The Toronto Maple Leafs took on the New York Islanders last night and while it started a bit slow, it ended up being a very historic night.
Related: Islanders Score Late In Third & Beat Maple Leafs 4-3 In OT
The Maple Leafs played well. Their second period was by far the team’s best, and while they blew the lead late in the third and lost in overtime (OT), they played fairly well overall. It was another game without the majority of their blue line, with the likes of Chris Tanev and Brandon Carlo on the sidelines, as well as William Nylander, who is a huge loss in the lineup. However, over the last handful of games, they have played well enough without a fully healthy lineup. Unfortunately, they did lose in OT, but there were some key takeaways from the game, so let’s take a deeper look at them.
Bounce Back Start for Joseph Woll
After being pulled in the game against the Winnipeg Jets on New Year’s Day, Joseph Woll had a very good bounce-back game last night against the Islanders. Yes, there was a goal that I’m sure just about every member of Leafs Nation would have liked to have back, that being the Adam Pelech goal that opened the scoring. But other than that, Woll was very good. He had good reads, good rebound control, and at times when he lost his form, he was able to recover quickly and make the necessary saves.
At times in the early third period, he kept the team in the lead. The Islanders came out with a ton of urgency, and it seemed to have caught the Maple Leafs off guard. If it wasn’t for Woll, they would have blown the lead early in the third and been down by a few goals. That’s the type of goaltending that the Maple Leafs need if they want to push up the standings. Unfortunately, he was beaten on a point-blank shot in overtime. However, it wouldn’t have been point-blank if it wasn’t for a missed coverage by Morgan Rielly.
Another Rough Night for Morgan Rielly
As mentioned above, Rielly had a lapse in coverage that cost the Maple Leafs a point in overtime. Actually, diving deeper, he was a minus-four on the night, which had a negative impact on the game. Unfortunately for him, it didn’t go unnoticed. Head coach Craig Berube spoke on it after the game and had this to say: “Tonight was a tough one. I know that, but he’s played some really good hockey for us this year. I’m not worried about it. I think he’ll get back to the level he was at. I do believe that. That’s kind of where I’m at with it.”
Related: Auston Matthews Breaks Mats Sundin’s Maple Leafs Goal-Scoring Record
It is undeniably true that Rielly had a tough night, and to be frank, those are happening more often than in years past. If this was Simon Benoit or Troy Stecher, they would find themselves in the press box for the next game. But because it is Rielly and he is paid to be the main guy on the blue line, he won’t be, and that’s a mistake. It is time for a reset for him, and it needs to happen sooner rather than later because he has been playing rather poorly as of late.
Including on the Islanders’ OT winner, Matthew Knies comes on the ice and rushes back to defend Mathew Barzal. The trailer for New York was Matthew Schaefer, which should have been Rielly’s man, but instead he pushed towards Barzal and Knies. Meanwhile, Barzal was already covered, and that left Schaefer wide open, who sniped it past Woll right in the slot to win the game.
History Made by Auston Matthews
Last but not least, Auston Matthews had himself a historic night. Within a span of ten minutes in the second period, he not only tied the Maple Leafs’ goal-scoring record that was previously held by former captain Mats Sundin, but he managed to break the record when he scored his 421st career goal. He now sits alone as the greatest goal scorer in franchise history.
It was exciting to see him break the record. A player drafted just 10 seasons ago has become the best goal scorer in franchise history. He also did it in 317 fewer games than Sundin, who had 420 goals in 981 games, whereas Matthews scored 421 in just 664 games, which just goes to show how good Matthews is at scoring goals since his career began. While it is important to see him break the record as a Maple Leafs fan, it is even better to see him return to his previous form.
