New Jersey @ Leafs 6-3 - Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Listening to the game by radio is never ideal but when you are following the action while travelling by Megabus from Toronto Airport to Kingston, Ontario awaiting one of the most exciting moments of your life it all adds to the drama. As we left the city limits and tried to avoid the notorious Toronto traffic we just about skirted past the ACC and then there was the TSN studios next up as we headed East out of the city. All the while longing to be at the game but also knowing I had something better awaiting. However, the Leafs didn't read the script.
Miles Wood and Pavel Zacha each scored two goals, and Cory Schneider made 47 saves to help the New Jersey Devils remain undefeated with a 6-3 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. Brian Gibbons and Blake Coleman each scored, and Adam Henrique and rookie defenseman Will Butcher each had two assists for the Devils, who are 3-0-0 for the first time since 2014-15.
"It's important for us to be able to come in and play a team like this and be able to find a way to win the game," coach John Hynes said. "I think there's lots of lessons to be learned from this game, even though we won it, it's been a different game than our first two. Handling the momentum in certain areas, we didn't handle it as well, but I think it's a confidence-booster for us to be able to come in and play with them. It's much better to learn lessons and get better through winning than losing."
James van Riemsdyk, Dominic Moore and Auston Matthews scored for the Maple Leafs (3-1-0). Frederik Andersen made 25 saves. The Devils scored twice in the second period to break a 2-2 tie. Zacha beat Andersen for a power-play goal at 9:58 for a 3-2 lead. The Maple Leafs got a two-minute 5-on-3 power play after Zacha was called for hooking and defenseman John Moore was called for cross checking at 14:44, but Gibbons scored a shorthanded goal 10 seconds later to give New Jersey a 4-2 lead.
New Jersey killed off the remaining 1:50 of the two-man advantage for Toronto.
Coleman made it 5-2 at 3:35 of the third period when he knocked down Maple Leafs defenseman Calle Rosen's clearing attempt and put a wrist shot past Andersen's glove from the high slot. Matthews scored his third goal on a 5-on-3 power play at 13:34 to get Toronto to within 5-3, but Zacha scored his second of the season at 17:21 to make it 6-3.
Van Riemsdyk scored a power-play goal at 8:33 of the first period to put Toronto up 1-0, but Wood scored twice in 1:38 to give New Jersey the lead.
He deflected a Steven Santini point shot past Andersen at 9:07 to tie the game 1-1 with his first goal of the season. Then, after Rosen turned over the puck at the blue line, Wood beat Andersen with a wrist shot at 10:45 to put the Devils up 2-1. At 13:33 of the first period, Moore deflected a Nikita Zaitsev point shot past Schneider to tie it 2-2.
Goal of the game
Rookie forward Jesper Bratt carried the puck from the blue line to below the goal line in the right corner and passed to Marcus Johansson behind the net. Johansson quickly returned a pass to Bratt, who found Zacha at the top of the crease for a one-timer to put the Devils ahead.
Nazem Kadri set up Patrick Marleau in the slot, but Schneider lifted his right arm to make a save on a shot that was headed for the left corner of the net at 6:03 of the third period.
Highlight of the game
Wood came through the neutral zone with speed and stole the puck from Rosen before skating in alone on Andersen and putting a wrist shot in high to the blocker side for his second goal of the night.
"I thought Schneider was great and made a lot of really big saves. I think there was a time about halfway into the game where we got a lot of chances and he was making really good saves that helped his team a lot." -- Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly
Need to know
Gibbons' shorthanded goal was the first at 3-on-5 in Devils history. … The Maple Leafs had a 79-50 advantage in shot attempts in all situations and 49-31 at 5-on-5.
James van Riemsdyk, Dominic Moore and Auston Matthews scored for the Maple Leafs (3-1-0). Frederik Andersen made 25 saves. The Devils scored twice in the second period to break a 2-2 tie. Zacha beat Andersen for a power-play goal at 9:58 for a 3-2 lead. The Maple Leafs got a two-minute 5-on-3 power play after Zacha was called for hooking and defenseman John Moore was called for cross checking at 14:44, but Gibbons scored a shorthanded goal 10 seconds later to give New Jersey a 4-2 lead.
