Nothin' but Cole

 Game 52: Leafs vs. Habs

Simon B

I'm going to do a bit of a different post-game piece today. Normally my post-game articles are more analytical and are basically "game recaps'' but today I thought I'd try something a bit different. This post game, and until the end of the regular season at least, will be more opinion-based.

After practice yesterday, head coach Sheldon Keefe spoke about the importance of this three-game mini-series against the Montreal Canadiens. He said that this series is going to show us the kind  of hockey we can expect to see in the postseason, so it's important that his team does well.  If Toronto can get a few more wins here, they'll lock in that top spot in the division, too. At this point, Montreal sits in fourth place, two points back of Winnipeg in third, so  both teams have a lot at stake for in their final games of the season. I'm sure we’re going to see a lot of great hockey across the board as every player gives it their absolute best all over the next three games

If things stay as they are in the standings (which they very well could), Toronto and Montreal will meet in round one of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 1979. I agree with  Jake Muzzin: this is really a series where both teams can gear up and make the final changes needed to get ready for the first-round clash.

The only lineup change since Saturday was that Justin Holl is out with an injury after taking a puck to the nose late in the game.  Timothy Lilgren replaced him, to play alongside Jake Muzzin on the second pair.

The Good

For the Leafs, there were a few positives to take away from this game. 

First the third line was being a real nuisance to the Habs for the majority of the first two periods. I really like the play that this line has been bringing to the table since the Hyman injury. The biggest standout from this line during this gamewas Ilya Mikheyev. His speed was once again an incredible display as he outpaced opponents left and right, but he always seems to struggle with puck control. His linemates  often give him a nice pass and he either bobbles the puck or misses his shot. He could be a fabulous NHL winger if he were to  clean up those couple of mishaps every game. Nonetheless, the third line was a powerhouse.

The second standout for Toronto was Alex Galchenyuck, notably in the first period and a bit at the start of the second too, once again on the second line alongside John Tavares and William Nylander. He made a beautiful assist on the first goal of the game when he passed it through his legs right to the point for Morgan Rielly to fire it in from the blue line. Other than that, Galch just seemed to be all over the ice, winning all the little puck battles down low, and was a major reason why the  Leafs had the lead going into the third.

The Bad

Toronto had another terrible night on the power play: they once again kept off the scoresheet with the man advantage and even gave up a few short-handed opportunities to Montreal. Honestly, I liked what Keefe did when they were on the power play though:he  threw out random combinations of players just to try and find something that clicked. With only 4 games remaining, why not?

The news of most concern at this point was Nick Foligno leaving the game in the second period with what seemed to be an upper-body injury. No updates to this point.

Turning Point

With the Leafs leading 2-1 with just under 1 minute remaining, the Habs had pulled their goalie and were putting the pressure on. Montreal's head coach, Dominique Ducharme, called a timeout to get his team regrouped and it worked. Phillip Danault was working the puck down low and was able to squeeze it through the five-hole on Campbell to tie it. This goal was completely the Leafs'’ fault. They had a clear chance to get the puck down the ice multiple times but failed to do so, which led directly to the goal that made it 2-2. 

I technically could put the blame on Campbell for that goal, too, because his pad wasn't glued to the post as it's supposed to be in that situation. However, I don't fault him entirely because his teammates should've cleared the puck when they had the chance.

Player Of The Game

I was hesitating between Auston Matthews and Jack Campbell for this but because of the little mishap by the latter, I'm giving it to Matthews. Auston scored his 39th goal of the season in the second period, tipping a point shot by Jake Muzzin past Habs netminder Jake Allen. Anyone who wasn’t  sure coming into this game has got to believe that number 34 will hit the 40-goal  milestone in the next 4 games. At the rate, he tickles the twine it's hard to think that he won't get at least one more tally.

The plus for him as well is that they play the Canadiens two more times. Matthews has thrived against the "Bleu Blanc et Rouge" over his entire career, as he has a total of 18 goals against that club (including last night).

The Wrap

The game did end in disappointment for the Leafs as Cole Caufield scored the overtime winner. However, there is a cool story behind that goal by Caufield. Last game, he scored his first NHL goal as the overtime winner against Ottawa. Last night was his second NHL goal and it was also an overtime winner! Quite the way to start off your career for a guy that just finished high school a year or so ago.

On the Leaf's’ side of the equation, while I'm disappointed by the loss, this one isn't going to linger. It would've been nice to pick up the extra point and inch closer to clinching first place but the team has a big enough cushion that I'm really not worried. Other than clinching first, the only thing that they're really playing for is to get ready for the playoffs (and getting Matthews to 40). 

Next up: Thursday for the second of the three-game mini-series against the Habs at home.
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