There was no shortage of support for the Toronto Maple Leafs during the Blue Jays home opener, as hockey fans from Washington, Long Island, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Buffalo decided to become hardcore Leafs fans for the evening.
The Pittsburgh Penguins outshot the Leafs 10-5 in the first, and Ilya Lyubushkin struggled greatly. The physical defender took an early boarding penalty, and though Ilya Samsonov was able to bail him out, he wasn’t able to cover for him when Lyubushkin gave the puck away with under two minutes left in the opening frame.
The Leafs responded and tied things up five minutes into the second. Pontus Holmberg won an offensive-zone faceoff, and T.J. Brodie made an excellent pass to set up Matthew Knies for a tap-in. Though Toronto took three more penalties in the period, Samsonov and the penalty kill found a way to keep the score tied through 40.
The two teams exchanged goals in the third, and the Penguins got a point they desperately needed, but Jake McCabe made plenty of other fans happy by stopping them there with an overtime winner. Kyle Dubas made a great decision to trade for McCabe at last year’s deadline, but he regretted it Monday night.
Three stars
1. Ilya Samsonov
Samsonov stopped 24 of 26 against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night, and he earned a second consecutive start in the process. He carried his confidence into Monday night’s performance but didn’t have much of a chance on this Rakell goal late in the first:
brutal d-zone turnover pic.twitter.com/SsUlNJzU6v
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 8, 2024
The Penguins had five power plays in the first two periods, and though they probably deserved to have the lead, Samsonov made a couple of big stops to keep the score tied heading into the third:
good save by Samsonov but Giordano takes a penalty pic.twitter.com/JQMzrwGcrQ
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 9, 2024
HOLY! pic.twitter.com/zDFhMGK6ka
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 9, 2024
Although Samsonov had a quieter start to the third, Drew O’Connor scored a tap-in after the puck hit a skate in front:
Drew O’Connor ties it pic.twitter.com/ApK25IGBNg
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 9, 2024
He wasn’t perfect, but he was one of the main reasons this game got to overtime.
2. Auston Matthews
Matthews was held off the scoresheet for the first two periods, even though his line was easily Toronto’s best. However, he wasted no time getting on the board in the third, blasting a one-timer past Alex Nedeljkovic to give the Leafs the lead and earn his 65th goal of the season:
step 1: win the draw
step 2: get it to Matthews pic.twitter.com/vqCb5V2kMP— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 9, 2024
Matthews has a five-game goal streak and an 11-game point streak. He’s playing his best hockey and finding a way to dominate night after night.
3. T.J. Brodie
Brodie certainly is not known for his offensive game, but he made a perfect pass to set up Knies in the second:
great pass from Brodie pic.twitter.com/s4EDrIbFvc
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 9, 2024
McCabe deserves an honourable mention for the overtime winner, but let’s give the nod to Brodie since he was also excellent defensively.
A strong night for Toronto’s special teams
There haven’t been many goals scored on special teams at either end during Leafs games lately. Toronto had gone five straight games without giving up a goal while short-handed before Nick Suzuki ended that streak Saturday. However, Toronto’s power play had scored just once in seven games entering play, so it’s not like the Leafs have enjoyed a huge special teams advantage, either.
Toronto’s penalty kill was a perfect two-for-two in the first, but it wasn’t always pretty, as Pittsburgh’s power play was moving the puck well. The penalty kill went three-for-three in the second, and the results looked far more deserved. Toronto’s power play added to Toronto’s strong special teams results to start the third as Matthews blasted a one-timer for a goal off a faceoff win from John Tavares.
It feels like a power play that features Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Tavares and Morgan Rielly can get hot at any moment, but they’ve gone cold in the playoffs plenty of times in the past. The penalty kill has easily been their main concern this season, but Samsonov’s been able to cover for his teammates when called upon lately, and the trade deadline additions have at least given Sheldon Keefe more options. There’s still some work to do before Leafs fans can be confident in Toronto’s special teams heading into the playoffs, but Monday night was certainly a step in the right direction.
Keefe’s playoff lineup is still up in the air
Keefe’s lineup once again featured a three-pronged attack with Matthews, Marner and Nylander on different lines. Experimenting with this before the playoffs makes plenty of sense, as Matthews did not miss a beat when Marner was out of the lineup. Here’s a quick look at his recent numbers entering play:
Auston Matthews over the past ten games:
66.4 xGF%
73.1 GF% (Leafs up 16-6 in his 5v5 minutes)9 goals
9 assists— Kevin Papetti (@KPapetti) April 8, 2024
Tyler Bertuzzi has been a good fit on both top-six lines all season, but it’s been difficult to figure out where Max Domi fits best. Domi spent the vast majority of the season at centre, but given that Matthews and Tavares ought to get plenty of offensive zone starts, Domi wasn’t exactly a natural fit for the third-line centre role. I didn’t think he’d be a great fit with Matthews, either, as it’s tough to put a player who struggles defensively on a line that regularly faces opposing top lines.
It’s tough to argue against the results thus far, as Domi now hasn’t been on for a goal against at even strength in five straight. The fourth line did its job for the most part as well, as its minutes were quite boring. It was the middle six that left Keefe with more questions than answers, as it was an off night for Tavares and Nylander. Toronto’s defenders looked like they were having a competition to see who could take the most penalties, but its special teams found a way to step up. Both of Toronto’s goals in regulation were scored immediately after a faceoff win.
Game Score
Final grade: B-
Monday night’s result meant everything for the Penguins and very little for the Leafs. Though Pittsburgh outplayed the Leafs early, it was mostly due to having more power-play opportunities than dominant five-on-five play. However, discipline is important, and Pittsburgh’s five-to-one advantage in power-play chances through two periods seemed warranted rather than a result of unfavorable officiating. Though the Matthews line had some strong shifts, the middle six were getting outplayed.
The Leafs started the third with a power play of their own, and they were trying to protect a lead for most of the period. Though there are plenty of positives to take away, particularly on special teams, the Leafs were too undisciplined to deserve an “A.” They were just OK at even strength rather than dominant.
What’s next for the Leafs?
Heading to New Jersey to play the Devils at 7 p.m. Tuesday on TSN.
