On Monday, Oct. 16, the Chicago Blackhawks and Connor Bedard came to town to play the Toronto Maple Leafs and Auston Matthews. However, it didn’t turn out to be the Bedard vs. Matthews, young vs. old matchup that was hyped. Neither player collected a point in this game.
Instead, the Blackhawks surprised the Maple Leafs by taking advantage of their chances to skate away with a 4-1 victory. It was Toronto’s first loss of the young season.
In this edition of Maple Leafs’ News & Rumors, I’ll report news about some of the key Maple Leafs’ players in this game.
Item One: Connor Bedard vs. Auston Matthews
Despite high expectations surrounding the NHL’s most-talked-about 18-year-old, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 Draft was held off the scoresheet in this game. While he lost another opening draw (this time at Scotiabank Arena to Matthews), he did provide some electrifying rushes and creative puck-handling throughout the game.
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Joseph Woll had to make a key late-game stop on Bedard’s attempt to put the game even further out of reach. In his debut tour of NHL arenas, Bedard has not had a single bad game. He’s already proven he’s a keeper.
Matthews, who opened the first two games of the season with consecutive hat tricks, couldn’t repeat these earlier performances. He came closest to adding to his impressive goal total when he deflected a puck off the crossbar in the third period. But, that was it.
Item Two: Joseph Woll Couldn’t Stop the Shots He Needed to
In Monday’s loss to the Blackhawks, Woll made 27 saves out of 30 shots. The fourth Chicago goal was an empty-netter. Comparing Woll’s performance to Ilya Samsonov‘s during the first two games of the season, I thought Woll played better. However, for the first time this season, the Maple Leafs’ offence couldn’t catch up on this night.
Related: Joseph Woll Ready for a Bigger Maple Leafs’ Role
In short, while he didn’t play badly, Woll just didn’t stop the shots he needed to stop. Despite the loss, he looks to be a solid backup for Samsonov this season. If he continues to play well, there is a chance that he could push for the starter’s job. It will be interesting to see how this friendly goalie tussle evolves during the season.
Item Three: John Tavares Scores First Goal of the Season
John Tavares scored the only goal for the Maple Leafs. He took six shots on the net during the game and was buzzing all night. While Matthews has impressed with his two hat tricks during the first two games of the season, he couldn’t find the twine in this game. Tavares, on the other hand, scored his first goal of the season on a nifty feed from William Nylander.
Despite the loss, Tavares has been playing lights out. In addition to his goal last night, he has already registered five assists in three games. That’s six points for the Maple Leafs captain. He continues to center a highly productive Maple Leaf second line.
Item Four: William Nylander Was the Best Player on the Ice
Although Nylander had a quiet game with only an assist, in my mind he was the best player on the ice for either team. He did the heavy lifting to set up Tavares’ second-period goal. Despite his quieter game, Nylander has been performing well this season.
Related: Maple Leafs’ Keefe Discusses Focus for Domi, Team Defence
Nylander now has three goals, three assists, and 13 shots on the net. He’s been a key player in the Maple Leafs’ offence. Given that head coach Sheldon Keefe gives him significant power-play minutes, there’s a good chance that Nylander will fly past his personal season’s best of the 87 points he collected in his 82 games last season. It is also plausible that he could even hit the 100-point mark during the 2023-24 season.
Item Five: Mark Giordano Collects His First Assist of the Season
Mark Giordano, the 40-year-old defenceman who’s the oldest player in the NHL, got his first point of the season in a game against the Blackhawks. He also registered four shots on goal and three blocked shots.
Despite a season-high 17:10 of ice time in the game, Giordano has been playing on the third pairing at the start of the season. He has collected five hits, seven blocked shots, and six shots on goal so far this season. Giordano has an even plus/minus rating. It will be interesting to see how his role develops as the season progresses.
What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?
Coach Keefe blamed the loss on his team’s mistakes. First, his players had puck management issues and were sloppy with the puck in the first period. Second, they got caught in transition and were vulnerable to the Blackhawks’ counterattacks in the second period.
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For Keefe it was simple. “We were really sloppy with the puck in the first period. And then got beat in transition in the second.”
Although the Maple Leafs faced a tough loss, they immediately will move on to their next game. They hit the road for a season-long five-game trip, starting in Florida on Thursday.
