“Morgan Rielly may not be a number-one defenceman we hoped for just yet, but he’s the number one defenceman we need now. So we’ll criticize him, because he can take it. Because he’s not our hero. He’s a silent guardian. A watchful tank protector. A dark knight.”
On a serious note, it was a harsh lesson for Morgan Rielly tonight — don’t skate it in front of your own net with a minute and a half left in the game! — as he spoiled a good effort from the Maple Leafs, who won the lion’s share of the battles and handily outshot the Rangers in this game (37-20). Moral victories are the best kind of victories if you’re the Leafs right now.
Stepan GWG pic.twitter.com/P850H1U0pa
— steph (@myregularface) February 19, 2016
Babcock: "This was a game we should have won."
— James Mirtle (@mirtle) February 19, 2016
Notes
– Rielly actually finished tops on either team in individual possession stats at even strength, brutal final touch aside. The team carried 74% of ES shot attempts with Rielly on the ice (23 CF, 8 CA) playing primarily against Mats Zucarello, Derick Brassard and JT Miller. Some sharp rushes as always, although a couple of times you’d like to see him do better with the shot while finishing the play.
– Good news: PA Parenteau extended his points streak to five points in his last three games, Brad Boyes to four points in his last four, and Colin Greening grabbed his first goal and second point as a Leaf. Greening’s played well enough to have a few more points to his name, as he’s been better than advertised — bringing an effective north-south game as a big-body who can skate and drive the net, he also retrieved the puck well in his powerplay opportunities tonight. Greening created the tying goal with his power move to the net front and was full value for his first goal since 2014.
Greening has been averaging about three shots per game and over five hits a night since the trade and call-up.
– Greening, Arcobello and PA Parenteau owned 70-80% of possession versus Viktor Stalberg, Oscar Lindberg and Kevin Hayes.
– Mix in Viktor Loov grabbing his first NHL point — just eight minutes TOI for Loov, but, as Mark wrote earlier today, his skating looks to have taken a step — and nothing to show for all of it in the standings… this was mission accomplished, really.
– While Parenteau, Boyes and Polak are all playing some of their better hockey at exactly the right time for Leafs management’s deadline goals, Michael Grabner is mired in a brutal slump with zero points in his last 19. In fairness, Grabner hit a post tonight when the score was 1-0, but he also had a wide-open look in front in the second period and put the puck in the corner. While he’s still a positive contributor on the penalty kill, suitors aren’t lining up to pick up the remainder of a $5M (real salary) tab for a player with 11 points in 54 games, including two separate 18-plus game pointless streaks. It’s not at all uncharacteristic for Grabner; in 2013-14, he scored 18 of his 26 points in multi-point games in a season that included a 24-game pointless streak.
– Brendan Leipsic is going to get another look here shortly as Leo Komarov will almost definitely sit a game or two for his elbow clip on Ryan McDonaugh’s head. The Rielly gaffe obviously stood out, but Leo’s hit — assist to Spaling’s high-sticking double minor — turned the game against the Leafs in the first place, as his five-minute match penalty allowed the Rangers to gain their footing in the game. A rare instance of Komarov, who typically does such a good job of walking the line, crossing over it and costing his team: He had played all 56 games for the team and was seventh in total minor penalties (from memory, many were offsetting) despite throwing far and away the most hits of anybody on the team. This would be his first ever suspension, which should stand him in good stead in terms of the ruling on the length.
another angle. he got a 5 min major for illegal head contact + game misconduct pic.twitter.com/Z2IGpfP3nk
— steph (@myregularface) February 19, 2016
Game in 12
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxaNB78YLaA
Mike Babcock Post Game
All Situations Shot Attempts
Leafs Player Stats — New York 4 vs. Toronto 2
| Player | G | A | +/- | SOG | MS | BS | PIM | HT | TOT | PP | SH | EV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M. Arcobello C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17:21 | 4:52 | 0:00 | 12:29 |
| B. Boyes RW | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12:50 | 3:59 | 0:00 | 8:51 |
| R. Clune LW | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4:54 | 0:00 | 0:14 | 4:40 |
| F. Corrado D | 0 | 0 | -3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 21:07 | 4:44 | 1:06 | 15:17 |
| B. Froese C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8:36 | 0:00 | 1:55 | 6:41 |
| J. Gardiner D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 23:37 | 5:18 | 0:00 | 18:19 |
| M. Grabner RW | 0 | 0 | -2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 20:05 | 3:47 | 3:03 | 13:15 |
| C. Greening LW | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 18:17 | 5:08 | 0:00 | 13:09 |
| P. Holland C | 0 | 0 | -1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17:38 | 4:54 | 0:37 | 12:07 |
| N. Kadri C | 0 | 0 | -3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21:14 | 5:36 | 0:00 | 15:38 |
| L. Komarov C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 6:35 | 1:08 | 0:00 | 5:27 |
| V. Loov D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8:41 | 0:00 | 0:00 | 8:41 |
| M. Marincin D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15:58 | 0:00 | 3:52 | 12:06 |
| P. Parenteau RW | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22:31 | 5:41 | 0:00 | 16:50 |
| R. Polak D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 22:19 | 0:03 | 4:26 | 17:50 |
| M. Rielly D | 0 | 0 | -1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 22:55 | 4:46 | 0:32 | 17:37 |
| N. Spaling C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 14:00 | 0:04 | 1:22 | 12:34 |
| D. Winnik RW | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15:08 | 0:00 | 2:19 | 12:49 |
