After defeating the Ottawa Senators in their last game, the Toronto Maple Leafs looked to keep the wins going against the Nashville Predators on Dec. 9. In the end, they were successful in their efforts, as they defeated the Nashville Predators with a convincing 4-0 win. It was a great night for the Maple Leafs, and let’s go over three takeaways from the matchup now.
Samsonov’s Excellent Start
With Joseph Woll being out week-to-week due to an ankle injury, fellow Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov is under a lot of pressure to keep the Maple Leafs in the top half of the Atlantic Division. While Samsonov has had a tough start to the season, he had a marvelous performance for the Maple Leafs against the Predators.
Samsonov put together an 18-save shutout against the Predators. While he did not face a ton of shots during this contest, he was excellent when called upon. He also faced some high-danger chances but stood tall and stopped all of them. This was exactly the kind of game that Samsonov needed, and he was a big reason for the Maple Leafs securing two points in this one. The hope is now that this will be the spark he needs to turn his season around from here.
With this win, Samsonov now sports a 5-1-3 record, a 3.21 goals-against average (GAA), and a .886 save percentage (SV%). While his numbers are still not the greatest, he has had at least a .931 SV% in three out of his last four appearances. That’s a very promising sign.
Maple Leafs’ Offence Steps Up
While Samsonov had a great night between the pipes, the Maple Leafs’ offense deserves a lot of praise in this one. They created several chances throughout the contest, recording 37 shots on goal. Although Predators goaltender Kevin Lankinen proved to be tough to beat (33 saves on 36 shots), the Maple Leafs stuck with it and were successful in their efforts.
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David Kampf got the scoring going for the Maple Leafs in the first period. It was the second game in a row where he scored a goal, so the 28-year-old is starting to heat up. Superstar center Auston Matthews gave the Maple Leafs insurance, as he had two goals. Then, Noah Gregor iced the game with an empty-net goal. William Nylander had a two-assist night, while Calle Jarnkrok, Morgan Rielly, John Tavares, and Conor Timmins each had an assist.
Overall, it was a solid night for the Maple Leafs’ forward group, and the hope is now that this kind of play will continue to occur from here.
Maple Leafs Heavily Outplay Predators
A common theme from this season has been the Maple Leafs having trouble playing a full 60 minutes. However, in this one against the Predators, they did just that and more. Throughout the entirety of this matchup, the Maple Leafs heavily outplayed the Predators, and they could have won by much more had it not been for Lankinen’s steady play.
The Maple Leafs dominated the Predators in shots, as they had 37, while Nashville had just 18. However, the Maple Leafs’ dominance in this aspect only got better as the game went on. In the second period, the Maple Leafs limited the Predators to six shots and then only five in the third period. The Maple Leafs also had a better faceoff percentage and more takeaways than the Predators on the night.
Overall, this was simply a strong performance for the Maple Leafs. They defeated a red-hot Predators team, and now they will look to keep this momentum going against the New York Islanders on Dec. 11 from here.