After back-to-back losses against the Nashville Predators and Los Angeles Kings, the Toronto Maple Leafs looked to get back into the win column against one of their biggest rivals – the Boston Bruins. After a low-energy effort against the Kings, the Maple Leafs were buzzing against the Bruins and put together a strong performance. Unfortunately, the Bruins played just as well, and they secured the victory in the shootout. It was an anticlimactic way for this great game to end, as the game action was far more entertaining than the shootout. Alas, let’s take three main takeaways from the Maple Leafs’ shootout loss now.
Samsonov’s Best Game of the Season
It is not a secret that Ilya Samsonov has had a very rough go of things so far during this young season. His struggles have been one of the main concerns of the Maple Leafs’ campaign thus far, and many are wondering if Toronto will change their starter to Joseph Woll. However, Samsonov had a great bounce-back game against the Bruins, saving 38 out of 40 shots. Even though the team lost in the shootout, this was exactly the kind of performance Samsonov needed.
Not only did Samsonov make a plethora of tough saves and make this game stay close, several of them were on high-danger chances. This is understandable, as the Bruins have some talented forwards and are one of the hottest teams in the NHL right now. However, Samsonov was in his 2022-23 form in this one and easily put together his best performance of the season.
With this shootout loss, Samsonov now sports a 2-1-2 record, a 3.56 goals-against average (GAA), and a .871 save percentage (SV%) in six appearances. Yes, his stats are still not good, but if he continues to play like this, they will only improve.
Much-Better Effort for the Maple Leafs
As noted above, the Maple Leafs’ loss to the Kings on Halloween night was full of frights. In terms of energy, they were extremely flat, and a very good Kings team took advantage of it, as they won by a 4-1 final score. Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe was unhappy with his team’s play during this contest, while the Maple Leafs were met with boos from their fans. However, it is clear that they got the message in their game against the Bruins, as they played well, even with the loss.
Related: 3 Takeaways From the Maple Leafs’ 4-1 Loss to Kings
The Maple Leafs peppered the Bruins with shots during this one, but they, unfortunately, ran into a hot goaltender in Jeremy Swayman. However, they certainly did not make things easy for him, and the highlight of the night offensively was when Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews scored two goals a minute apart from each other in the second. These two were due, and they delivered with a strong effort. With that, fellow star forward William Nylander also extended his team-record season-opening point streak to 10 games.
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Besides having a ton more energy and creating a ton offensive chances in this one, they also were aggressive on the puck and physical. This was a classic Original Six matchup between two big rivals, and the Maple Leafs clearly got the memo, as they showed up.
Liljegren Leaves Game Injured
Besides losing in the shootout, the worst part of the night for the Maple Leafs was when defenceman Timothy Liljegren left the game in the first period after a questionable trip from Bruins captain Brad Marchand. Following the game, Keefe also told reporters that Liljegren will miss “significant time” because of the lower-body injury he suffered.
This is terrible news for both Liljegren and the Maple Leafs. The 2023-24 season is a big one for the young defenseman, as he is looking to take another step forward in his development. With that, the Maple Leafs’ defence is already dealing with injuries, as Jake McCabe and Conor Timmins are currently sidelined. Thus, losing Liljegren to a long-term injury only weakens their depth even further.
In 10 games this season, Liljegren has one assist to go along with a minus-1 rating.
Nevertheless, this was a strong effort from the Maple Leafs, but they, unfortunately, were unable to secure two points from it. They will now look to get back in the win column against the Buffalo Sabres on Nov. 4 to avoid a four-game losing streak. Let’s see if they can do just that.
