The Toronto Maple Leafs dropped their opening game of the regular season. They were beaten by their historic rivals in a tight tilt. The Maple Leafs were shut out by Sam Montembeault and the Montreal Canadiens in a 1-0 loss. This is the first time where Toronto was held off the scoresheet since Nov. 21, 2021, nearly three years ago.
Leafs’ Offence Muted
The Maple Leafs have been known for their high-flying offence for almost a decade now. However, there was nothing to show for it in their loss to the Habs. But, it’s not for a lack of trying as they fired 48 shots on goal. Miraculously, no one in Blue and White found the back of the net. Toronto’s top line of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and Matthew Knies combined for a total of 17 shots. Not to mention, William Nylander and Matthews both connected with the post in the second period.
After an explosive first shift to the game from Toronto, their first half of the game was very quiet. However, near the halfway point of the game, the Leafs needed to kill a two-man advantage. After doing so successfully, their offence found their gears and went back to dominating the game. In the second and third periods, Toronto out-shot Montreal 27-13. They also spent much more time in the offensive zone as the game went on. Unfortunately for the Leafs, all those shots and all that time weren’t enough to beat Montembeault.
The New Guys Impress
Stolarz Gets Second Star
While the result isn’t something Toronto will be happy about, there are some positive takeaways from this game. The Maple Leafs had five players making their debuts for the team on Wednesday night. Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Anthony Stolarz, Max Pacioretty and Steven Lorentz, are all new to wearing the Maple Leaf. From an outside view, they all should be happy with their performances.
The best of the bunch was Toronto’s goaltender Stolarz. Aside from Montreal’s goalie, he was the best player between both teams. In terms of numbers, he only gave up one goal. It was a power play goal from Cole Caufield, a one-timer that Stolarz didn’t have much of a chance on. He finished the game with 26 saves and a .963 save percentage, good enough to earn second star. Without looking at the stat sheet, it was visible that he is a confident goaltender. Throughout the evening, he remained calm despite some dangerous chances that were thrown at him.
Ekman-Larsson Steps Up
Another debutante who had a solid performance for Toronto was Ekman-Larsson. He seemed to be all over the ice, on both sides of the puck. Early impressions say he was a great pickup by general manager Brad Treliving. Ekman-Larsson was one of the best skaters for the Leafs on this occasion. In just over 20 minutes of ice time, he shot three pucks on goal. There were several times on the rush where he’d creep his way up with the forwards and presented himself as a viable option. He’s a great skater and is confident in the puck. His puck skills allow him to help forwards keep the offence alive when the team is cycling the puck in deep, or even to walk the blueline.
Leafs Headed to Jersey
The Toronto Maple Leafs will look to bounce back from this loss against the New Jersey Devils. They have less than 24 hours to prepare as it is the second night of a back-to-back. They’ll be looking to put up more than zero goals this time out. And not only is it important to make up for lost points, they’re meeting an old friend. This will be the first time the Leafs take on Devils coach Sheldon Keefe. Keefe was replaced by Craig Berube at the beginning of Toronto’s past offseason.
Main Photo Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
