Returning the Blow
Round 1, Game 2: Habs vs. Leafs
Simon B
"If they lose game two though, they're in trouble." That's how I ended last game's post-game piece. What I loved about the way the Leafs played game two is that they went into it knowing very well that coming back from being down 2-0 would be extremely difficult. Obviously, captain John Tavares was on every player's mind, clearly evident after the players dedicated the 5-1 game two win to number 91. With JT out of the lineup, though, head coach Sheldon Keefe made significant moves. Unlike the last game, I agreed 100% with the way he configured the lines.
The top line remained the same (Matthews - Marner - Hyman) and rightly so; they've been the best line all season no matter who is on the leftwing. Even though they had a tough game in the series opener, this line had a much better one last night as they imposed their will on Montreal's "shutdown line" centered by Philip Danault.
The second line was a bit of an interesting one: Foligno with Galchenyuck and Nylander. That ought to have been a pretty good line but the issue here is that all three of these guys have played wing all season so at times they looked a bit confused as to who should go where and when. They didn't really generate much offensively but, more importantly, they didn't allow too much offensive pressure by the Habs.
The third and fourth lines’ play, which had been a big disappointment in game one, was much improved in this game. The third line (Mikheyev - Engvall - Kerfoot) was miles more noticeable in this game. They were suing their biggest strength, speed, to their advantage all night long. Riley Nash was out of the lineup and replaced by Pierre Engvall who had a flawless game himself, getting multiple slot chances and using his size to his advantage.
You may recall that the fourth line had been the Leafs’ Achilles heel last game, as two of their all-too-frequent turnovers led directly to the Montreal goals. But last night they were much more composed and played very smart hockey. The combination of Spezza's skill, Simmons' grit, and Thornton's incredibly high hockey-IQ were exactly what the Leafs envisioned with this line and they finally got it.
The Bad
Let's go with the bad first because there really wasn't much to criticize in the way Toronto played last night. However, their two-game penchant for allowing the first goal of the game can give tons of momentum to the opposing team (especially when that opposing team is on the road). The Leafs may be able to get away with that in this series against the Habs, who they can easily overpower as we saw last night. However, if the Leaf gets to round two or three, they can't afford to be chasing the game for a single moment, because their opponents will keep getting better and better as the rounds go on.
The Good
THE POWER PLAY SCORED!!! Ahhh, it feels good to type those words and I hope it feels good for you to read them as well. I mean it had to happen eventually, right? Montreal was handing the Leafs power plays all game long, and their enduring inability to capitalize was becoming absurd. Their first two power plays looked promising as I was talking with some friends and family, and we could feel this power play finally coming together. As long as they didn't allow a short-handed goal, it would be an improvement on the last game but Rasmus Sandin went one step further. He fired an absolute bullet right through net-front traffic and past Carey Price who couldn't find the puck through all the bodies. Sandman's first career playoff goal made it 3-1 at the time but then Montreal head coach Dominique Ducharme made a call that brought us to this game’s...
Turning Point
So as Sandin's shot went through the hole between Price's arm and pad, it looked as if Joe Thornton's stick may have interfered with Price. On the replay, it was clear that there was some sort of contact but it was really minimal and I don't think it impeded Price in making that save anyway. After all, he was screened and couldn't even see the puck at all so the stick-tap was insignificant. Ducharme decided to challenge the call goal and the refs went to the headsets.
I found it funny to watch the expressions and body language of both teams' general managers who each reacted much the same way as the fans of their respective teams.
Habs GM Marc Bergevin frantically looked at the TV in the booth where he watches the game, trying to find some evidence that would overturn the call. On the Leafs’ side, Kyle Dubas looked at his screen once and then went right back to his seat shaking his head. Even with a mask on, it was clear that Dubas' facial expressions said "there's no way they're overturning that"
Habs GM Marc Bergevin frantically looked at the TV in the booth where he watches the game, trying to find some evidence that would overturn the call. On the Leafs’ side, Kyle Dubas looked at his screen once and then went right back to his seat shaking his head. Even with a mask on, it was clear that Dubas' facial expressions said "there's no way they're overturning that"
The review took way longer than anyone would've expected but after three minutes, they ruled the call a good goal, and Toronto was awarded another power play because Montreal failed a coaching challenge. That really sucked the life out of the Habs, who never really got any momentum for the rest of the game.
The Wrap
As I predicted, Montreal wasn't able to keep up the physical level of play they had in game one. Toronto tired them out with speed and had the Habs playing catch-up, which is exactly how they're gonna get out of round one. Even with the goalie pulled (with 6 minutes to go!) Toronto shut them down, and with less than a minute to go Alex Kerfoot put the icing on the cake with an empty netter.
There’s a chance that Montreal will allow fans in the arena for games three and four in Montreal on Monday and Tuesday. I think everyone is looking forward to that -- even the Leafs -- because as an away team, the best feeling you can get is when you make a big play or score a big goal and quiet the crowd in a heartbeat. Just picture Matthews scoring a big goal and the building going to complete silence. If they keep up what they did last night, the Leafs should come out of Montreal with two comfortable wins.
As for my prediction, I'm still sticking with it. Leafs in 6.
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