A meeting between Mike Babcock and his former disciple Bill Peters went the way of a chess match — not particularly surprising after the two teams, both mired in the bottom six in goal scoring this season, split two goals last time out in an eventual Toronto shootout win.
Both goalies were good; the Leafs made Eddie Lack look even better with a handful of grade-A opportunities left begging. The Leafs have now been shutout the second most of any team in the league (6), leading to Mike Babcock’s best quip of the season:
Mike Babcock on the lack of scoring among forwards: "What are you expecting?…How many of these guys really score?"
— Jonas Siegel (@jonassiegel) January 22, 2016
Tyler Bozak couldn’t elevate the puck on his break into the clear after skinning Justin Faulk, Michael Grabner fired a shorthanded breakaway into Lack’s glove, Kadri didn’t get solid wood on a 2 on 1 cross-crease in OT, and Parenteau found the crest on a good look in the three on three session.
As far as Canes scoring chances of note, James Reimer turned aside a breakaway for Jordan Staal in the first after he beat Morgan Rielly on the outside, an (albeit weak) half-breakaway attempt from Jeff Skinner in the early third, and he benefited from a cross bar on the penalty kill with five minutes to go.
Reimer came up especially big on said penalty kills, where he was perfect on ten shots against, several of which involved battling through tips or screens.
The winner was always going to be ugly, and after Jordan Staal beat Bozak up the ice — Bozak glided momentarily and was muscled aside — he banged home the rebound on a frantic scramble in OT. The best two or three previous chances went to the Leafs, but it felt like the team could play two games and not score tonight.
It was tough break falling two minutes shy of a deserved 40+ shot shutout, but it’s no small consolation that Reimer is now leading the league in save percentage with .937 — while playing half the games this season for the 29th-placed team. Pretty remarkable stuff.
The Leafs carried the edge at even strength in the middle 30 of the game, but they didn’t finish strong and (again) there was a lackadaisical ten-minute start, as Reimer held the game scoreless despite a 10-1 Canes shot count. We talked about it last game review — the Leafs have really struggled with starting fast and scoring first, which has to drive Mike Babcock crazy as he’s harped incessantly about the dangers of catch-up hockey.
This game was as memorable as a used tissue, so let’s move on. The ramshackle Habs are on the docket for Saturday, and adding to their misery is this season’s Stanley Cup Final.
Shot Locations
Shot Attempts
Scoring Chances
Game in 10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5o_BCluKbIg
Mike Babcock Post Game
Leafs Player Stats — Carolina 1 vs. Toronto 0 (OT)
| PLAYER | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | S | HITS | BKS | FO% | PP TOI | SH TOI | TOI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M. Hunwick | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | 0:03 | 4:42 | 25:05:00 |
| D. Phaneuf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | 2:47 | 2:08 | 19:55 |
| P. Parenteau | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | - | 2:50 | 0:00 | 17:55 |
| J. Lupul | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | 1:10 | 0:00 | 11:09 |
| S. Matthias | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0% | 2:50 | 0:00 | 15:04 |
| P. Holland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20% | 1:10 | 0:00 | 12:43 |
| R. Clune | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 0:00 | 0:00 | 7:33 |
| D. Winnik | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | 0:00 | 4:05 | 13:42 |
| B. Boyes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | 2:30 | 0:00 | 9:22 |
| M. Grabner | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | 0:00 | 4:14 | 19:46 |
| T. Bozak | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 60% | 2:50 | 0:00 | 19:18 |
| N. Kadri | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 56% | 1:10 | 0:00 | 18:57 |
| M. Rielly | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | 0:20 | 3:30 | 24:53:00 |
| R. Polak | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | 0:00 | 4:30 | 20:27 |
| L. Komarov | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 75% | 1:10 | 3:53 | 20:45 |
| J. Gardiner | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | 1:10 | 0:00 | 16:17 |
| M. Marincin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | 0:00 | 1:10 | 13:19 |
| B. Froese | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 40% | 0:00 | 3:48 | 12:32 |
