NHL - Leafs @ Jets 7-2 - Wednesday, October 04, 2017

Patrick Marleau scored two goals in his debut for the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 7-2 win against the Winnipeg Jets in the season opener at Bell MTS Place on Wednesday. Marleau, who spent the past 19 seasons with the San Jose Sharks before signing with the Maple Leafs on July 2, scored his 509th and 510th NHL goals.

"Great play by [Auston Matthews] getting it over to me and then kind of kicked it up to my skate and was able to deke around [Jets goalie Steve Mason]," Marleau said of his first goal.
Nazem Kadri, William Nylander and Mitchell Marner also scored, and Matthews and James van Riemsdyk each had one goal and two assists for Toronto. Frederik Andersen made 35 saves, 17 in the first period.
Mark Scheifele and Mathieu Perreault scored for the Jets. Mason allowed five goals on 20 shots and was pulled for Connor Hellebuyck 36 seconds into the third period. Hellebuyck made nine saves. Toronto killed all eight of Winnipeg's power plays. The Jets scored 13 of their 17 preseason goals with the man-advantage.
"Our penalty kill came up huge for us and we scored when it counted," Matthews said. "They've obviously got some shooters, some guys that can put the puck in the net, and we definitely limited some of their chances. Obviously, Freddie came up just huge sometimes. That's what you need, especially in a game like this. We know they're calling it tight so we've got to be better in that area."

The Maple Leafs scored three times in a span of 2:38 in the first period.

Kadri made it 1-0 at 15:45 on the power play. Van Riemsdyk was unsuccessful on two quick shots on goal before Kadri scored off a rebound.
Van Riemsdyk made it 2-0 at 17:40 followed by Nylander, who scored 43 seconds later to make it 3-0.
"You blink and it's 3-0," Jets captain Blake Wheeler said. "We just weren't able to dig our way out of it."
Marleau scored at 8:32 of the second to make it 4-0.

"You can see how hungry they are out there, not only in games but in practice," Marleau said of Matthews and Marner, who assisted on his first goal. "They're striving to get better each and every day and you want to be part of that and you can feed off that for sure."

Marleau scored his second of the game 36 seconds into the third, his wrist shot beating Mason from the slot. Marner made it 6-0 on the power play at 8:07.
"We did it to ourselves on some of them," Jets coach Paul Maurice said. "The third goal is a reasonably easy read to make if you're thinking about defending at that point. But we're thinking about let's get it back as fast as we can, and that is a bit of a holdover concept. And that's how you get in trouble. Relax, patience. But we blew the zone on that and got in real trouble with it."
Scheifele scored at 11:31 to make it 6-1 but Matthews scored 26 seconds later to make it 7-1. Perreault made it 7-2 at 12:57.
"There's a lot of things that we did right tonight, and then you can see when you don't do it right you end up giving up a couple goals so it's a good reminder," Marleau said.

Goal of the game
Matthews drew two defenders to the right corner, allowing a clear path to the net. Matthews passed the puck out to Marleau and his deke beat Mason.

Save of the game

Andersen got his right pad on a wrist shot by Shawn Matthias on a breakaway with the Maple Leafs leading 3-0 early in the second period.
Highlight of the game
Patrik Laine took the puck at Toronto's blue line and carried it down low, backhanding a cross-ice pass through the crease to Scheifele, who scored on a one-timer at the side of the net.
They said it"We took so many penalties. The goalie had to be so good early. You know how hockey is, if they score on one of those early, and they get confidence, who knows, the game could be different, especially in their building. We were able to make a few adjustments on our penalty kill and we scored timely goals. You don't have to worry about scoring goals when you score right away." -- Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock
"I think we came out the way we wanted to. We played hard, we played fast, put it to the net, got a lot of shots through. I think they got a couple lucky bounces. I don't know what happened." -- Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers
Need to know
Wednesday was seventh time Toronto has scored at least seven goals in a season opener. ...Marleau skated in the 1,494th game of his NHL career and first with a team other than the Sharks. ...Matthews, who scored four goals in his NHL debut last season, became the fourth player in League history to start each of his first two seasons with at least three points in his team's season-opening game. He had a goal and two assists.