New Jersey killed off the remaining 1:50 of the two-man advantage for Toronto.
Coleman made it 5-2 at 3:35 of the third period when he knocked down Maple Leafs defenseman Calle Rosen's clearing attempt and put a wrist shot past Andersen's glove from the high slot. Matthews scored his third goal on a 5-on-3 power play at 13:34 to get Toronto to within 5-3, but Zacha scored his second of the season at 17:21 to make it 6-3.
Van Riemsdyk scored a power-play goal at 8:33 of the first period to put Toronto up 1-0, but Wood scored twice in 1:38 to give New Jersey the lead.
He deflected a Steven Santini point shot past Andersen at 9:07 to tie the game 1-1 with his first goal of the season. Then, after Rosen turned over the puck at the blue line, Wood beat Andersen with a wrist shot at 10:45 to put the Devils up 2-1. At 13:33 of the first period, Moore deflected a Nikita Zaitsev point shot past Schneider to tie it 2-2.
Nazem Kadri set up Patrick Marleau in the slot, but Schneider lifted his right arm to make a save on a shot that was headed for the left corner of the net at 6:03 of the third period.
Highlight of the game
Wood came through the neutral zone with speed and stole the puck from Rosen before skating in alone on Andersen and putting a wrist shot in high to the blocker side for his second goal of the night.
Need to know
Gibbons' shorthanded goal was the first at 3-on-5 in Devils history. … The Maple Leafs had a 79-50 advantage in shot attempts in all situations and 49-31 at 5-on-5.
Leafs @ Montreal Canadiens 4-3 OT - Saturday, October 14, 2017
Auston Matthews scored his second goal of the game at 48 seconds of overtime to give the Toronto Maple Leafs a 4-3 win against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. Matthews shot past Carey Price on an odd-man rush for his fifth goal to end Toronto's 14-game losing streak (0-9-5) against Montreal. It was the Maple Leafs' first win against the Canadiens since a 5-3 victory at Air Canada Centre on Jan. 18, 2014."It's always a hostile environment when we come in here, and it's obviously a great atmosphere, so to come out with two points, it's what we came here to do and we're going to take it and move on here," said Matthews, who leads Toronto with eight points (five goals, three assists) in five games.
James van Riemsdyk and Patrick Marleau scored for the Maple Leafs (4-1-0), who matched their best start since 2013-14. Frederik Andersen made 31 saves, including 13 in the third period and one in overtime.
"Anytime you come in here you're playing [Price], he's the best there is in the League," Toronto coach Mike Babcock said. "It's great to look down the rink at him and you've got to beat him one on one. You've got to be better than him if you're going to win, so I thought [Andersen] did a good job tonight."
Jonathan Drouin scored his first Montreal goal and had an assist for the first multipoint game by a Canadiens player this season. Jeff Petry and Alex Galchenyuk scored for Montreal (1-3-1), which scored four goals in its first four games and has lost four straight. Price made 18 saves.
The Canadiens last started 1-3-1 in 2011-12. Drouin gave Montreal a 3-2 lead at 11:33 of the second period. Marleau tied it at 3-3 with his third goal at 12:40. The goal was initially waved off, but a video review confirmed the puck had crossed the goal line. Petry gave the Canadiens a 1-0 lead at 2:19 of the first period. He skated into the Maple Leafs' zone to take a pass from Drouin at the right point and one-timed a slap shot past Andersen and inside the left post.
Van Riemsdyk drew the Maple Leafs even at 1-1 at 7:32 with his fourth goal, a shot off a faceoff win by Tyler Bozak. Matthews put Toronto ahead 2-1 and extended his point streak to five games with his fourth goal at 8:16. Galchenyuk tied it at 2-2 at 16:49 with Montreal's first power-play goal in 15 opportunities this season.
Goal of the game
Matthews took a pass from William Nylander before going in to score his second overtime goal in three games. "I was kind of contemplating changing but I didn't want to give up a 3-on-2," Matthews said. "So (Andersen) made a huge save and we just kind of turned it back the other way and [Nylander] made an unbelievable pass to me and I was able to sink it in."
