With four games left on the Maple Leafs’ schedule, Saturday night’s tilt with the Montreal Canadiens would be crucial as the Leafs would find themselves having an opportunity to clinch home ice and be in a better position to take the Atlantic Division with a win.
The Leafs would find themselves shorthanded on the defensive side of the puck, only starting five defensemen with the likes of Jake McCabe and Oliver Ekman-Larsson out with injuries.
During the pre-game, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube talked about what the team’s forwards can do to help out with the injuries on the back end.
“Our forwards are going to have to work. They’ve got to do a good job of helping out, get hold ups and killing plays in the neutral zone and killing pays out of the offensive zone and not allowing Montreal to gain our zone as much,” Berube said.
This game would also be of importance to the Habs, as they look to keep pace, holding the second wildcard position, so it would not be an easy test for the home side.
With a Scotiabank Arena rocking with Leafs fans who are ready for some playoff-style hockey, both teams answered the call and would start the first period trading chances.
Although the Leafs looked hungry to get on the scoreboard first, Montreal’s netminder, Jakub Dobes, would shut the door, keeping the Habs in a 0-0 game.
Montreal would be awarded the first power play of the game, but would come up short as the Leafs’ special teams would win the battle to close out the beginning frame.
The start of the second would make no difference, with the Leafs looking dominant right out of the gate but still having trouble breaking the ice.
Leafs Forward Max Domi would get the building on its feet as he dropped the gloves with Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle, which would energize the Blue-and-White.
Even with Domi bringing a spark and a couple of power plays for the Buds, the game would stay tied thanks to Dobes, who had stood on his feet, keeping the Habs out of what could have been a blowout.
Both teams would head into the locker rooms tied at zero apiece in a game that the Leafs had heavily favoured, keeping the Canadiens to only 8 shots to this point.
In the final frame, the game would stay tied even with the constant waves of pressure from Toronto.
Late on, the Canadiens would answer with some chances of their own, but solid goaltending from Leafs netminder Anthony Stolarz would bring this game into overtime.
After a solid chance for Nick Suzuki, which was dealt with by Stolarz, William Nylander would skate the puck up the open ice, passing it to a wide-open Mitch Marner, where he was able to put the puck past Dobes and give the Leafs the overtime win.
Marner would score his 26th goal of the season and would tally his 98th point, and with three games still to be played, the century mark is looking very likely for the first time in his career.
Marner, in tonight’s action, not only contributed to his usual position at right wing but also took some shifts as a defenseman, filling in for the already shorthanded unit.
“I don’t feel lost or uncomfortable. I try not to make it difficult on myself, just try to make easy, quick plays,” Marner said. “I enjoy it back there when I get the chance to play D, to be honest.”
For the Leafs, they would clinch home ice advantage and would move four points clear of the Tampa Bay Lightning in first place, looking more likely to finally bring home an Atlantic Division win.
“It’s huge, it’s going to be a heck of a battle so hopefully our fans are ready to go, because we will be for sure,” Domi said when talking about clinching home ice in the first round of the playoffs.
The Leafs will be right back in the action today against the Carolina Hurricanes in a crucial game, looking to keep their hot streak going into the postseason.
You must be logged in to post a comment.