There are many storylines emerging early in this Maple Leafs season, but one of the main ones is that they haven’t been able to string good games together consecutively. It goes without saying that good teams string good games together; that’s how they make the playoffs.
Following a solid outing in Philadelphia, the Leafs returned home and looked like they were in the midst of laying an absolute dud… until they flipped the switch in the third period and somehow came out of it with a regulation victory.
It was a sleepy start both ways, and the Leafs created the best early chance courtesy of a bit of a give-and-go sequence between Dakota Joshua and Bobby McMann. With the score still 0-0, Philippe Myers also shot one for a rebound off the rush that bounced to Nick Robertson on the far side, but he couldn’t shoot the bouncing puck on net to bury it. That’s about where the highlights end for the Maple Leafs, though.
Just over 13 minutes into the period, the Leafs were looking to push the Penguins off an icing and sent out the Tavares line against a tired Pittsburgh unit. They were in full possession when Simon Benoit decided he would try to attack with the puck and beat a forward wide like he’s Cale Makar. It didn’t work out, resulting in a turnover that the Pens immediately transitioned up ice and buried on an odd-man rush. This type of thing has plagued the team throughout the first month of the season; it’s a needless play, by a player who has none of the skill to think it’s an acceptable decision.
This marks the sixth game in a row where the Leafs have given up the first goal of the game. They are just not coming out ready to play right now.
The first goal against was the “Leafs defenseman gives it away” goal against that’s happened all season, and the second goal against was the “Leafs can’t get it out and eventually pay the price” goal against. The goal itself was a bit ridiculous, as a shot deflected up in the air, Morgan Rielly (for some reason) raised his stick up and got a piece of the puck, and after the Penguins crashed the crease, it found its way in. It’s unlucky, but the goal sequence started with Sammy Blais and Brandon Carlo failing to get it out with the puck on their sticks.
While the first period was marked by blunders and self-inflicted wounds, the second period was downright embarrassing. Down 2-0, you’d think the Leafs would come out with some pushback, but it was the exact opposite. Natural Stat Trick recorded the Penguins out-attempting the Leafs 16-0 in the first seven minutes. The Amazon broadcast recorded it at 15-1. Either way, the Leafs were thoroughly dominated.
It eventually resulted in a Philippe Myers penalty, sending the Penguins’ red-hot power play (second in the league right now) to work. They created a number of looks before Ben Kindel went downhill and ripped one short side. I usually criticize shortside goals in the NHL, even though it was post and in, but Stolarz couldn’t see it. If anything, Brandon Carlo really should have blocked it out properly.
It made the score 3-0, which still flattered the Leafs. They put just eight shots on net through two periods, and it really stood out how many times they dumped the puck in and didn’t even come close to forechecking or recovering it. They were basically passing it to the Penguins’ defensemen, who were easily breaking out with clean passes on the tape while nobody in blue made their life difficult. It was hard to believe the game was only 3-0.
It’s a good thing it was, though, because the Leafs woke up in the third period and stormed back to win the game. Craig Berube loaded up the top line with Matthews, Nylander and Knies, and the trio delivered.
Just three and a half minutes into the period, Matthews won a neutral-zone faceoff to Jake McCabe and positioned himself cleverly to take a pass with speed on an angle that Crosby couldn’t cover. McCabe threaded a nice pass and Matthews found himself on a breakaway, where he scored on his patented five-hole finish to make it 3-1.
It breathed new life into the team and the building, and after a good shift by the Tavares line, the Matthews line went right back out for an offensive-zone faceoff. The puck worked its way to the point, where Rielly made a good read to push down and OEL did well to get the puck in his vicinity instead of shooting wildly. With Knies in front drawing all sorts of attention, Nylander swooped in and calmly backhanded the puck by Tristan Jarry to suddenly make it 3-2, not even five minutes into the period.
A few shifts later, the Leafs tied the game off another offensive-zone faceoff. This time, OEL took a shot that just missed, and Nylander won a race off the rebound and sent it down low to Matthews, who made a nice play to come out from behind the net. Matthews just missed connecting with Knies in front, but it didn’t matter, as the puck slid right to OEL on the wall, where he teed up Nylander for a one-timer that he ripped past Jarry. Just like that, it was a tie game.
