Game 37 Scoring Chances and Zone Entries: Leafs 4 vs. Blues 1

The first game of 2015 was a strong performance for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who snapped a long home losing streak against the Blues.

They responded immediately after falling behind midway through the second period and pulled ahead on a Peter Holland powerplay marker. Nazem Kadri and Michael Grabner added insurance, and Jonathan Bernier had his second straight strong start.

Team	Chances	1st	2nd	3rd	ES	ESClose	ESCh%	NZEnt%	ContEnt
Tor	14	6	2	6	10	7	35.7%	45.5%	38.5%
Stl	22	5	8	9	18	12	64.3%	54.5%	46.2%

The Leafs led in possession for much of the game, until St. Louis rallied hard in the closing minutes to draw even. However, there was no such pattern with chances or with the neutral zone, as St. Louis had a clear advantage in both. The neutral zone difference does factor in the Leafs defending a lead, but the chances mostly came in the second period, when the game was still level.

Toronto was under siege in the second, as after a couple of early chances the Blues dominated the period. They had eight straight chances to close out the frame, and were unfortunate to be tied after giving up that goal to Van Riemsdyk. The Blues also made a push in the third, but Toronto were able to generate chances in response.

Period	Time	ST	SO	Team	How	State	T1	T2	T3	T4	T5	T6	O1	O2	O3	O4	O5	O6
1	19:33	0	0	Stl	Steen deflects Parayko shot	ES	2	40	43	44	45	47	4	20	26	34	55	91
1	17:52	0	0	Tor	Van Riemsdyk wide from Bozak	ES	2	21	28	33	44	45	4	12	15	34	36	55
1	09:50	0	0	Tor	Holland from Boyes	ES	3	24	26	28	45	51	4	21	34	42	55	56
1	09:32	0	0	Stl	Reaves from Pietrangelo	ES	23	28	33	45	46	51	19	21	27	28	34	75
1	08:39	0	0	Stl	Tarasenko drives	ES	2	40	43	44	45	47	4	20	26	34	55	91
1	07:55	0	0	Tor	Fabbri wide from Lehtera	ES	3	15	21	42	45	51	6	12	15	22	34	36
1	05:56	0	0	Tor	Matthias from Boyes	ES	2	23	28	33	44	45	19	23	27	28	34	75
1	04:18	0	0	Tor	Grabner from Rielly	ES	2	24	40	44	45	47	19	21	27	34	42	56
1	02:51	0	0	Stl	Tarasenko drives	ES	2	40	43	44	45	47	4	20	26	34	55	91
1	01:17	0	0	Tor	Komarov wide from loose puck	PP	3	24	28	42	45	47	4	22	26	34	36
1	00:14	0	0	Stl	Lehtera wide from Fabbri	ES	2	26	40	43	44	45	12	15	19	27	34	91
2	17:03	0	0	Tor	Boyes from loose puck	ES	2	28	43	45	46	47	19	23	27	28	34	75
2	16:57	0	0	Tor	Komarov from loose puck	ES	2	40	43	44	45	47	19	23	27	28	34	75
2	15:46	0	0	Stl	Backes from Berglund	ES	2	19	24	26	44	45	4	21	34	42	55	56
2	15:30	0	0	Stl	Berglund from loose puck	ES	3	19	24	26	45	51	4	21	34	42	55	56
2	12:45	0	0	Stl	Stastny wide from Bouwmeester	ES	2	40	43	44	45	47	4	19	20	26	34	91
2	12:39	0	0	Stl	Tarasenko from Steen	ES	2	40	43	44	45	47	4	19	20	26	34	91
2	11:32	0	0	Stl	GOAL! Tarasenko from Backes	SH	2	40	45	46	47		20	22	26	34	42	91
2	07:32	1	1	Stl	Brouwer wide from loose puck	ES	2	15	21	42	44	45	4	12	15	34	36	55
2	06:07	1	1	Stl	Jaskin from loose puck	ES	3	23	28	33	45	51	19	23	27	28	34	75
2	02:57	1	1	Stl	Edmonson from Tarasenko	ES	42	43	44	45	47	51	6	20	21	27	34	91
3	16:45	1	1	Tor	GOAL! Holland from Gardiner	PP	19	24	43	45	47	51	19	26	27	34	36
3	15:26	2	1	Tor	Boyes from Gardiner	PP	15	21	28	42	45	51	12	19	27	34	91
3	14:50	2	1	Tor	Holland post from Gardiner	PP	19	24	43	45	47	51	4	22	26	34	36
3	13:15	2	1	Stl	Brouwer wide from Gunnarsson	ES	2	19	24	26	44	45	4	12	15	34	36	55
3	11:24	2	1	Stl	Berglund drives	ES	3	19	24	26	45	51	19	21	27	34	42	56
3	11:19	2	1	Stl	Paajarvi from rebound	ES	3	19	24	26	45	51	12	19	21	27	34	56
3	08:13	2	1	Tor	Holland warparound	ES	3	19	24	26	45	51	19	21	27	34	42	56
3	08:00	2	1	Stl	Bouwmeester drives wide	ES	2	40	43	44	45	47	19	20	26	27	34	91
3	06:23	2	1	Stl	Backes from loose puck	ES	19	24	26	45	46	52	19	21	27	34	42	56
3	05:57	2	1	Tor	Kadri from Grabner	ES	2	40	43	44	45	47	20	22	26	34	55	91
3	05:55	2	1	Tor	GOAL! Kadri from rebound	ES	2	40	43	44	45	47	20	22	26	34	55	91
3	03:27	3	1	Stl	Brouwer from Tarasenko	EN	2	40	43	44	45	47	20	22	26	27	36	91
3	02:17	3	1	Stl	Pietrangelo deflects Steen shot wide	EN	2	40	43	44	45	47	20	22	26	27	36	91
3	01:15	3	1	Stl	Pietrangelo from Lehtera	EN	3	15	21	42	45	51	12	19	20	27	36
3	00:02	4	1	Stl	Stastny from loose puck	ES	2	3	43	45	47		20	26	27	34	91

