Both the Leafs and Penguins were in action yesterday, so tonight’s contest was the second half of a back-to-back for both organizations. The Leafs blew a 3-1 lead and lost 4-3 in overtime to the Chicago Blackhawks, while the Penguins blew a 2-0 lead and lost 3-2 to the Buffalo Sabres. Whenever the Leafs and Penguins face off, it is always high-octane and incredibly entertaining; tonight was no different. It was a milestone night for a couple of Leafs as Max Domi was playing in his 600th career game while Auston Matthews was playing in his 500th career game. Also worth noting, tonight was the first time Kyle Dubas faced off against the Leafs since he was fired/let go by the organization back in the offseason. Unfortunately for the Leafs and Leafs Nation, Dubas would get the last laugh in this one as the Penguins skated away with the 3-2 victory.
First Star – Tristan Jarry
Jarry was fantastic in this one, and he has been very solid all season long for the Penguins. He faced a total of 33 shots and he turned aside 31 of them giving him a 0.939 save percentage on the night, not bad for the 28-year-old Surrey, BC native. With this win, his overall record on the year is now 7-8-0; he has a 2.44 goals against average, a 0.918 save percentage and three shutouts as well. While his win/loss record isn’t the greatest, his other numbers are substantial, considering the type of start the Penguins have had to the year. He was exceptionally good in the third period as the Leafs really upped the pressure trying to find the game-tying goal. The blue and white outshot the Penguins 12-3 in the third period but Jarry held his own and kept the door closed for his team.
Second Star – Joseph Woll
Woll put forth a great performance for the Leafs on Saturday night. He stopped 32 of the 35 shots he faced in this one, giving him a 0.914 save percentage on the night. It’s been an interesting year for the Leafs rookie goaltender as he has put forth some elite performances through his 11 games this season but he has also had some subpar performances as well. Last night wasn’t an elite performance but he was exceptionally good. Unfortunately for him, he came out on the losing end and his record fell to 6-5-0 so far this year. Through the first and second periods, Woll did everything he could to keep the blue and white in the game, giving them a fighting chance to come away with the victory. It wasn’t meant to be, however, as the offense wasn’t able to generate a third goal to force the game into overtime.
Third Star – Matthew Knies
Knies was a force all night long on Saturday. He was noticeable every time he was in the offensive zone, but he was also a physically dominant presence as well. He played a total of 16:37 where he scored a goal, fired five shots on goal, blocked a shot, and he also threw a hit. For me, it was Knies’ aggressiveness and tenacity that stood out the most. Whenever he was battling for a loose puck or trying to regain possession, he was not going to roll over and let the Penguins take the puck from him, he always delivered with a second and third effort in this one. He has played several good games for the blue and white this year; while this one may not have been his best effort of the year so far, he was still very impressive nonetheless.
The level of concern continues to grow within Leafs Nation with each passing game. The blue and white have played 19 games so far this year, and they have just FIVE regulation wins over that span. To put that into perspective, they are tied with the struggling, rebuilding Columbus Blue Jackets in terms of regulation wins; simply not good enough given the expectations this team and fanbase has. The Leafs have a couple days off as they return home for three games at home this upcoming week against the Florida Panthers, the Seattle Kraken, and the Boston Bruins. It will be interesting to see if GM Brad Treliving does anything with a couple days off before their next game. One thing for sure, this team needs to improve drastically on the blueline and in their defensive zone.
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