1. Andersen stands out early on as Leafs take three straight penalties to start game. The Leafs kicked off their regular season with a tough matchup against the Jets, and their task was made much more difficult in the early parts of the first period due to a trio of minor penalties in the first 11:21 that gave Winnipeg a number of opportunities to stake out a lead. However, goaltender Frederik Andersen, who looked sharp throughout the pre-season, turned aside all of the Jets' power play chances and a whopping 17 shots through the first 20 minutes of action.
As the second season of Andersen's Leafs career began, he looked as focused and structurally sound as he did for the grand majority of last year, when you could make a good case for him as Toronto's most valuable player night-in-and-night-out. He certainly showed his value in preventing Winnipeg from scoring early and allowing Jets fans to become a factor - and in thwarting their scoring aspirations on all four man advantages the home team enjoyed in the opening frame.   

2. Buds burst out with barrage of goals late in first frame, open up big lead before intermission. Andersen's array of saves allowed his teammates to shake off their discipline issues in the first, and on Toronto's first power play of the first, the Buds took the first lead of the night thanks to centre Nazem Kadri's first goal of the season at the 15:45 mark.
Then, just 1:55 later, the Leafs added to that lead on an even-strength marker from winger James van Riemsdyk, who also had the primary assist on Kadri's goal. And 43 seconds after that - and following a hellacious forecheck by winger Zach Hyman that established Leafs puck control in the Jets zone - winger William Nylander fired the puck into a wide-open Winnipeg net to make it 3-0 for the visitors with 1:37 left until the first intermission.

Toronto's forwards proved last year they could build up offence quickly, and after their goalie bailed them out of the first half of the opening frame, their scorers atoned for it the rest of the period.

3. Marleau scores first as a Leaf on gorgeous play that gives Buds four-goal advantage in second. Winger Patrick Marleau was the Leafs' most notable off-season acquisition, and the 20-year NHL veteran wasted no time in his debut with Toronto to show Buds fans why he was so beloved in San Jose: after taking a slick backhanded saucer pass from centre Auston Matthews inside the Jets' blueline, Marleau drove to the net and deftly stickhandled the puck in close until goalie Steve Mason had no chance to stop him, then quickly tapped it into the net for his first as a Leaf at the 8:35 mark of the second.
Matthews deserved credit for the setup - his second assist of the game - but the soft hands and incredible hand-eye-coordination of Marleau was what finished it. The 38-year-old Marleau had amassed 508 career regular-season goals before he signed with Toronto, but his 509th was a thing of beauty, and will forever have a little extra-special meaning for him and for Leafs Nation.

4. Marleau strikes again early in third to force a Jets goalie change, put Leafs in commanding lead. The Leafs killed off six Jets power plays before the third period began, but started the the final regulation frame by quickly applying pressure in Winnipeg's zone - and they were rewarded for it when Kadri found Marleau directly in front of Mason, and Marleau beat the Jets netminder for the second time in the game to make it 5-0 for Toronto at the 36-second mark. Marleau will be on highlight reels because of his pair of goals, but he also deserves kudos for his efforts on defence: Leafs head coach Mike Babcock played him for 2:44 of penalty kill time, 2:06 of power play time and 14:41 overall, and the veteran did not disappoint in any aspect of the game.

5. Marner, Matthews add goals in third as Leafs sew up first victory of the year.

The third period turned out to be much looser than the two that preceded it, with both sides giving each other a pair of man advantages and a number of high-quality scoring chances. But it was the Leafs who added to their lead again after Marleau's second of the game: winger Mitch Marner, who had the secondary assist on Marleau's first goal, scored his first of the year with a power play marker at 8:07.
Winnipeg got on the scoreboard 3:24 later on centre Mark Schiefele's first of the season, but the Buds answered back 26 seconds after that when Matthews deflected a Connor Carrick shot into Winnipeg's net to make it 7-1 and give Matthews three points in his first game as a sophomore. Jets centre Mathieu Perreault scored exactly one minute later for the final goal of the game, but by that point, the Leafs had established themselves as the better team.

