Game 36 Scoring Chances and Zone Entries: Leafs 3 vs. Penguins 2 (SO)

One of the more entertaining games the Maple Leafs have played this season saw them exchanging chances with Pittsburgh, forcing some excellent play out of both goaltenders.

The two teams exchanged goals early in both of the first two periods, but that was it, as the third and overtime were scoreless, with the Leafs taking the extra point in the shoot-out as Bernier bounced back strongly from the Islanders game.

The two teams were close in possession numbers for much of the game, although the Penguins did open up a late advantage in the final few minutes of regulation and overtime. The chances were also level, both teams finishing with 26, the highest total for the Leafs as a team and the highest combined total in a Toronto game this season. There was also little between the two teams in the neutral zone battle, although Toronto was able to win the advantage in controlled entries.

Team	Chances	1st	2nd	3rd	OT	ES	ESClose	ESCh%	NZEnt%	ContEnt
Tor	26	5	10	8	3	20	17	52.6%	50.9%	50.0%
Pit	26	4	10	8	4	18	14	47.4%	49.1%	46.9%

For how many chances there ended up being, this game had a very slow start, with only one in the first ten minutes. After that, though, the game was on, with a wild second period seeing each side put up ten chances. Pittsburgh were the better side in the closing portions of the game, with nine of the last thirteen chances, including the last three in regulation on the power-play.

Period	Time	ST	SO	Team	How	State	T1	T2	T3	T4	T5	T6	O1	O2	O3	O4	O5	O6
1	14:35	0	1	Pit	GOAL! Kunitz from Crosby	SH	3	23	26	44	45		14	30	58	71	81	87
1	09:14	1	1	Tor	Phaneuf from rebound	ES	2	3	40	43	45	47	3	7	11	16	30	58
1	07:24	1	1	Pit	Fehr drives	PP	3	15	21	28	42	45	3	7	16	30	58
1	06:53	1	1	Tor	Holland from loose puck	PP	19	24	43	45	47	51	11	12	13	28	30
1	06:31	1	1	Tor	Holland from loose puck	PP	19	24	43	45	47	51	11	12	13	28	30
1	06:31	1	1	Tor	Kadri from rebound	PP	19	24	43	45	47	51	11	12	13	28	30
1	03:56	1	1	Pit	Kessel from loose puck	SH	2	26	42	45	46		6	30	71	72	81	87
1	02:38	1	1	Tor	Komarov drives	ES	2	26	40	45	46	47	7	11	12	16	28	30
1	00:48	1	1	Pit	Sheary from Kunitz	ES	2	3	23	24	28	45	3	14	30	43	58	87
2	19:17	1	1	Pit	Kessel wide from Maatta	ES	2	43	44	45	47		3	30	58	71	81
2	18:47	1	1	Tor	GOAL! Gardiner deflects Van Riemsdyk shot	ES	21	42	45	46	51		8	12	30	57	72
2	16:10	2	1	Pit	Hornqvist from rebound	ES	19	43	45	46	47	52	6	28	30	57	71	72
2	15:15	2	1	Pit	GOAL! Crosby drives	ES	2	21	42	44	45		8	12	14	30	87
2	12:29	2	2	Pit	Crosby from loose puck	ES	2	23	24	28	44	45	12	14	28	30	43	87
2	11:23	2	2	Tor	Gardiner drives	ES	3	19	26	33	45	51	3	13	23	30	58	81
2	11:17	2	2	Tor	Winnik deflects Gardiner shot wide	ES	3	19	26	33	45	51	3	13	23	30	58	81
2	11:01	2	2	Pit	Porter from loose puck	ES	3	23	24	28	45	46	7	8	11	12	16	30
2	09:05	2	2	Pit	Hornqvist from loose puck	SH	2	26	40	45	52		30	58	71	72	81	87
2	07:40	2	2	Tor	Grabner from Kadri	ES	2	40	43	44	45	47	3	14	30	43	58	87
2	07:28	2	2	Tor	Kadri drives wide	ES	2	40	43	44	45	47	3	14	30	43	58	87
2	04:36	2	2	Tor	Kadri drives	ES	19	33	43	45	46	52	3	13	23	30	58	81
2	04:29	2	2	Tor	Kessel drives	ES	19	33	43	45	46	52	3	13	23	30	58	81
2	04:19	2	2	Tor	Kadri drives	ES	3	19	33	43	45	52	3	13	23	30	58	81
2	02:53	2	2	Pit	Fehr from Malkin	ES	2	15	21	42	44	45	8	11	12	16	30	71
2	02:34	2	2	Pit	Dumoulin from Perron	ES	2	15	21	42	44	45	8	12	30	57	71	72
2	02:28	2	2	Pit	Hornqvist from Perron	ES	2	15	21	42	44	45	8	12	30	57	71	72
2	02:23	2	2	Pit	Dumoulin from rebound	ES	2	15	21	42	44	45	8	12	30	57	71	72
2	01:03	2	2	Tor	Kadri drives	ES	3	40	43	45	47	51	3	30	57	58	71	72
2	01:00	2	2	Tor	Holland wide from Kadri	ES	3	40	43	45	47	51	3	30	57	58	71	72
3	15:02	2	2	Tor	Holland from Gardiner	ES	3	24	26	28	45	51	6	13	23	28	30	81
3	14:37	2	2	Tor	Van Riemsdyk drives	ES	3	15	21	42	45	51	3	14	30	43	58	87
3	13:20	2	2	Pit	Cole drives	ES	3	19	24	26	45	51	6	28	30	57	71	72
3	13:04	2	2	Pit	Porter from Cole	ES	19	26	33	45	46	51	6	11	16	28	30	71
3	12:45	2	2	Tor	Van Riemsdyk wraparound	ES	2	15	21	42	44	45	3	14	30	58	81	87
3	12:06	2	2	Pit	Hornqvist from Perron	ES	2	40	43	44	45	47	8	12	30	57	72	87
3	10:06	2	2	Tor	Bozak from Grabner	SH	2	40	42	45	46		30	58	71	72	81	87
3	09:29	2	2	Tor	Bozak drives	SH	2	26	42	45	46		30	58	71	72	81	87
3	09:27	2	2	Tor	Winnik from rebound	SH	2	26	42	45	46		30	58	71	72	81	87
3	08:01	2	2	Tor	Winnik from loose puck	ES	3	15	26	42	44	45	6	7	12	30	81	87
3	07:47	2	2	Pit	Lovejoy from loose puck	ES	3	15	26	42	44	45	7	8	12	30	81	87
3	06:36	2	2	Pit	Porter from loose puck	PP	3	15	19	21	43	45	11	12	13	28	30
3	05:02	2	2	Tor	Rielly drives post	ES	26	33	43	44	45	46	6	14	28	30	72	87
3	01:30	2	2	Pit	Kessel from Letang	SH	2	40	45	46	47		30	58	71	72	81	87
3	01:12	2	2	Pit	Malkin wide from Letang	SH	2	40	45	46	47		30	58	71	72	81	87
3	00:13	2	2	Pit	Hornqvist from Crosby	SH	2	23	26	45	46		30	58	71	72	81	87
4	03:50	2	2	Tor	Phaneuf from Van Riemsdyk	ES	3	21	42	44	45		3	8	14	30	81
4	03:14	2	2	Tor	Kadri drives wide	ES	3	40	43	44	45		6	30	57	58	81
4	02:17	2	2	Pit	Malkin drives	ES	2	15	45	47			30	58	71	87
4	01:49	2	2	Pit	Kessel from Crosby	ES	40	43	45	51			30	58	81	87
4	01:35	2	2	Pit	Letang from Perron	ES	2	40	43	45			30	57	58	71
4	01:00	2	2	Pit	Perron from Malkin	ES	2	40	43	45			30	57	58	71
4	00:17	2	2	Tor	Komarov drives	ES	15	45	47	51			6	14	30	81

