Extinguish the Flames

 Game 32: Flames vs. Leafs

Simon B

Leafs Nation has been in a confusing spot over the past two weeks or so. We’ve had a bunch of worries about this team that looked like worldbeaters out of the gate but since beating the Oilers they've lost 6 of their last 7 (that one win coming in overtime), which is enough to make them second-worst in the NHL behind the Buffalo Sabres over that span. Another recurring issue has been goaltending. Toronto has not been getting good enough performances from Frederik Andersen in the month of March, who’s let into many "soft" goals. With backup netminder Jack Campbell back from injury, Leafs fans are hoping he's at least the short-term solution to this problem.

Campbell got the start last night and he's basically got the next stretch of games to show the Leafs that he can be their number one goalie going forward because things aren't going smoothly with Andersen at all. Freddy even admitted in an interview last week saying that he's "not at all at 100%" and still "trying to find my (Andersen's) game." So Campbell is the Leaf's last option before possibly having to trade for a goalie if things really take a turn for the worst.

The Game

I had a very typical "Leafs fan" reaction to the goaltending situation so we'll have to see how things played out on the ice. 

To start the game, the Leafs were the far better team. They had the most "high-danger" chances and were really putting Calgary on their heels. One thing I really liked was that they were able to dictate the pace of the game and not have to play at a pace that their opposition was dictating. They the flow high-paced and really quick back and forth and it was clear that the Flames couldn't keep up with it at all. 

Something that has been was killing the Leafs of late was constantly allowing the first goal of the game. Giving up the advantage so early in the game that they are chasing play almost from the start instead of imposing their game. However, that didn’t happen this time: the Leafs showed us tight, disciplined play, and I could tell that they were full of confidence as they dominated the first period.

Late in the period, Wayne Simmonds won a puck battle at the blue line and got it to Jason Spezza, who walked in and placed a dart far side over Calgary's goalie Dave Rittich and made it 1-0. Spezza may have lost his speed and flare as he's gotten older, but he is still the master of that lethal shot bag, and, more importantly, he used it to give Toronto a 1-0 lead going to intermission.

In the second period, Toronto was playing truly smart hockey: not really attacking much, but putting up a sound defense. This is a perfectly brilliant strategy: players facing a team that’s just sitting back and putting up a solid wall of defense and then they start to get frustrated and start to make mistakes. And that's exactly what was building on the Calgary bench. The Flames gave their all and looked exhausted, while  Toronto conserved their energy on virtual cruise control and, most importantly,  didn't let up even though they had the lead. 

The Leafs got all kinds of chances to score but there was only one thing that stopped them from having 5 goals in that period: the post. Matthews hit twice, Muzzin once, Engvall once, and I think Kerfoot struck iron, too. Full credit to the Leafs, though, because they stuck with it and got the result they had been working so hard to achieve all period. John Tavares carried it into the neutral zone and got it to Zach Hyman, who dashed into the Flames zone and around the net. Once he got in front of goal, he wired one low glove-side on Rittich and doubled the Leafs’ lead. Toronto would close out the period and go into the third needing to shut things down.

The third period was one of the best periods of hockey I've seen the Leafs play this year. When I watch the games, I have a notebook beside me and I write down any notable moments that could be part of the big picture of the game but I barely needed to write anything for the majority of the frame other than that Toronto was completely dominating. 
Things did get interesting near the end of the game when Calgary pulled their goalie. Jack Campbell, who was having a quietly solid evening in net for the Leafs, made some really big saves late to keep the shutout intact. The clock would eventually run out and the Leafs came away with a much-needed 2-0 victory.

The Wrap

Toronto’s got to feel good to rack up their first regulation win in almost two weeks. Not only did they win, but they did so in a spectacular fashion, and most importantly, JackCampbell gave us the goaltending we needed. As far as I'm concerned, it's his net to lose at this point. He's been so consistent in all of his starts, and he's the backbone this team needs right now as they close in on the remaining 20 games of the regular season.

It looked as though the Leafs were going to run away with the division but it suddenly got really close up at the top, so they need to get all the points they possibly can. If Campbell is the man to bring them those points, then so be it.

Next up: a date with the Senators on Thursday night.

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