Keep on Rollin'
Game 24: Leafs vs. Oilers
Simon B
First, off I'd like to say, that writing a post after every single Leaf's game was a very ambitious goal I set for myself and up until Sunday, I was able to do it, but 10 PM (Eastern) games on Monday nights are difficult to watch, take notes about then post an article about all in the following nine hours after the final horn.
That being said, last night's game was an 8 PM start so it was much easier to work with.
The first two games of this three-game mini-series against the Edmonton Oilers were pretty much picture-perfect games by Toronto and they guaranteed themselves to come out of the Edmonton set with 4 of a possible 6 points. But this game needed to be a statement game: they couldn't just let up and have a bad game because their first two games were awesome. That's what mediocre teams do, and the Leafs are trying to prove to the League that they are far better than mediocre.
The most impressive thing about the last two Leaf wins was that they did it with their backup (Jack Campbell) and third-string goalies (Michael Hutchinson) in net, and they were without their top scorer Auston Matthews. But number 34 for Toronto was back in the lineup in his usual spot on the first line with Mitch Marner and Joe Thornton.
The Game
As with the last two games, the Oilers looked like the more energetic team to start the game. Even without looking at any of the stats (shot totals or time-of-possession), you could just tell just by watching the action that the Oilers were the faster team. But just like the last two games, the Leafs struck first. A nice fourth- line shift had the Oilers on their heels in their own zone. Jason Spezza got the puck just below the goal line and blindly backhanded through the crease, and it ended up right on the stick of Jimmy Vesey, who tapped it into the half-open cage to make it 1-0 Toronto. After that goal, the whole team woke right up and started to overwhelm the Oilers again. The one standout in this game (defensively) for me was TJ Brodie. It seems as though, each game, he bails out the team by stopping an odd-man rush when he's the only man back. His stick positioning was exceptional and he definitely made things easy for Freddy Andersen in goal.
So far so good for Toronto, but when the opposing team has Connor McDavid, no one-goal lead is ever safe. Good thing Jimmy Vesey scored his second of the game off another great pass by Spezza to put the Leafs up by two. I have to give full marks to the fourth line for last night's performance. They smothered the momentum Edmonton was trying to build up and they were even shutting down the McDavid line. The first penalty of the game went against Edmonton. Othe ensuingpower play John Tavares took just six seconds to put in a rebound from Morgan Reilly’s point shot, and just like that it was 3-0.
I give a lot of credit to the fourth line for that work, because they scored two goals together, but another line scores and does all the dirty work and fights for possession in the corners. One guy who I think should win the "most deserving of a goal" award (which isn't a real thing but if it were, he would win) is Ilya Mikheyev. He's been such a crucial reason why that third line has been playing so well of late. Last night, he even beat McDavid in a footrace. No one ever beats number 97 to the puck in a straight line! He finally got the goal he deserved. Zach Hyman got the puck down low and threw it towards the net and it went right to Mikheyev's stick and he backhanded it past Mike Smith to make it 4-0. The rout was back on.
Edmonton did get a goal a few minutes later though. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins tapped it in during a scramble in front of the net to end the Leafs' two-and-a-half game shutout streak. That goal could've been avoided but at the end of the day, the way they were playing, I wasn't worried at all. Although Edmonton started to heat up a bit, Nylander ended any hope of a comeback with a brilliant shot through the arm and body of Mike Smith, and the game was pretty much over by the end of the second.
I'm not going to write about the third much because it was more of the same. Toronto didn’t give Edmonton any room at all, and the Leafs dominated almost every facet of the game. What was a bit interesting was a building feud between Zach Hyman and Mike Smith. Hyman was on Smith’s tail most of the game and they were both throwing cheap shots at one another. Hyman ended up winning the little battle when he scored the sixth Leafs goal by tucking a rebound past Smith. The game came to an end with the Leafs winning 6-1.
The Wrap
There isn't much else to say about the way this team has played over the past week or so. Especially against the Oilers. There are always some things that coaches will point out that the team could've done better but overall it was a perfect three games for the Leafs.
Next up: 2 against the Canucks in Vancouver.
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