The Toronto Maple Leafs improved their file to 2-1 on the season with a 4-2 victory at dwelling over the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins. Key gamers for the Maple Leafs on this contest had been Max Domi, William Nylander, Matthew Knies, and Mitch Marner. What had been the nice, unhealthy, and ugly features of the sport?
The Dangerous: Maple Leafs Line Shakeups
We’re going to begin with the unhealthy as a result of this sport began badly for the Maple Leafs. First, it was confirmed that Assistant Captain (it appears humorous calling him that) John Tavares could be absent because of sickness. The truth that he was not on the rink for the house opener does appear to substantiate that it’s an sickness and never an damage.
That pressured Head Coach Craig Berube to juggle the traces. Apparently, Berube moved Pontus Holmberg as much as heart the second line between William Nylander and Bobby McMann and dropped Max Domi right down to heart the third line with Max Pacioretty and Nick Robertson. Domi and Nylander appeared to be growing chemistry within the preseason and into the primary two video games of the common season. I used to be stunned Berube break up them as much as begin this sport.
In the event you simply regarded on the pictures on the web for the primary interval at 10-6 Toronto, you would possibly suppose they performed fairly nicely. These pictures had been deceiving, although. Based on Naturalstattrick, at 5-on-5, the scoring possibilities had been 10-4 Pittsburgh. The stats by Sportlogiq displayed through the first intermission confirmed the zone instances at 5:46 for the Penguins and three:34 for the Maple Leafs. That very same graphic confirmed Toronto did block ten pictures within the interval. By the attention take a look at, the Penguins look sooner than the Maple Leafs within the first interval.
Pittsburgh additionally scored the one aim of the interval. With Simon Benoit within the penalty field for tripping and the Penguins in management within the Toronto zone, the puck returned to Kris Letang on the level. Pontus Holmberg, who appeared to have Letang lined, left him alone as a substitute of attacking him and skated towards the middle of the zone, probably guessing Letang would move and never shoot. On condition that opening, Letang took a few strides towards the Toronto internet and unloaded a booming slapshot. Jake McCabe tried to dam the shot however failed. The puck was within the prime nook of the online over Stolarz’s glove earlier than he may react. Instantly following the aim, Holmberg was visibly mad at himself, realizing his error in not difficult Letang.
Pittsburgh would near inside a aim after the Maple Leafs went up 3-1 early within the third interval. Evgeni Malkin gloved down a excessive clear by Oliver Ekman-Larsson within the impartial zone and skated it into the Toronto zone. As an alternative of capturing from the center of the excessive slot, Malkin dropped to a trailing Rickard Rackell. Rackell one-timed the puck over Stolarz’s blocker into the highest nook of the online.
The opposite unhealthy factor was that the Maple Leafs took 4 extra penalties on this sport, giving them 14 infractions over three video games. A number of the calls had been questionable. Benoit’s tripping name was borderline. Later within the match, Benoit is a sufferer of former Maple Leafs ahead Michael Bunting’s performing expertise. Throughout an altercation in entrance of the Toronto internet, Bunting noticed that Benoit had his stick up and whipped his head again as if he had been hit with the stick. The replay confirmed Benoit’s stick by no means got here shut to creating contact with Bunting’s face. Toronto killed off that infraction. Toronto has given up three objectives within the 14 instances they’ve been down a participant.
The Good: Maple Leafs Make the Most of Their Possibilities In opposition to the Penguins
Initially of the second interval, Berube moved Domi as much as heart the second line, reuniting him and Nylander. That transfer paid dividends on their first shift collectively. With the Penguins on a line change, Jack St. Ivany handed the puck again towards the Pittsburgh zone to Matt Grzelcyk. The puck bounced over Grzelcyk’s stick, sending Domi, Nylander, and Matthews Knies in alone on Penguins goalie Joel Plomqvist. Domi faked a shot after which fed the puck to Nylander. Nylander snapped the puck over a sprawling Blomqvist to tie the sport simply 50 seconds into the second.
Matthew Knies would add one other aim simply 2:03 later. That play began with Marner ringing the puck across the boards behind the Pittsburgh aim from Blomqvist’s left to his proper. The puck got here again to Morgan Rielly on the level. He didn’t have a lane to the online, so Rielly tried to bounce the puck off the backboard earlier than the aim. The puck bounced off the boards, then hit the facet of the online and deflected proper out to Knies. Earlier than Blomqvist may react, Knies hammered the puck previous him. They famous on the printed that Knies has confronted the Penguins 4 instances in his profession and scored a aim in all 4 video games.
Mitch Marner would up the rating to 3-1 on a solo effort early within the third interval. From Stolarz’s left, Bryan Rust dumped the puck across the boards within the Toronto zone. Knies timed contact completely with Sidney Crosby, stopping Crosby from taking part in the puck. The puck got here to Marner simply contained in the Toronto blue line. Marner turned on the jets and headed up ice. He squeezed between the boards and Marcus Pettersson, entered the Pittsburgh zone, and picked the highest nook over Blomqvist’s blocker.
Nylander would end the scoring with an empty-net aim after taking a feed from Domi with 22 seconds left within the sport. The play began with a turnover created by Chris Tanev behind the Toronto internet. Tanev was not awarded an help within the play, nevertheless.
Stolarz picked up his first win as a Maple Leaf. He stopped 21 of 23 pictures, together with two game-savers, with the Pittsburgh goalie pulled simply earlier than Nylander’s empty-netter. In his two begins, Stolarz has a 0.940 SV% and a 1.54 GAA.
In every of the three video games to start the season, the Maple Leafs have began sluggish and regarded tentative within the first interval. However they’ve taken over the video games and performed stable Berube-style hockey over the past two durations in every.
The Ugly: The place Did the Maple Leafs Energy Play Disappear
The Toronto energy play struggled on this sport, going zero for 3. The Maple Leafs haven’t but scored a power-play aim this season on 9 makes an attempt. With Tavares out, Berube was pressured to vary the primary unit. He began Pacioretty on it. After a horrible first-man benefit, Pacioretty was changed by Knies. Ekman-Larsson changed Rielly on their third try after they went zero for 2. Whereas the PP did look higher with OEL on the backend, it nonetheless failed to attain. Berube mentioned they might proceed to work on it after the sport.
One good factor, although, is that it’s early within the season. It’s higher to wrestle with it now than on the finish of the season prefer it did final yr.
What’s Subsequent for the Maple Leafs?
Toronto could have a number of days to work on their energy play, amongst different issues. After starting the season taking part in three video games in 4 nights, they don’t play once more till Wednesday evening after they play their second of a four-game dwelling stand. The Los Angeles Kings are on the town. LA is 1-0-1 and will likely be taking part in the 4th sport of a grueling seven-game highway journey to start out the season. The Kings will go to the Ottawa Senators on Monday evening earlier than venturing into Toronto. This sport is slated to start a half hour later than typical at 7:30 pm.
I anticipate Tavares to be again within the lineup for the following sport. It is going to be fascinating to see what Joseph Woll’s standing is. After being positioned on IR final week, he will likely be eligible to play Wednesday evening.
One odd statistic. After three video games, solely 4 Maple Leafs gamers are with out a level. Ryan Reaves, Nick Robertson, Benoit, and Matthews. It is just a matter of time earlier than Matthews will get going. He was credited with a team-high eight pictures on internet within the Pittsburgh sport.
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