All-in-all, Leafs Nation had to be happy with this outing, as even the rough spots for Toronto - for example, the eight power plays Toronto surrendered all were killed off - had positive elements to them. Andersen was tremendous when he needed to be and stopped 35 of 37 Jets shots, Marleau made a terrific first impression in a Buds uniform, and the Leafs' potent offence delivered more than enough goals to win the game. The Blue & White will head back to Toronto to prepare for their next game - Saturday night against the New York Rangers at Air Canada Centre - with the confidence they can do more than a little damage.
 

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced today that the hockey club has loaned defenceman Martin Marincin to the Toronto Marlies (AHL), while defenceman Calle Rosén has been recalled from the Marlies. Marincin, 25, skated in 25 regular season games for the Maple Leafs in 2016-17 and registered a goal and six assists. He also appeared in six Stanley Cup playoff games for Toronto. Marincin has skated in 128 career AHL games - all with the Oklahoma City Barons - and has recorded 45 points (10 goals, 35 assists). Rosén, 23, is entering first NHL season after playing the last two seasons with the Växjö Lakers of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). In 2016-17, Rosén registered 19 points (six goals and 13 assists) and 10 penalty minutes, ranking second among U24 SHL defencemen in both points and points per game (0.46). He also recorded five goals and two assists in 11 Champions Hockey League games with Växjö. His five goals led all defencemen in the tournament. Rosén signed a two-year entry level contract with the Maple Leafs on May 16, 2017.


The Toronto Maple Leafs announced today that the club has acquired goaltender Calvin Pickard from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for forward Tobias Lindberg and a sixth-round selection in the 2018 NHL Draft. Pickard, 25, posted a 15-31-2 record with a 2.98 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage in 50 games with Colorado in 2016-17. He was selected by the Golden Knights in the 2017 NHL Expansion draft on June 21, 2017. In 86 career NHL games, all with Colorado, Pickard has a record of 28-44-6 with a 2.77 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage. Pickard has also represented Canada internationally at the 2016 and 2017 World Championships. In 2016, he appeared in two games for Canada and registered a 2-0 record with a 0.50 goals-against average and a .971 save percentage, capturing a gold medal. In 2017, he appeared in seven of Canada's 10 games and posted a record of 5-2-0 with a 1.49 goals-against average and .938 save percentage, earning a silver medal.

The Moncton, N.B., native, who was originally selected by the Colorado Avalanche in the second round (49th overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft, has been assigned to the Toronto Marlies of American Hockey League (AHL). Lindberg, 22, appeared in six games for the Maple Leafs during the 2015-16 season and registered two assists after being acquired in a trade with Ottawa on Feb. 9, 2016. The Stockholm, Sweden native has appeared in 66 regular season games with the Toronto Marlies and recorded 28 points (12 goals, 16 assists). Lindberg also skated in three Calder Cup playoff games with the Marlies during their 2016 playoff campaign.

Winnipeg's newest netminder had just made a gargantuan save off Patrick Marleau to keep the contest even after William Nylander and the visiting Maple Leafs turned back on a 2-on-1 break. The hometown crowd of more than 15,000 erupted in cheers and The Heavy's 'How You Like Me Now?' blared over the speakers, all to the beat of his 19 teammates banging the boards in a show of appreciation.

Then, less than 10 minutes later and on Toronto's third shot of the new season, Nazem Kadri found a loose puck at the side of the net and buried the icebreaker on the power play, mere seconds after Mason made two big saves on James van Riemsdyk. Three of the Leafs' next 10 shots found the twine, too, and the rout was on despite the Jets heavily outshooting their Canadian counterparts in the opening 30 minutes.

