The story of this game was simple – it was fairly even, and hard fought from the Leaf perspective, but one team finished more than the other.
If you’ve watched the Leafs‘ first nine games, it’s not particularly surprising which was which. The first ten minutes of the first period just about summed up the Leafs‘ October offense. Three odd man rushes without generating a single shot on goal:
– On a back and forth with Dion Phaneuf on a two-on-one, Shawn Matthias attempted the Sidney Crosby knee-down one timer with some net open to Lundqvist’s right and he flubbed on it. No shot generated.
– After giving up an odd man opportunity that Bernier turned aside, the Leafs broke the other way with Winnik and Bozak. Winnik fed a saucer pass into Bozak’s feet. No shot generated.
– Nazem Kadri was in a 2 on 1 situation that was defended well but he took himself away from the net rather than, at a minimum, directing something at Lundqvist’s far pad where he had a teammate at the far post. When you’ve got lower roster players like Winnik and Matthias in scoring situations you don’t expect perfection, but you’re expecting someone of Kadri’s skillset to do much better there. Perhaps Kadri’s gripping the stick a little tight at the moment – one goal on 38 shots can do that.
In the third, on the back-breaking 2-0 goal, the Rangers were much more clinical on a 2 on 1 than the Leafs were on theirs. Leo Komarov didn’t hang back with Matt Hunwick pinching down in the corner, Rielly didn’t do a particularly good job taking the pass option away on the 2 on 1 – although it was certainly a nice backhand saucer pass by Brassard – and that was curtains, followed by Mats Zuccarello’s third of the night on an empty net.
The other major talking point in this game was the disallowed would-be tying goal, which after the number of chances the Leafs missed – empty net for Bozak among several – was downright cruel.
This was Lupul’s location in the crease:
Here’s the rule:
This rule is based on the premise that an attacking player’s position, whether inside or outside the crease, should not, by itself, determine whether a goal should be allowed or disallowed. In other words, goals scored while attacking players are standing in the crease may, in appropriate circumstances be allowed. Goals should be disallowed only if: (1) an attacking player, either by his positioning or by contact, impairs the goalkeeper’s ability to move freely within his crease or defend his goal; or (2) an attacking player initiates intentional or deliberate contact with a goalkeeper, inside or outside of his goal crease.
Further:
If an attacking player plants himself within the goal crease, as to obstruct the goalkeeper’s vision and impair his ability to defend his goal, and a goal is scored.
Result: Goal is disallowed. The announcement should be, “No goal due to interference with the goalkeeper.”
Babcock pointed out after the game that Lundqvist typically plays pretty deep in his net and may not have been prevented from making a save.
To Babcock’s point, Lundqvist was not even attempting to get out on top of his crease on the shot, and there was never contact between Lupul and Lundqvist that impeded Lundqvist’s right to do so. Lupul makes brief contact with Lundqvist after the puck is already on net, but it seems negligible.
Tough call, and just about the last thing the Leafs needed.
A few quick notes:
– Another assist for Phaneuf. This is the first time Dion has been below 23 and a half minutes on average — he’s down at 21:47/game — and his production has him tied for seventh in the NHL among defencemen with seven assists in nine games. Whether the objective is to keep Dion around throughout this rebuild or to try to off load the contract, Mike Babcock getting more from less with Dion is an early success story amid this one-win-in-nine-games start.
– While he remains without a win this season still, Bernier was excellent in this game, and was without a fighting chance on either Ranger goal. Babcock and Bernier both called it his best game of the year, and now Babcock will start Bernier tomorrow in a back to back.
– We know the stats are clear in back to back situations when it comes to goalie starts: Rested goalies average a .912 save percentage, tired goalies a .901.
Babcock wants to try to get one guy going and turn this inconsistent goaltending situation around. Babcock’s guy has been Bernier from the outset, and he has said as much, and he’s also been clear that he does not like a 1A-1B situation. Babcock described Reimer’s performance versus Arizona as not good enough without calling him out by name (his wording: they can’t be allowing four goals on the chances the Leafs gave up). And Babcock left the starter for second game of this back to back open ended yesterday. So none of it is particularly surprising.
– Babcock got Rich Clune involved early; he looked fine managing the puck and getting in on the forecheck, and he even put a decent looking shot on net cutting into the slot off the rush in the second period, but Babcock understandably cut his minutes as the Leafs chased the lead. He played 8:40, which is the lowest TOI figure of the season for any Leaf in a single game.
– A decent first game back from Bozak, as he had a couple of chances and created a few, but, like Kadri, he’s someone this team needs more finish from as a member of the “skilled” forward group.
– The PK went three for three with only three shots allowed. Something to build on?
Good night for Leafs prospects:
- Nylander: 2G
- Marner: 2G
- Piccinich: 2G
- Bracco: 1A
- Korostelev: 1G, 1A
- Timashov: 1G, 1A
- Dzierkals: 1G
All Situations Possession Chart
Shot Location Chart
Maple Leafs vs. Rangers – Leafs Player Stats
| PLAYER | POS | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | S | HITS | BKS | FO% | PP TOI | SH TOI | TOI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M. Hunwick | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | - | 0:00 | 3:12 | 23:15 |
| D. Phaneuf | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 0:00 | 1:47 | 22:21 |
| P. Parenteau | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | 0:00 | 0:00 | 11:24 |
| J. Lupul | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | - | 0:00 | 0:00 | 17:37 |
| J. van Riemsdyk | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | 0:00 | 0:00 | 16:43 |
| S. Matthias | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% | 0:00 | 2:01 | 14:52 |
| P. Holland | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20% | 0:00 | 0:43 | 12:25 |
| R. Clune | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | - | 0:00 | 0:00 | 8:40 |
| D. Winnik | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | 0:00 | 1:02 | 16:47 |
| M. Grabner | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | 0:00 | 2:48 | 11:17 |
| T. Bozak | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 75% | 0:00 | 0:05 | 17:44 |
| N. Kadri | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 47% | 0:00 | 0:00 | 15:59 |
| M. Rielly | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | - | 0:00 | 3:02 | 23:29 |
| R. Polak | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | - | 0:00 | 3:09 | 18:00 |
| L. Komarov | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | - | 0:00 | 1:38 | 15:42 |
| J. Gardiner | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | 0:00 | 0:00 | 19:59 |
| M. Marincin | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | - | 0:00 | 0:50 | 13:02 |
| B. Froese | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 75% | 0:00 | 3:43 | 15:55 |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJO9ZnJDFR0