Leafs Player Data

Player	ESChF	ESChA	ESCh%	ESTOI	ZS%	NZ%	ContEnt	OppContEnt
Van Riemsdyk	2	1	66.7%	12:17	10.0%	43.6%	29.4%	50.0%
Boyes	4	2	66.7%	07:32	0.0%	57.1%	58.3%	22.2%
Parenteau	1	1	50.0%	13:30	25.0%	46.5%	30.0%	47.8%
Arcobello	2	2	50.0%	08:18	87.5%	54.2%	46.2%	36.4%
Komarov	5	8	38.5%	16:52	50.0%	37.5%	40.0%	52.0%
Grabner	4	7	36.4%	16:52	33.3%	42.9%	38.9%	50.0%
Matthias	1	2	33.3%	07:21	0.0%	52.4%	54.5%	20.0%
Holland	3	6	33.3%	15:53	0.0%	45.5%	40.0%	50.0%
Bozak	1	2	33.3%	12:12	10.0%	40.0%	28.6%	52.4%
Kadri	4	9	30.8%	18:36	30.8%	44.7%	38.1%	42.3%
Winnik	2	7	22.2%	14:38	87.5%	47.5%	36.8%	47.6%
Lupul	1	6	14.3%	12:40	87.5%	44.1%	33.3%	52.6%
Hunwick	7	11	38.9%	20:19	31.3%	44.0%	27.3%	42.9%
Phaneuf	3	5	37.5%	16:44	33.3%	48.9%	43.5%	37.5%
Rielly	6	11	35.3%	22:33	26.7%	42.9%	29.2%	46.9%
Gardiner	3	6	33.3%	16:20	41.7%	46.7%	33.3%	37.5%
Polak	1	2	33.3%	16:12	36.1%	46.7%	52.4%	54.2%
Marincin	0	1	0.0%	12:25	33.3%	46.3%	47.4%	54.5%

There ended up being four very clear line matches, with only a few stray shifts not seeing the same lines face each other. Nazem Kadri’s line got a match-up with Alex Steen and Paul Stastny, and while they were able to produce some offense, it broadly favoured the Blues, who had bulk of possession and generated a lot of chances themselves. Kadri had the worst defensive record in terms of chances among the Leaf forwards, on for nine against at ES.

James van Riemsdyk’s line were mostly up against Troy Brouwer’s line, and while they allowed very little against, they also weren’t able to create much. That trio struggled to enters the Blues’ zone with control, falling under 30% in that stat. Peter Holland’s line had a tough night well, as Daniel Winnik and Joffrey Lupul were both badly out-chanced against the Backes trio.

Morgan Rielly and Matt Hunwick, as they have often done this year, drew the top opposition line; as with the Kadri line, they struggled to contain Steen’s unit. The pair were both on for 11 ES chances against, easily a team worst. Roman Polak and Marin Marincin had a very quiet night, logging some effective minutes with the fourth line, while Dion Phaneuf and Jake Gardiner primarily faced the Backes line, both finishing clearly in the negative in chances as well.