Haven’t we been here before? Once again the Toronto Maple Leafs played the Tampa Bay Lightning, and once again Joseph Woll replaced Ilya Samsonov after Samsonov let in a few too many goals. And, finally, once again the Maple Leafs came roaring back to win the game in overtime.
On Monday night, the Maple Leafs pulled off a thrilling overtime win against the Lightning. The top line, led by Auston Matthews’ two goals, proved to be the key to the Maple Leafs’ comeback. William Nylander waited until literally the last second to extend his franchise-record scoring streak to start a season to 12 games. He had the assist on Calle Jarnkrok’s overtime winner on a gorgeous pass by Morgan Rielly.
As bad as the Maple Leafs looked during the first period, they looked as good in the second and third periods. The game showed two things. First, just how poorly the Maple Leafs started the game. Second, how resilient the Maple Leafs were not to dial the game in after they fell behind and looked horrible doing it.
With this win, the Maple Leafs put an end to their four-game losing streak. Now the big question is whether the team can gain momentum in the season. The game was chaotic and back-and-forth; yet, it showcased the Maple Leafs’ scoring ability when they got things rolling and the team started skating and firing.
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The one fly in the ointment is that, while the team got some crucial secondary scoring, they still need to address their defensive concerns moving forward.
Item One: Calle Jarnkrok Fired in the Game-Winner
Jarnkrok played a pivotal role in the Maple Leafs’ overtime win by scoring two goals. That included the game-winner in overtime. His overtime goal was his third goal of the season and it came when he redirected what’s being called a shot/pass from Rielly past Lightning goalie Jonas Johansson.
Earlier in the third period, Jarnkrok had tied the game at four by burying the rebound of Nick Robertson’s shot. Jarnkrok gave his team exactly the kind of contributions that were needed to lift the Maple Leafs into a comeback win after falling behind by a 4-1 deficit.
Item Two: Auston Matthews Now Leafs the NHL with 13 Goals
Without Matthews, there would have been no fiery comeback. He delivered the spark that ignited the Maple Leafs fire. He had another outstanding performance with two goals and an assist in the game. His offensive power (and perhaps more importantly his obvious emotion) was on display. He simply led the team’s comeback.
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Matthews’ goals helped narrow the deficit but also played a significant role in revitalizing the Maple Leafs’ sorry emotions. He gave them permission to believe they had a chance in what looked to be a surefire loss. With his consistent goal-scoring and his directions to the crowd to join the team after his second goal, Matthews has clearly emerged as the leader of this team.
Item Three: Mitch Marner Collected a Four-Point Night
Mitch Marner continued his impressive play by collecting four points for the second game in a row. Last night, he scored a beautiful go-ahead goal in the third period and added three assists. Those points extended his scoring streak to seven games.
With Matthews, Marner’s offensive contributions were crucial drivers of the Maple Leafs’ comeback and eventual victory. With five goals and 17 points in 12 games this season, Marner has jumped into the team’s scoring race. It only took eight points in two games for him to become once again a top performer for this team.
Item Four: Matthew Knies Looks Perfectly Placed in the Top Line
Matthew Knies had a noteworthy game by contributing a goal and two assists. His surprising offence played a huge role in the Maple Leafs’ offensive resurgence. While I’m not Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe, I can’t imagine Knies being moved anywhere else in the lineup. He seems to be the perfect third partner on this highly-productive line.
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With the offensive jump, Knies now has scored three goals and added four assists (for seven points) in 12 games. His performance against Tampa Bay is especially fun for Maple Leafs fans. This is a team I’m sure Toronto loves to beat. Tampa Bay has to be watching for Knies over their collective shoulders. The young guy can produce. I think his time in the team’s top six has only begun.
Item Five: Joseph Woll Was Incredible Yet Again
Woll has a taste for playing the hero. Considering how significant his role has been in these two Maple Leafs’ comeback wins, I’m thinking about the Lightning’s sister baseball team (the Tampa Bay Rays) and their strategy for tossing out a starter for a couple of innings and then replacing that starter with a stronger pitcher. It seems to work in this NHL rivalry between these two teams. [I was joking, by the way.]
Ilya Samsonov has struggled in goal for a few times. However, Woll has jumped in to help now twice. Last night, he turned away 18 of 19 shots. However, even better he settled the team down and allowed them to rally back from a deficit. Woll’s strong performance offered the Maple Leafs a chance to claw back into the game. He’s now solidified his job as the team’s starting goalie.
What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?
True, Samsonov has struggled. Last night, he allowed four goals on 12 shots in just over 15 minutes of play. He was removed from the game with the Maple Leafs down 4-1. In short, it was another challenging start for him. Mentally, you could see the stress (and confusion) on his face.
I’ve been thinking about Kelly Hrudy’s comment from a few games ago about how goalies feel when they are struggling. He noted that it wasn’t a competition between goalies on the same team and suggested that Woll’s solid performances allowed Samsonov to find his way. I’m hoping the team’s coaching staff gives the young Russian goalie lots of time and space to do just that.
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Now the big question, and it needs to be asked once again, is how the team will respond to the comeback win. This could be the turnaround for the season; or, it could be the start of another up-and-down series of games.
If I’m a betting person, I’m looking for some changes in the Maple Leafs’ bottom six. Robertson added a lot of energy and solid play to the team’s bottom lines. He played a great game.
Congratulations to the team for pulling one out last night.
