Back With Vengence

Game 1: Habs vs. Leafs

Simon B

Well, here's another season of Leafs hockey and for the second season in a row, I will post an article after every single Leafs game this season. It's a commitment, sure, but a fun one. So here we go!

Sadly, I couldn't watch the whole game live because I had my own game to play last night. However, I watched a bunch of highlight packs so I’ll go based on what I saw there. 

They were playing the Habs on home ice. The last time that happened...well, let's not go down that road. It's a new season, new players, and a new beginning. The seemingly impossible task of bringing the Stanley Cup to Toronto began last night with a pretty solid 2-1 win over Montreal. 

Before I talk about the game though, I did notice something different about this home opener and I think you might've too: There were fans! A full house of fans. It was kind of weird at first when the background of the ice wasn't those tarps with ads on them anymore but it was a great feeling. During the player introductions, I thought the fans were a bit quiet and nervous. The biggest cheer was for a player who wasn't even dressed for the game: Auston Matthews. Albeit he's their best player and they usually get the biggest ovation. But still, they were quieter this year. 

Maybe it's because Leaf’s fans don't want to have to endure another full 82 games a regular season, or maybe the fans’ masks were muffling the cheers, but once the game got going it got loud again.

The Good

There has to be a difference between the "good" part of the game and the player of the game. That's probably the most difficult part about writing these. 

That said, I think the response to the goal Jonathan Drouin scored to put Montreal up 1-0 was tremendous. People talk about pushback and having a fighting spirit. Well, the Leafs showed flashes of it last year but I hope this will be a chance that the coaching staff has made permanent. 

From the moment Montreal made it 1-0, Toronto played with more intent, and they weren't just sitting back and waiting for things to go their way as they did for the first 10 minutes of the game or so. I didn't get a chance to evaluate the play of everyone.

I have to mention Pierre Engvall. He had a brilliant preseason, but people were wondering if he was going to carry that confidence into the regular season. Assistant coach Spencer Carbery had Engvall on the second power-play unit and he looked great on it. He had the freedom to move around the zone and not just be stationary, and he was finally using his size to his advantage. He's 6'5” so it's not like he doesn't have the size to boss around his opponents a bit.

Turning Point

Montreal got a full two-minute 5 on 3 power play. As Sportsnet's Cassie Campbell-Pascal mentioned, "if you don't score on a full two-minute 5 on 3, you're probably not winning the game.”

Justin Holl came up with a huge block as he stuck his leg out in a last ditch effort to stop the puck that was bound to find the net after Jack Campbell was struggling to get back into position. If it weren't for that block, it would've been 2-1 for Montreal and things would've gone wayyyyy differently. 

That entire kill was just what the Leafs needed and it killed any momentum Montreal might've built up. It was a perfect setup for the William Nylander winner. 

A really nice play by Morgan Rielly and Mitch Marner (who wasn't even on the ice for the goal) gave the Leafs what they needed in the end. Marner came off at the exact time Nylander was receiving a beauty of a stretch pass for Rielly and fired it top shelf. 

From then on I was confident in the way they were playing and their ability to bleed to clock down until they won.

Player Of the Game

Who else? Jack Campbell was brilliant beyond what I would've ever imagined last night! He kept them in the game while they were all over the place to begin the night and he made every single big save he needed to make. On the Montreal goal, there was nothing he could really do in that two-on-one situation

He single-handedly killed off a few penalties and was the only reason Montreal wasn't up at least two goals by the time the first period was over.

This was Campbell's first-ever opening-night start and he looked brilliant. 

I loved the way he thanks his defensemen after every whistle by tapping them on the shin pads with his stick. This is further proof that he's the most likable player on the team. Be happy he's on the Leafs because he makes every single win so much more enjoyable. It’s also an encouraging signal for the culture of the team. In high-performing organizations, the people who score the goals always put the spotlight on those who helped them.

The Wrap

Tonight, it will be Petr Mrazek's first game in the blue and white as the Leafs take on Ottawa. This is a great opportunity to start the season off really strong by winning the games you're supposed to win. When it's April and we need two points to get in the playoffs, we always wish we could've had one more win back in October or November, well, now that we're here, let's get that win.

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