Leafs Player Data

Player	ESChF	ESChA	ESCh%	ESTOI	ZS%	NZ%	ContEnt	OppContEnt
Arcobello	6	1	85.7%	08:52	87.5%	44.0%	45.5%	50.0%
Winnik	6	3	66.7%	08:57	87.5%	56.0%	42.9%	54.5%
Grabner	7	4	63.6%	13:56	33.3%	56.5%	46.2%	25.0%
Komarov	7	4	63.6%	16:42	41.7%	51.7%	46.7%	32.1%
Lupul	5	3	62.5%	08:21	87.5%	45.0%	33.3%	45.5%
Kadri	10	6	62.5%	18:08	30.8%	56.1%	53.1%	36.0%
Bozak	5	6	45.5%	15:59	10.0%	42.9%	45.8%	40.6%
Van Riemsdyk	4	5	44.4%	14:13	10.0%	42.0%	47.6%	41.4%
Parenteau	4	6	40.0%	14:57	25.0%	43.1%	45.5%	44.8%
Boyes	1	3	25.0%	08:07	0.0%	60.0%	60.0%	80.0%
Holland	1	4	20.0%	10:37	0.0%	62.5%	55.0%	75.0%
Matthias	0	3	0.0%	08:04	0.0%	62.5%	53.3%	88.9%
Marincin	3	1	75.0%	07:10	80.0%	47.1%	37.5%	55.6%
Phaneuf	11	4	73.3%	19:08	33.3%	53.8%	48.6%	40.0%
Gardiner	8	3	72.7%	17:35	33.3%	55.2%	50.0%	34.6%
Polak	5	3	62.5%	15:29	50.0%	55.1%	55.6%	45.5%
Rielly	7	9	43.8%	20:56	26.7%	48.5%	48.5%	57.1%
Hunwick	5	12	29.4%	21:14	31.3%	48.5%	46.9%	44.1%

Nazem Kadri, Leo Komarov and Michael Grabner went up mostly against the Malkin line, and had a very good night as they produced more chances than any other Leaf line. Kadri was on the ice for ten Toronto ES chances, and his +4 was one of the team’s best. The line also did well in the neutral zone, dominating controlled entries.

Mark Arcobello also returned to the team, replacing Byron Froese, and he had a good game in his NHL return, the best of the forwards at +5, on for only a single ES chance against on a line with Joffrey Lupul and Daniel Winnik.

James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak had a solid game, finishing even in chances, while Peter Holland’s line were mostly used in the defensive zone, and struggled to do much offensively. They were also badly beaten out in zone entries, as the Penguins entered at will against them.

Dion Phaneuf joined the Kadri line in having an excellent game, as he was on for a lot of offense. He and Gardiner had the best chance differentials on the team, and Phaneuf’s +7 is one of the best for any Leaf this season. Things were not nearly as good for Matt Hunwick, who had a poor night — he was on the ice for twelve Penguin chances, and had an especially tough time on the few shifts he spent without Morgan Rielly.