Maple Leafs Pre-Season Win Over Canadiens

The Toronto Maple Leafs finally won in their third pre-season game. This time, they beat the Montreal Canadiens 2-1. The Canadiens had not lost a preseason game before last night. What were the game’s good, bad, and ugly aspects for the Blue & White?

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The Good for the Maple Leafs

Toronto opened the scoring in the game at 10:12 of the first period on the power play after Christian Dvorak took a holding penalty against Bobby McMann at 9:26. Mitch Marner threaded a pass through three Montreal players from the point right onto John Tavares’ stick. Tavares had positioned himself at the side of the net to the right of Canadiens’ goalie Jakob Dobes. All he had to do was keep his stick on the ice as the pass from Marner deflected off it and behind Dobes into the net. Morgan Rielly got the secondary assist on the play.

Nick Robertson got the game-winner at 18:04 of the second period when he stripped Adam Engstrom of the puck in the Montreal zone, took a few strides toward the Montreal net, fought off a hook by Engstrom, and beat Dobes between the legs.  

The Maple Leafs Shut Down the Canadiens

The Maple Leafs shut the Canadiens down the whole game. According to Naturalstatrick.com Montreal, they had one High-Danger Scoring Chance in the first period, two in the second, and one more in the third, giving them just four High-Danger Scoring Chances in the game in all situations. That included three power plays. Watching the game, I noticed that the first two periods were played almost exclusively in Montreal’s end of the ice.

There is a caveat to that, though. The Canadiens were icing a team that consisted of prospects and players fighting for a spot on the opening day roster, and none of their core players; at the same time, Toronto iced mostly players who would be on their opening night roster, except those who were hurt, which we will get to later.

Easton Cowan Finally Had a Solid Pre-Season Game

The line of Max Domi, centering Marner and Easton Cowan, was the best line on the ice for either team. They used their speed and playmaking ability to make it tough for whoever they faced to keep up. When they didn’t have the puck, they were dogged in their pursuit of it, again using their speed to give opposing players no room or time to do anything.  

After not showing much in his first two preseason games Cowan showed what he can do in this one. He fit right in with Marner and Domi. Cowan had three shots on the net in the game, all of which were quality shots. He also showed some defensive skill with a blocked shot and two hits.  

Robertson also took his game to the next level. He only had one shot in the game, the one he scored on. He did not register a hit but was tenacious every shift, with and without the puck. 

After being the worst defensive pairing in their first preseason game together, Jake McCabe and Oliver Ekman-Larsson might have been the Maple Leafs’ best pair in this game. At five-on-five, they were on the ice for 75% of the Shots For and 73% of the Expected Goals For. Ekman-Larsson was especially noticeable throughout the game for all the right reasons.

The Bad for the Maple Leafs

Max Pacioretty made a play early in the second period, which I am sure Craig Berube was not happy with. Berube has been preaching more of a North-South game that entails fewer risky East-West plays. Pacioretty attempted to make one of those risky East-West plays on the worst location on the ice, just inside the Toronto blue line. After receiving the puck from around the boards behind the Toronto net from Chris Tanev, Pacioretty tried to hit Rielly, exiting the zone with a cross-ice pass on the other side of the ice. The pass went behind Riell, forcing him to stop, pivot, and try and pick up the pass behind him.

The puck deflected off the end of Rielly’s stick right to Alex Barre-Boulet. Barre-Boulet found Dvorak breaking for the net. Dvorak split Rielly and Pacioretty, trying to recover from the error, and went in alone on Anthony Stolarz. Dvorak went from his forehand to his backhand before tucking the puck between Stolarz’s legs. The camera followed Rielly after the goal as they usually do after a player makes a mistake that causes a goal, but this one was on Pacioretty. I’m sure Berube will let him know afterward.  

Two Other Bad Aspects of the Maple Leafs Game

There were really only two other things in this game I might consider bad. One is that despite dominating the game for two periods and doubling the shots on the Canadiens 34-17, Toronto only scored two goals. If Montreal had their best players in the lineup, this game could have easily ended differently. The Maple Leafs need to capitalize on their chances more. 

After going into the third period with a one-goal lead, the Maple Leafs turned the game into a boring snoozefest in the final 20 minutes. That’s good. But, possibly to show Berube they can play solid defensive hockey when protecting a lead, Toronto appeared to forget about offense altogether. They seemed happy to dump the puck out of their zone, dump it deep into the Montreal zone, and then sit back. While it worked, the Canadiens had just the one good scoring chance in the period, Berube let it be known in his post-game presser that he was not happy with them sitting back that much in the third period.  

The Ugly

Robertson played an intense game. However, he made one play in the first period, and I am sure he would like to take it back. With the Canadiens breaking through the neutral zone on a 3-on-2 and William Nylander trying to skate back to help out defensively, Robertson thought he would assist Nylander by giving him a shove on the backside with his stick. Whether or not he pushed too hard or Nylander was not expecting it, Robertson pushed Nylander off his skates and onto the ice. As Nylander fell forward, his head came into contact with Dvorak’s knee. (Was Dvorak the only Habs player in the game?)

Following the play, Nylander left the game and did not return. Berube stated that after the game, they kept Nylander out for precautionary reasons and that he was fine. All we can do is hope Berube is correct and that he is okay. I have seen this play executed in the past in Robertson’s defense, and it can work out well. For whatever reason, this one went all wrong for both Robertson and Nylander. 

Maple Leafs Injuries Don’t Seem Serious

Regarding injuries, the Maple Leafs were without Auston Matthews, who left practice early the day before. Again, Berube stated that it was a prudent move. John Tavares took an awkward hit to the knee early in the game. He returned to the bench in considerable pain but returned after missing a few shifts.

Berube did shut Tavares down in the third period. Tavares and Berube admitted the leg did “tighten up” as the game progressed. Whether they are minor or not, it is concerning that all three of Matthews, Nylander, and Tavares be held off the ice for precautionary reasons. Another player who was conspicuous in his absence was Matthew Knies.

What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?

The two teams travel to Montreal for the return match. With the bangs and bruises the Maple Leafs have been acquiring, I expect to see the core players sitting this out. This may be the last chance for some players to make an impression. I expect cuts to be made before the Maple Leafs travel to Detroit next Thursday. That will be their second last preseason game.   

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