With the score level, the Leafs took another penalty, but they came up with a big kill this time to keep the score at 3-3. It proved pivotal, as shortly afterward, the Leafs took the lead for good.
At 3-3, the Penguins sent out Owen Pickering — who played just over 11 minutes tonight — for a shift, and Nick Robertson beat him on the wall before driving to the net. The initial play didn’t go in, but the rebound sat for McMann, who banged it in to give the Leafs the lead.
The Penguins pulled their goalie, and Nylander had a chance for a hat trick with the open net, but he couldn’t complete the play. Anthony Stolarz made a few good saves and stood tall when the Penguins crashed the crease, sealing an improbable 4-3 regulation win for the Maple Leafs.
Post-Game Notes
– It’s great that the Leafs came back in this game, but it can’t be ignored just how bad they were before then. The first period wasn’t completely terrible, but sitting 2-0 down heading into the second period at home, they were thoroughly dismantled. Anthony Stolarz deserves a ton of credit; he was basically the only player on the team who played the second period.
– The only other Leaf present in the middle frame was Nick Robertson, who set up Bobby McMann for a great scoring chance. In the first period, Robertson was really good on the top line, and it was a bit unfair that he was yanked off of it, but it was understandable why the Leafs loaded up (and obviously, it worked). I was particularly happy for Robertson that he starred on the eventual game winner; he played a good game and deserved it. Robertson finished at over 16 minutes of ice time — his second highest total of the season — picked up the assist, and launched three shots on net.
– With the score at 3-3, Matthews came up with an unreal penalty kill. First, he created a turnover and transitioned up ice for a 2-1 where he kept it and shot. Next, he won a battle while swarmed by Penguins to get a clear. He then won another battle against Erik Karlsson to get yet another clear. There’s rightfully been lots of talk about Matthews play and questions about his health, but when the team was down and he got pissed off about it, he was dominant.
– The reason the Leafs were even on the above-mentioned penalty kill is that Sammy Blais took a dumb penalty, cross checking Karlsson high right in front of the official. Considering the team just battled back to make it 3-3, it really can’t happen. Blais didn’t see the ice afterward and played just 8:45 overall. He became an easy healthy scratch option after that play.
– If you read the Leafs Notebook, you’ll know that Bobby McMann was a healthy scratch candidate for me as he was mired in an eight-game pointless slump. He ended up scoring the game winner, so it was a good thing he played. He’s always been a streaky player, and hopefully, this gets him rolling. The team needs him.
– The Leafs entered the game running Morgan Rielly – Brandon Carlo, Simon Benoit – Jake McCabe, OEL – Philippe Myers, but those pairings did not last. McCabe ended up paired with Carlo down the stretch, and the Leafs ran Rielly-OEL, who featured on both Nylander goals. Both Benoit and Myers struggled and played just 15 minutes each. If Chris Tanev is out long-term, the Leafs can’t rely on using both Benoit and Myers on a nightly basis. It’s not good enough, plain and simple.
– Brandon Carlo was a beast with the net empty, blocking multiple shots and clearing the net to help preserve the lead. He played over 21 minutes, and his partner Jake McCabe led all Leafs at 23:15.
– The Leafs went to just one power play in this game, and it was absolutely dreadful. I’m not sure they can justify running Morgan Rielly out there any longer, as he passed up simply skating the puck back in after a neutral-zone clear, and he missed teeing up Nylander’s one-timer by about half a foot, leading to Nylander shooting a weak shot off his front foot. The team’s man-advantage struggles aren’t all on Rielly, but most of his power-play touches right now are negative, and that’s a problem when he’s supposed to be the quarterback.
– Following maybe his best game of the season, Easton Cowan couldn’t get anything going on a line with Tavares and Nylander. He ended up playing just 10:42. Such is life for a rookie learning on the job.
Game Flow: 5v5 Shot Attempts
