After beating the Florida Panthers and Seattle Kraken in their last two contests, the Toronto Maple Leafs looked to extend their winning streak to three on Dec. 2 against the Boston Bruins. In the end, they were unsuccessful in achieving their goal, as they fell to the Bruins in overtime by a 4-3 final score. While they did not get two points in this one, there were some positive things that came from this game. Let’s discuss a few of them now.
Domi Breaks the Ice
Max Domi has been a solid addition for the Maple Leafs this season. He has been a nice fit on their third line and has picked up a good amount of assists. However, he also entered this contest against the Bruins with zero goals in 21 games. Yet, he finally broke the ice in this one, as he beat Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark on a partial breakaway with a sweet backhand.
It was only a matter of time before Domi would finally get his first of the season. It came at a great time for the Maple Leafs, too, as his goal tied the game up at 2-2 early on in the third period.
With this goal, Domi now has one goal and 12 points in 22 games. That’s not bad production at all for a player who was so snake-bitten in the goal-scoring department. Let’s see if the 2013 first-round pick scores more regularly from here.
Matthews Ends Goal Drought With Big Performance
Heading into this matchup, Auston Matthews failed to score a goal in each of his four previous games. Because of this, he was a player to watch, and in the end, he certainly lived up to expectations. Matthews put together a two-goal night against Boston, and both of his goals were important for the Maple Leafs.
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Matthews’ second-period goal was the Maple Leafs’ first of the game and made it a 2-1 contest. The superstar center found himself in the perfect spot, as a William Nylander rebound landed on his stick, and he buried it in a wide-open net. His second goal was bigger, though, as he scored with 4.9 seconds left in the third and forced overtime.
With this two-goal performance, Matthews now sits at 16 goals and 25 points in 22 games this season. Seeing him get back on the board was huge for the Maple Leafs, and he is the primary reason why they secured a point from this game.
Maple Leafs Did Not Quit
Although the Maple Leafs are disappointed that they did not win the game in overtime, one should not ignore the determination they showed in this contest. After being down 2-0 early on, they fought back and tied the game up at 2-2. Then, when it seemed that the Maple Leafs would let this game slip away, Matthews tied it up in the contest’s final seconds. Their refusal to quit is an encouraging sign, and it allowed them to get one point instead of none.
While the Bruins created more chances in overtime (11 shots), the Maple Leafs also created some high-danger chances. This was simply a very entertaining matchup between two evenly-matched rivals. However, if the Maple Leafs rolled over after being down early in this game, it could have been a far different result. Even though they were unsuccessful in overtime, that should not take away from the way they fought back in this one. Hopefully, this kind of heart will carry over to the rest of the season.
With this overtime loss, the Maple Leafs now have a 12-6-4 record. They will look to get back in the win column against the Ottawa Senators on Dec. 7 on the road.
