	32
DAL	ES	2	02:07	3	Scievour wide from rebound of Fiddler shot	42	81	19	46	51	45	10	22	38	3	33	32
DAL	PP	3	18:17	3	Fiddler drives	42	81	21	3	4	45	21	38	4	24	32	-
TOR	PP	3	17:30	3	Kessel drives	42	81	21	3	4	45	10	14	6	33	32	-
DAL	PP	3	17:26	3	Daley drives	42	81	21	12	44	45	10	14	6	33	32	-
DAL	ES	3	16:33	3	Seguin drives	23	25	26	44	46	45	39	91	21	4	24	32
TOR	ES	3	15:41	3	Gardiner from Van Riemsdyk	42	19	21	46	51	45	91	83	14	3	33	32
DAL	ES	3	12:28	3	Seguin from Spezza	25	43	21	3	4	45	16	90	91	2	6	32
DAL	PP	3	09:45	3	Roussel from Fiddler	42	81	21	3	4	45	21	38	6	33	32	-
TOR	PP	3	09:37	3	Kessel drives wide	42	81	21	3	4	45	21	38	6	33	32	-
TOR	PP	3	09:01	3	Phaneuf from Kessel	42	81	21	3	44	45	16	91	2	4	32	-
TOR	PP	3	08:28	3	Franson from loose puck	42	81	21	3	4	45	10	91	6	33	32	-
DAL	ES	3	06:15	3	Seguin drives	42	81	19	12	44	45	20	90	91	3	33	32
DAL	ES	3	05:45	3	Spezza from rebound of Klingberg shot	25	26	42	12	46	45	90	91	14	3	33	32
DAL	ES	3	05:23	3	Seguin from rebound of Ja Benn shot	25	26	43	12	46	45	90	91	14	3	33	32
TOR	ES	3	05:09	3	Franson from loose puck	25	43	21	4	44	45	22	90	14	3	33	32
DAL	ES	3	04:58	3	Fiddler from Horcoff	42	81	19	4	44	45	10	22	38	2	6	32
DAL	ES	3	04:51	3	Daley wide from loose puck	25	42	21	12	46	45	10	22	38	2	6	32
DAL	EN	3	04:04	3	Seguin from Ja Benn	25	43	21	4	46	45	20	90	91	14	3	6
DAL	ES	3	01:19	4	Cole from Fiddler	23	71	20	12	51	45	10	38	72	24	33	32

Player-by Player data:

Player	Overall				Even Strength				ES Close
	For	Against	Diff	TOI	For	Against	Diff	TOI	For	Against	Diff
Phaneuf	11	13	-2	23:36	6	7	-1	14:18	5	4	1
Franson	10	10	0	23:03	6	7	-1	15:14	4	3	1
Robidas	2	10	-8	17:10	2	9	-7	14:24	2	2	0
Panik	1	2	-1	04:01	1	2	-1	04:01	1	2	-1
Lupul	6	8	-2	13:14	5	8	-3	11:20	3	2	1
Booth	0	4	-4	07:28	0	4	-4	06:07	0	3	-3
Van riemsdyk	14	14	0	21:53	9	9	0	13:31	6	4	2
Smith	1	5	-4	09:44	1	5	-4	09:44	0	1	-1
Holland	3	3	0	09:27	3	3	0	07:52	3	3	0
Santorelli	5	12	-7	17:12	5	10	-5	14:51	3	2	1
Winnik	3	8	-5	17:07	3	5	-2	13:19	2	1	1
Bozak	14	17	-3	21:26	9	11	-2	14:23	7	2	5
Kadri	7	7	0	15:47	6	6	0	13:44	4	3	1
Rielly	5	8	-3	13:46	3	7	-4	11:45	2	3	-1
Polak	11	19	-8	22:49	11	14	-3	18:39	8	5	3
Gardiner	11	9	2	19:47	10	9	1	17:43	7	4	3
Clarkson	4	5	-1	13:26	3	5	-2	11:32	2	3	-1
Kessel	14	12	2	19:04	9	9	0	13:40	8	3	5
Bernier	25	34	-9	60:00	19	26	-7	45:56	14	10	4

After some serious struggles of late, Tyler Bozak and Phil Kessel played really well tonight, as that pair were the driving force behind the Leafs‘ strong play in the first half of the game. While their defensive records after that were bad, they both ended up with +5 chance numbers at ES Close. James Van Riemsdyk also had a solid night. Mike Santorelli had good ES Close numbers, but was -6 as the Leafs tried to defend the lead. David Booth and Trevor Smith were fairly poor, both ending up at -4 at ES, despite playing limited minutes. Nazem Kadri finished at even, as did Peter Holland, as the Leafs showed some good strength down the middle.

Jake Gardiner had an excellent night, the best of the defencemen at ES Close, and the only one to finish in the positive at ES overall. Roman Polak, who typically has some of the worst numbers, was very good in the first half of the game as well, and while he was on for more Stars chances than any other Leaf, that’s mostly down to his high ice time and usage. Stephane Robidas had the toughest zone starts on the team, in his return to Dallas; he finished even at ES Close, but ended up the worst Leaf at ES overall, a -7. Dion Phaneuf and Cody Franson both had solid nights, both around even.

Cumulative numbers this season:

Overall	Pos	#	Even Strength				ES Close
			For	Against	%	TOI	For	Against	%
Franson	D	33	190	181	51.2%	15:49	107	93	53.5%
Winnik	F	33	108	131	45.2%	12:22	60	54	52.6%
Kadri	F	35	171	187	47.8%	14:19	101	99	50.5%
Clarkson	F	35	136	151	47.4%	12:24	73	74	49.7%
Komarov	F	23	78	73	51.7%	12:32	39	40	49.4%
Phaneuf	D	35	203	232	46.7%	17:11	121	131	48.0%
Panik	F	32	60	65	48.0%	08:24	36	40	47.4%
Rielly	D	34	173	205	45.8%	15:25	88	105	45.6%
Bernier	G	26	353	427	45.3%	45:03	205	245	45.6%
Gardiner	D	32	147	184	44.4%	17:06	78	96	44.8%
Lupul	F	23	105	134	43.9%	13:54	54	67	44.6%
Santorelli	F	35	133	157	45.9%	13:38	67	84	44.4%
Kessel	F	35	187	227	45.2%	14:22	105	132	44.3%
Polak	D	25	111	164	40.4%	17:45	64	84	43.2%
Van Riemsdyk	F	35	178	227	44.0%	14:40	99	130	43.2%
Bozak	F	35	175	212	45.2%	14:32	92	121	43.2%
Reimer	G	13	160	204	44.0%	41:49	73	97	42.9%
Smith	F	20	33	41	44.6%	08:04	15	20	42.9%
Holland	F	35	101	145	41.1%	11:20	52	72	41.9%
Robidas	D	33	129	179	41.9%	15:12	63	107	37.1%
Booth	F	14	21	37	36.2%	09:19	10	22	31.3%
Holzer	D	12	47	78	37.6%	16:07	20	45	30.8%

Strong games see Bozak, Gardiner and Polak among the men moving up, while Booth continues to struggle, dropping below Holzer at ES to be the worst regular on the Leafs.