"It definitely wasn't what we were looking for. It just wasn't good enough," Jets goalie Steve Mason said.
"At the end of the day, it's my job to be sharper than that. … It just wasn't a good game for myself."
Marleau scored his second of the night just 36 seconds into the third period, and Mason's night came to an early end after allowing five goals on 20 goals.
Head Coach Paul Maurice wasn't pinning any of them on his goaltender, saying his debut was no rougher than anyone else's in a 7-2 final.
"He's going to have a couple he'd like to have back, but there wasn't anything you're looking at saying, 'My God, how did he miss that?'" Maurice said. "The first goal, he got bowled over by our own guy; he's got no chance on that. The next one was a real quick little deflection, and he's not going to do anything with the third one."
Patrik Laine, who had an assist on Mark Scheifele's first of the season, was disappointed in how the team left Mason to fend for himself.
"It's frustrating because we practiced our defensive play so much during training camp, and then in the first regular-season game the opponent scores seven goals. It wasn't the ideal start, but we'll just try to move forward."
As for Mason, he has full confidence in his ability to bounce back. He'll look for redemption when the Jets begin a three-game road trip on Saturday in Calgary.
"It's a bad game. It happens. It sucks when it does happen, but you put it behind you and get out of it."

It wasn't the night the Winnipeg Jets were looking for. After scoring 13 power play goals in seven preseason games, the Jets couldn't light the lamp on three early opportunities on the man advantage against the Toronto Maple Leafs, ultimately falling by a score of 7-2 in front of a sold out Bell MTS Place. Patrick Marleau scored twice for Toronto, with Nazem Kadri, James van Riemsdyk, William Nylander, Auston Matthews, and Mitch Marner added singles. Mark Scheifele and Mathieu Perreault scored for the Jets in the loss.

"It doesn't take much for them. They finish on the opportunities they have. They're a good, sharp offensive team. They got the pucks to the net real quick," head coach Paul Maurice said postgame. "Their goalie was good. He made some real good saves. I'm not saying that's the game. He handled his rebounds especially well I thought."

The Jets would finish 0-for-8 on the power play on the night, and captain Blake Wheeler said the game changed quickly after Toronto's opening goal, the first of three in a 2:38 span.

"We had a number of power plays, and it was doing everything but scoring. Then we took a penalty and let a greasy one in. From there, you blink and it's 3-0," said Wheeler. "We just weren't able to dig our way out of it.
"It's tough to on the spot regroup and try to get your game going again. It's too bad we couldn't find a way to try to salvage one somewhere within the next 10 minutes and get some momentum going our way."

That first goal came with Jacob Trouba off for hooking. Kadri banged in a loose puck after Steve Mason turned away two chances from James van Riemsdyk in tight. Less than two minutes later, Tyler Bozak won an offensive zone face-off to van Riemsdyk, who's wrist shot deflected off the stick of Josh Morrissey at the hashmarks, and beat Mason on the stick side. Nylander rounded out the scoring in the opening frame. With a delayed penalty coming to Winnipeg, Auston Matthews circled the Jets zone and left a drop pass at the point for Jake Gardiner, who found Nylander by himself back door for the tap-in.

"It definitely wasn't what we were looking for. It just wasn't good enough," Mason said.
"At the end of the day, it's my job to be sharper than that. … It just wasn't a good game for myself."

Marleau - playing in his first game with Toronto after signing July 2 - made it 4-0 when Matthews sent a backhand saucer pass over the stick of Trouba to Marleau, who broke in alone, faked forehand and beat Mason on the backhand to make it 4-0. Marleau would score his second of the night 36 seconds into the third, ripping a pass from forechecking Kadri past Mason from the top of the circle. That was the end of the night for Mason, who gave way for Connor Hellebuyck after stopping 15 of 20 shots.

"Five was enough. He's going to have a couple he's going to want to have back," said Maurice. "The first goal, he got bowled over by our own guy, he's got no chance on that. The next one is a real quick deflection, and he's not going to do anything with the third one."

After Marner made it 6-0, Scheifele was the benefactor of a slick goal line backhand saucer pass from Patrik Laine. Scheifele one-timed the feed from the bottom of the circle for his first of the season. Perreault and Matthews would score late to bring the final score to 7-2. Wheeler says it's important the team leaves this result behind when they reconvene at Bell MTS Iceplex for practice tomorrow, even if it may be difficult.

"Probably if you're in the season a little bit, you can throw this one in the trash and move on. The fact it's the first game, it's not obviously the way you want to start, especially at home," said Wheeler. "Hopefully it's a good shock to the system and we can get back at it tomorrow."