The Toronto Maple Leafs and the New York Rangers square off on an original-six edition of Hockey Night in Canada. These are the types of Saturday night games that the fans of both teams circle on their calendars. There is so much history between these two Original Six organizations that it makes the games more fun to watch.
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For Maple Leafs fans, the excitement has reached an all-time high this season. They come into this game against the Rangers as winners of their last eight of nine. On February 29, after their game against the Arizona Coyotes, Brad Treliving made the first big move to address the team’s blue line. The team acquired Lyubushkin for the second time in his career, this time from the Anaheim Ducks. The way things have played out over the last two weeks has truly re-engaged the fans, and to top it all off, there is a lot of talk about a potential fight of the year between Ryan Reaves and Rangers’ rookie Matt Rempe. All the excitement came to a boiling point in the third period when the two decided to drop the gloves at center ice.
The Maple Leafs and Rangers had a very slow-paced first period because of the countless face-offs. However, the second period picked up the energy and saw three goals, and the two teams went into the third period tied at two. The Maple Leafs looked like they had the game locked up 3-2, but with 67 seconds left, the Rangers scored and tied it. The game headed to overtime, which tends to be very exciting, and this one didn’t disappoint. After the extra period, it remained tied and went to a shootout, and the Maple Leafs beat the Rangers 4-3.
Lyubushkin & Rielly Reunite
Lyubushkin and Morgan Rielly reuniting may be the best thing that could happen to Rielly down the stretch. He has had a lot of defense partners over the years, but the two that have had the best chemistry with him are Luke Schenn and Lyubushkin. The Maple Leafs need help on their blue line. Between poor play at times this season, a lack of depth on the right side, and injuries, they will take all they can get. They also need the most they can get from Rielly, especially heading into the playoffs. It is very important; he was a part of their first-round success last season, and they need that again.
It was incredibly smart for Brad Treliving to re-acquire Lyubushkin; they brought in a player they are familiar with, which can significantly impact how their defensive pairings come together after the Trade Deadline. Head coach Sheldon Keefe had these two paired together in Lyubushkin’s first game back; however, like every other game, Keefe changed things throughout the game, and at times, they were split up.
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Unfortunately, Lyubushkin was hit by Rempe very late in the second period, and when he got to the bench, he was holding his head. He never returned to the game afterward. Sportsnet’s Luke Fox tweeted that it was a head injury and also noted that he was seen walking around the dressing room postgame.
Samsonov Deserves Credit
Ilya Samsonov has done what most would have deemed impossible. He turned his season around and potentially saved his career, and that deserves a ton of praise. There have been goalies in the past who faced what he faced and never truly overcame it, whereas Samsonov has. He was sent down on January 1 to work on the mental side of his struggle. During that time, his parents came over from Russia to visit him, and he worked hard to get his mindset back to where it should be. When he was recalled and played against the Detroit Red Wings on January 10, he battled extremely hard and showed all the critics that he belonged in the NHL.
Well, now it is March 3, and he has gone 10-3-0 since he returned to the NHL and has won back the complete confidence of both the fans and his teammates. It is always nice to see athletes overcome their battles and show all who have doubted them that they can be great. Samsonov has been great, including in this game against the Rangers, when he threw his body across the crease to save the game for the Maple Leafs.
Samsonov, Martin Jones, and Joseph Woll have each taken turns to help the Maple Leafs save their season. But most importantly, right now and over the last 12 games that Samsonov has played, he has proven to the management group and coaches that he may deserve to start game one of the playoffs this season. Only time will tell how things play out down the stretch, but the Maple Leafs have had a great goaltender over the last two to three weeks, and they are now within six points of the Boston Bruins for second in the Atlantic Division, which is huge.
All in all, although this game started slow, it ended up being a fast-paced, skilled game, which the fans of both teams thought it would be. We also got to see the Rempe vs. Reaves fight, which was the talk of social media for the last few days and during the game. Although it doesn’t seem possible, if the Maple Leafs end up going on a bit of a losing streak and end up in a wildcard spot, these two teams could meet in the playoffs for the first time since 1971. Again, it doesn’t seem possible, but the math still works for it to happen.
The Maple Leafs are next in action on Monday, March 4, at 7:00 p.m., against the Bruins, which could be one of the season’s biggest games.