In what has been quite the roller coaster season for the Leafs so far, last night provided another exciting twist and turn as the Leafs bested their divisional rival Boston Bruins in a stunning 3-2 shootout victory. The win was a big character victory for the Leafs, and something they can hopefully build upon.
After a lifeless effort against the bottom feeding Edmonton Oilers, the Leafs were bolstered by the returns of Colby Armstrong and JS Giguere to the line up. Armstrong provided a strong physical presence that the Leafs seemed to lack in Edmonton. While Jonas Gustavsson has played admirably in Giguere’s absence, the veteran netminder’s presence seemed to calm the Leafs defensemen.
In a tight checking, low scoring affair that was tied 1-1 heading into the third, the Leafs fell behind early in the third as Gregory Campbell wired a shot home from the point. Pressing the attack but unable to beat netminder Tim Thomas, it was a late holding call by Patrice Bergeron that sent the Leafs to the power play in the closing minutes. After several good chances, and with the clock winding down, the Leafs pulled Giguere to give themselves a 6 on 4 advantage.
After winning the faceoff in the offensive zone, the play moved to Clarke MacArthur, who intentionally shot wide to generate a rebound that landed on the stick of Kris Versteeg, and he made no mistake, putting the puck into the open corner of the net as Thomas struggled to recover, tying the game with just 42 seconds left in the period. Those 42 seconds were uneventful and the game went to overtime.
In the overtime period the Leafs pressed the attack once again, but Tim Thomas made what many are calling the save of the year, diving to glove down a Francois Beauchemin shot, who had the entire open net to shoot at. The 5 minutes of 4 on 4 solved nothing, and the two teams went to a shootout. The Leafs had a 1-4 record after 60 minutes of play so far this season, including shootout losses to the Capitals and Sabres.
Toronto rookie Nazem Kadri and Boston rookie Tyler Seguin both dazzled in the shootout, while Nikolai Kulemin and David Krecji were stopped on their attempts. Phil Kessel wired a shot at Thomas that he seemed to stop, but Thomas’ own momentum carried himself, and the puck, across the line. Michael Ryder’s final attempt rang off the post, sealing the victory for the Leafs.
Many stories can come out of a game such as this, but the biggest would have to be Phil Kessel getting a form of redemption against his former club. Since the 2009 trade that sent Phil to Toronto, he’s had just one assist in 7 games against the Bruins. Netting the shootout winner should be a major monkey off his back and may help him to feel more relaxed.
Last night’s game was also the second straight in which the Leafs didn’t allow a power play goal against. In fact, the Leafs have killed off 9 of their last 10 penalties, stretching back to Tuesday’s loss against the Lightning. The addition of Colby Armstrong should certainly help in this regard, and it’s definitely something they need to work on in order to improve as a team.
The win also pulls the Leafs within striking distance of the struggling Sens and Sabres, who have played two more games than the Leafs but are just 2 and 3 points ahead of the Leafs, respectively. Things don’t get any easier for the Leafs as they head out on the road to visit Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals, as well as Sidney Crosby and the Penguins, before heading home to host the Flyers.
Overall last night’s game would have Leaf Nation on a high this morning, but most die-hard Leafs fans have learned to temper their expectations at this point. However, such a statement game from the club, coming right after what was their worst performance of the season, does give us some insight as to the character of this club. It is a good indicator that the players can hold themselves accountable and are quickly able to put games like Thursday’s loss behind them.
With a gutsy performance like last night’s come from behind win, maybe it’ll be a little easier for Leafs fans to put Thursday’s loss behind them as well.
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Born and raised in Northern Ontario but currently living in Toronto, Tyler wouldn't have it any other way. Home to his two favourite sports teams, Tyler revels in the day to day sports experience that is Toronto. 