Coming off of their first dominant performance of the season vs. Winnipeg, in which the Leafs controlled play and left with a 4-1 victory, it was reasonable to believe that the tides might be turning.
Headed to Vegas for the second tilt of a 5-game road trip, the Maple Leafs looked asleep from the moment the puck dropped and showed very little signs of life all throughout the game.
These games happen to all teams, however it certainly appears that a trend is starting to emerge. Through 7 games, the Maple Leafs look like an uninspired hockey club.
GAME 7 - Maple Leafs 1 @ Golden Knights 3
On a night where former Maple Leaf Phil Kessel skated in his 989th consecutive game, matching Keith Yandle’s current NHL ironman streak, the current iteration of the Blue & White fittingly resembled the lacklustre team Kessel played on during his years in Toronto.
Drawing an early too-many-men penalty, a bench minor plague that has carried over from last season’s NHL leading 14 infractions, the Leafs conceded the ever-so-predictable goal from a former player, as Kessel scored what appeared to be his 400th career goal on his milestone night.
In what was one of the few positive events of the evening for the Leafs, Sheldon Keefe challenged the goal on account of a missed offside call and the goal was overturned.
The momentum lasted for less time than it took to review the play itself, as Nicholas Roy burried another powerplay goal, no challenge required, and the Leafs were down 1-0.
William Nylander would tie the game at the midway point of the second period, but it was all Golden Knights the rest of the way on a night that would have been an absolute shellacking if not for the stellar play of Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov.
(And of course, cup-of-coffee former Leaf Michael Amadio would score the dagger in the 3rd. The smart money on any one of the billion sports betting apps in Ontario would be to wager on an obscure former Leaf scoring when given the chance, for what it’s worth).
WHO STOOD OUT?
The lone bright spot on the night was Ilya Samsonov.
Settling into his role as the Maple Leafs #1 starter, he looked calm and composed in the net, and made a few ten-bell saves to keep the game within reach.
In what was the most embarrassing stretch of the game, his teammates left him completely out to dry to start the 3rd period of a tied game on the road, followed shortly thereafter by a Victor Mete over-commit, leading to the third goal against.
Fair to say that none of the goals against were the fault of Samsonov.
QUICK HITTERS
The #1 D pairing of Morgan Rielly and T.J. Brodie were absolutely burried in their own zone last night, on the ice for 11 shot attempts against and 0 for at even-strength
In an attempt to shake things up on the first power play unit, Auston Matthews was put at the top of the umbrella and ripping one-timers from the point. While I like the idea in theory, I’m not sure moving his shot further away and without goalie movement is the answer.
To this eye, Michael Bunting’s touches have been part of the reason there has been a lack of even-strength production from the first line. As evident by the role Zach Hyman played for years, the ability for the Marner-Matthews winger to hunt pucks and make plays is critical
William Nylander continues to be this team’s best player in transition and the most reliable to enter the zone with control. He’s continuing his point-per-game pace from last season to start the year.
It was good to see John Tavares return to the game after taking a Rasmus Sandin point shot off the leg. It certainly looked far worse, and will be interesting to see if he misses any time.
NEXT UP
The Maple Leafs head to California for Game 3 of the road trip versus the 2-6 San Jose Sharks. Puck drops at 10:30 PM EST.