Andersen squared himself to make the save on Canadiens center Tomas Plekanec's shot from the left circle at 11:42 of the third period to keep it tied 3-3.
Drouin used his backhand to redirect Karl Alzner's slap pass from the left point past Andersen. "It's always a good feeling to score, either on the road or at home, but it doesn't matter as much when you lose the game," Drouin said.
"I'm so used to it by now. He's so good at finding those seams and making those types of passes, so for myself, I just need to make sure I'm ready because I know the puck's coming." -- Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews about William Nylander's pass to set up his overtime goal
Need to know
It was the Maple Leafs' first victory in Montreal in four years. Toronto was 0-6-2 in its previous eight games at Bell Centre since a 4-3 win on Oct. 1, 2013. ... Matthews had a goal waved off 19 seconds before Drouin scored. A video review confirmed that he made contact with the puck with a high stick. ... Maple Leafs defenseman Connor Carrick returned after missing two games because of an upper-body injury. ... Montreal was 1-for-2 on the power play, and is 1-for-16 through five games.
Jonathan Drouin scored his first Montreal goal and had an assist for the first multipoint game by a Canadiens player this season. Jeff Petry and Alex Galchenyuk scored for Montreal (1-3-1), which scored four goals in its first four games and has lost four straight. Price made 18 saves.
The Canadiens last started 1-3-1 in 2011-12. Drouin gave Montreal a 3-2 lead at 11:33 of the second period. Marleau tied it at 3-3 with his third goal at 12:40. The goal was initially waved off, but a video review confirmed the puck had crossed the goal line. Petry gave the Canadiens a 1-0 lead at 2:19 of the first period. He skated into the Maple Leafs' zone to take a pass from Drouin at the right point and one-timed a slap shot past Andersen and inside the left post.
Van Riemsdyk drew the Maple Leafs even at 1-1 at 7:32 with his fourth goal, a shot off a faceoff win by Tyler Bozak. Matthews put Toronto ahead 2-1 and extended his point streak to five games with his fourth goal at 8:16. Galchenyuk tied it at 2-2 at 16:49 with Montreal's first power-play goal in 15 opportunities this season.
Goal of the game
Matthews took a pass from William Nylander before going in to score his second overtime goal in three games. "I was kind of contemplating changing but I didn't want to give up a 3-on-2," Matthews said. "So (Andersen) made a huge save and we just kind of turned it back the other way and [Nylander] made an unbelievable pass to me and I was able to sink it in."
Drouin used his backhand to redirect Karl Alzner's slap pass from the left point past Andersen. "It's always a good feeling to score, either on the road or at home, but it doesn't matter as much when you lose the game," Drouin said.
"I'm so used to it by now. He's so good at finding those seams and making those types of passes, so for myself, I just need to make sure I'm ready because I know the puck's coming." -- Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews about William Nylander's pass to set up his overtime goal
Need to know
It was the Maple Leafs' first victory in Montreal in four years. Toronto was 0-6-2 in its previous eight games at Bell Centre since a 4-3 win on Oct. 1, 2013. ... Matthews had a goal waved off 19 seconds before Drouin scored. A video review confirmed that he made contact with the puck with a high stick. ... Maple Leafs defenseman Connor Carrick returned after missing two games because of an upper-body injury. ... Montreal was 1-for-2 on the power play, and is 1-for-16 through five games.
Leafs @ Washington Capitals 2-0 - Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Frederik Andersen made 30 saves for the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 2-0 win against the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena. Connor Brown scored at 5:53 of the third period to give Toronto a 1-0 lead, poking the rebound of a Morgan Rielly point shot past goalie Braden Holtby. Nazem Kadri scored into an empty net with 22 seconds left to make it 2-0.
"Obviously, you don't mind the shutouts," said Andersen, who earned his first of the season and the 11th of his NHL career. "It's fun for the team and myself to have a game where pucks don't go in."
