In a hard-fought battle, the Toronto Maple Leafs took home a narrow 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Goalkeeper Ilya Samsonov played solidity between the posts, and some of the Maple Leafs’ depth scoring proved decisive in taking home the win.
The Maple Leafs’ top line of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Todd Bertuzzi did not fare well against the Canadiens’ top line of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Salfkovsky. And, with Mitch Marner out that line was not firing on all cylinders. However, that did not deter the Maple Leafs.
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Nonetheless, the Maple Leafs hung in there. They adopted a defensive mindset and capitalized on their opportunities when they arose. Overall, it was a hard-earned and satisfying victory for the Maple Leafs.
The Matthews, Nylander, and Bertuzzi Line Had a Tough Game
The Matthews, Nylander, and Bertuzzi line had a challenging outing. They were the weakest link for the Maple Leafs during the game. At 5-on-5, they let the Canadiens put up a staggering 69.8% of the shots, 75.7% of the Expected Goals, 76.2% of the Scoring Chances, and 66.7% of the High Danger Scoring Chances. They found themselves largely on the defensive, spending much of their ice time in pursuit of their opponents.
However, the Maple Leafs have other players. And, line combinations of John Tavares with Max Domi and Calle Jarnkrok; along with the line David Kampf with Bobby McMann and Matthews Knies, proved to be enough to compensate for the rare lackluster performance of the Matthews’ line. Domi emerged as a standout player, contributing a crucial goal to give the Maple Leafs a 2-1 lead in the second period.
Tavares scored the game-winning goal. And, McMann kickstarted the scoring for Toronto using his speed and physicality to create a well-executed play that capitalized on a 2-on-1 opportunity with Matthews Knies early in the second period.
Despite not registering any points, Knies thrived in his new role away from Matthews and Marner. He will soon be able to drive a line himself one day, without having to play a differential role to his elite linemates.
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