The Vancouver Canucks are the best team in the NHL currently, with a record of 31-11-4. They showed their strength by overwhelming the Toronto Maple Leafs by a score of 6-4 on their home ice last night. The game was high-scoring, and at times both goalies looked beset upon. But in the end, the Canucks depth players beat the Maple Leafs depth players, and that was a big difference in the game.
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The game started well for the Canucks, with their third line of Conor Garland and Nils Hoglander each scoring two goals. Still, the Maple Leafs came back to tie the game at 4-4 early in the third period. At that point, the wheels fell off. Two penalties by the Maple Leafs allowed Vancouver to put the game to bed, with the Canucks J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson scoring power-play goals to lock up the win.
Although Vancouver’s goalie, Thatcher Demko, had a stretch where the Maple Leafs came storming back, he also held his team in the game at the end. The Maple Leafs didn’t quit, throwing almost 50 shots at him during the game. Even giving up some long-distance goals, Demko made 44 saves.
Item One: William Nylander Reaches 200 Goals in His Career
In Saturday night’s game, William Nylander finally got his offensive game back. He scored two goals, oddly, both from a distance. The first goal was a wrist shot from the top left circle, which simply beat the screened Canucks’ goalie. The second goal was another wrist shot from the right circle, which deflected slightly off a Canucks defender’s stick.
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Both Nylander’s goals came quickly – within 3 minutes and 26 seconds. They brought his team back into the game, and they tied it 3-3 in the second period. These goals now give Nylander a career milestone of 200 goals. He currently leads his Maple Leafs in team offense with 61 points, which also puts him in a three-way tie in the NHL for fifth place in scoring with Artemi Panarin and Elias Pettersson.
Item Two: Martin Jones Gets Lit Up By the Canucks
Last night’s game was a tough one for Maple Leafs goalie Martin Jones. He only faced 20 shots on the night, but he only saved 15 of them. It was one of those nights where he couldn’t be faulted for every goal the Canucks scored, yet he didn’t stop them either.
Jones has had a tough five-game stretch recently. He’s put up a record of 1-3-1 in his last five starts and has allowed 20 goals a game in those five starts. The Maple Leafs’ team defense struggled early in last night’s game, and that contributed to Jones’ tough outing. That said, Jones was not up to the task. Interestingly enough, however, Jones’ performance often mirrors his team’s collective efforts.
Item Three: Mitch Marner Has Great Breakaway Short-Hander
Mitch Marner had an impressive game against the Canucks, scoring a goal and adding an assist in the 6-4 loss. Marner’s goal came early in the third period when he stole the puck at the Canucks blue line while shorthanded and scored on a breakaway, tying the game at 4-4. More interesting, he had been clearly stung on a blocked shot just before he scored the goal.
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This goal was Marner’s 20th of the season, and he extended his scoring streak to four games (with three goals and two assists in those games). Marner has now reached the 20-goal mark six times in eight seasons. His current total of 50 points puts him on pace for another 90-point season. If so, that would be the third straight and fourth of his career.
Item Four: John Tavares Is on a Career Downer
John Tavares had yet another scoreless game last night. He’s now in the midst of a seven-game pointless streak. Give him credit for being engaged. He got involved in a skirmish after Morgan Rielly was cross-checked hard by the Canucks’ Tyler Myers, and he also fired six shots.
Yet, Tavares was not able to put a number on the scoresheet, and his point total remains at 34 for the season (12 goals, 22 assists). Over the last seven games, he’s fired 21 shots on the net without a point. I can’t imagine this has happened that much over his long and successful career.
Part of Tavares’ recent slump has been his shooting percentage. On the season, it stands at 7.5 percent (his career average is 12.8 percent). Look for a Tavares breakout game coming soon. While many fans disagree, in my mind, he’s a solid player for this team.
What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?
The Maple Leafs, now 22-14-8, will face the Seattle Kraken tonight. Earlier, head coach Sheldon Keefe had noted that Ilya Samsonov would get a start in the back-to-back, and tonight would be his opportunity to play. While Daily Faceoff has him listed as the starter, it’s also “unconfirmed.”
With Samsonov in the net tonight in Seattle, if the team is going to head home with a 2-2 record on this road trip, it will be up to him to make that happen.