Toronto (5-1-0) was allowing 3.80 goals per game. The Maple Leafs, who entered with the best power play in the League (30.8 percent), were 0-for-2 on the man-advantage with three shots on goal. Holtby made 28 saves for the Capitals (3-3-0).
"[Andersen] was great and so was Holtby," Brown said. "I think we gave up more than we'd like, but we did a lot of good things to get through the neutral zone and hang on to pucks. It was good to find one there."
Washington forward Tyler Graovac, in the lineup to replace center Lars Eller (illness), left the game in the first period with an upper-body injury after he was hit by Toronto forward Matt Martin on two shifts. Graovac is expected to miss some time, Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. It was the first game between the Maple Leafs and Capitals since Washington won in six games in the 2017 Eastern Conference First Round.
"When it's crunch time and you're getting close to the end of the year like we were last year, you look back on these kind of close games and think about the value that's in these points," Rielly said. "To get these ones and get rolling a little bit is a great feeling. But it's only six games."
Goal of the game
Brown snuck behind the Washington defense and got into a perfect position after a turnover at the blue line. Holtby stopped a soft shot by Rielly, but before he could gather the rebound, Brown lifted the goalie's stick and tapped in the puck.
With the Capitals on the power play, Andersen dove headfirst to challenge Evgeny Kuznetsov at the bottom of the left face-off circle and used his stick to knock away the shot with 5:06 left in the second period.
With Holtby pulled for an extra attacker and the Maple Leafs under pressure in the final minute, Toronto left wing Zach Hyman won a board battle and tapped the puck back to Rielly, whose quick pass to Kadri led to a zone exit. Kadri deked Ovechkin, beat him down the ice and scored despite the Capitals captain hooking him from behind.
"We have to be able to do it consistently. We have some tough matchups in the near future that we've got to be ready for. So we take this one. It feels good. But we move on. I think we play tomorrow, don't we? Do we play tomorrow? Yeah. We play tomorrow. So start thinking about that one." -- Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly
Need to know
The Maple Leafs shut out the Capitals in Washington for the first time (73 games). … Ovechkin, who leads the NHL in goals (nine) and shots on goal (39), was held without a point for the second consecutive game.
Toronto (5-1-0) was allowing 3.80 goals per game. The Maple Leafs, who entered with the best power play in the League (30.8 percent), were 0-for-2 on the man-advantage with three shots on goal. Holtby made 28 saves for the Capitals (3-3-0).
"[Andersen] was great and so was Holtby," Brown said. "I think we gave up more than we'd like, but we did a lot of good things to get through the neutral zone and hang on to pucks. It was good to find one there."
Washington forward Tyler Graovac, in the lineup to replace center Lars Eller (illness), left the game in the first period with an upper-body injury after he was hit by Toronto forward Matt Martin on two shifts. Graovac is expected to miss some time, Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. It was the first game between the Maple Leafs and Capitals since Washington won in six games in the 2017 Eastern Conference First Round.
"When it's crunch time and you're getting close to the end of the year like we were last year, you look back on these kind of close games and think about the value that's in these points," Rielly said. "To get these ones and get rolling a little bit is a great feeling. But it's only six games."
Goal of the game
Brown snuck behind the Washington defense and got into a perfect position after a turnover at the blue line. Holtby stopped a soft shot by Rielly, but before he could gather the rebound, Brown lifted the goalie's stick and tapped in the puck.
With the Capitals on the power play, Andersen dove headfirst to challenge Evgeny Kuznetsov at the bottom of the left face-off circle and used his stick to knock away the shot with 5:06 left in the second period.
With Holtby pulled for an extra attacker and the Maple Leafs under pressure in the final minute, Toronto left wing Zach Hyman won a board battle and tapped the puck back to Rielly, whose quick pass to Kadri led to a zone exit. Kadri deked Ovechkin, beat him down the ice and scored despite the Capitals captain hooking him from behind.
Need to know
The Maple Leafs shut out the Capitals in Washington for the first time (73 games). … Ovechkin, who leads the NHL in goals (nine) and shots on goal (39), was held without a point for the second consecutive game.
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