Head coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed with the media this morning that Auston Matthews would be out of the lineup against the Nashville Predators tonight. Keefe also confirmed that this alignment has “been bothering him for a while.” Keefe did not indicate the specifics of Matthews’ injury. As a result of Matthews’ injury, 27-year-old Bobby McMann was set to make his NHL debut. It was also confirmed that TJ Brodie would be out for the next week with bruised ribs. Coming into this one, Jussi Saros made 102 saves in his last two wins. He made 64 saves on 67 shots to defeat Carolina 5-3 on January 5th. He followed that up by making 38 saves in a 3-0 victory against the Ottawa Senators on Monday.
The Leafs had a fantastic start to the game. They spent the first couple of shifts in the Predators’ zone, where they generated four shots on goal in the first 1:15 of the game. It took a while for the Predators to register their first shot on goal, but when they did, they peppered Murray with three quick shots. One of which Murray made an unbelievable desperation save, bringing the crowd to their feet. The game’s first power play was awarded to the blue and white as Tanner Jeannot was called for a cross-checking minor on Mark Giordano. The Leafs didn’t register a single shot on goal with the man advantage; they couldn’t even get things set up in the Predators’ zone. Both teams traded chances back and forth throughout the course of the period. With just seven minutes remaining in the opening frame, John Tavares was hauled down, but there was no call on the play. Rasmus Sandin made a fantastic pass to Timothy Liljegren, who was all alone in front of the Predators’ net but once again, Jussi Saros shut the door. The Leafs finally broke through on Saros as William Nylander carried the puck into the Predators’ zone and then proceeded to make a backhand pass to John Tavares, who made no mistake scoring his 20th goal of the year. That goal marks Tavares’ 11th first-period goal of the year and his 13th twenty-goal season of his career. The Predators owe Saros a ton of credit for keeping it a 1-0 game. Shots on goal after the first period were 15-10 in favor of the blue and white. TOI leader for the Leafs after the first was Mitch Marner with 7:40.
The Predators wasted very little time tying the game 1-1. Parssinen made an outstanding pass to Filip Forsberg, who displayed some unbelievable patience as he toe-dragged the puck around Murray for his 17th goal of the year. Shortly after the Predators tied the game, Alex Kerfoot was pulled down in the neutral zone, but there was no call on the play. Mark Jankowski was called for interference at 7:02 as he ran a pick on Timothy Liljegren, giving the blue and white their second power play of the game. Once again, the Leafs’ power play was not much of a threat whatsoever, as they only had a single shot on goal. The forecheck of the Leafs proved to be too much for the Predators once again, as Dante Fabbro was called for interference on Alex Kerfoot 14:09 into the second period. There’s no denying the fact that the Leafs were desperately missing Auston Matthews, especially on the power play, in this one. The top power-play unit spent a full minute in the Predators’ zone but once again, they were unable to generate any dangerous scoring chances. Full credit to the Predators as they shut down the Leafs’ power play for the third time on the night. With 2:09 to go in the period, Matt Murray came up with another big save of his own to keep it a 1-1 game. In the final minute, Sheldon Keefe elected to load up a line of Nylander, Tavares, and Marner. They generated some offensive looks, but they weren’t able to give the Leafs the lead before the end of the period. Shots on goal in the second were tied 7-7 and 22-17 overall in favor of the blue and white. TOI leader for the Leafs after 40 minutes was Mitch Marner with 15:39.
Much like in the second period, the Predators wasted little to no time getting into the Leafs’ zone and applying pressure. Full credit to Matt Murray once again as he made another key save to keep it a 1-1 game. Over their last six games, the Predators are 5-0-1 in their last six games outscoring their opponents 27-14 during that span. The Tavares line had been dangerous all night long. That continued in the third period as they generated another couple of scoring chances, but Saros continued to shut the door. Bunting made an incredible spinning pass to find Kerfoot at the side of the Predators’ net, but once again, somehow, Saros got across to make an unbelievable save. With 10:39 remaining in regulation, Pierre Engvall was called for holding the stick, giving Nashville their second power play of the night. With 19 seconds remaining in the man advantage, David Kampf was blindsided by Niederreiter, but once again, there was no call on the play. At the very least, it could have been an interference minor, but due to the direct head contact, it could have been more. Kampf made his way to the Leafs’ bench but eventually headed to the Leafs’ dressing room. That is not exactly great news for the blue and white during such a critical time of a 1-1 game. Leafs nation were all holding their breath, waiting for an update on the team’s best defensive center. The Leafs went back on the attack as Engvall gained the Predators’ zone, stopped up, and found a streaking Sandin, but once again, Saros got across to make another big save. With remaining in regulation, Mark Jankowski was called for a double minor for high-sticking Morgan Rielly and cutting him. The Leafs were 0/3 so far on the night, but they were given an opportunity to close this one out with this power play. The top unit finally broke through with an absolutely gorgeous passing play between Tavares, Nylander, and Marner. Tavares made the pass to the point to Nylander. Nylander sold a shot to Saros but elected to find Marner’s back door, who made no mistake burying his 17th of the year, giving the Leafs a 2-1 lead with under two minutes remaining in regulation. With that goal, Marner officially tied Darryl Sittler for the longest home-point streak in franchise history at 18 games. In the final minute, David Kampf returned to the game, fantastic news for the Leafs. Matt Murray continued his stellar performance in the final minute as he made save after save to keep it a 2-1 game with 30.8 seconds remaining. The Leafs would hang on to win their 26th game of the year. While Saros played incredibly for the Predators, Matt Murray was every bit as impressive for the blue and white. Shots on goal in the third period were 16-13 in favor
Tonight’s Three Stars
1. Mitch Marner – 1 Goal (GWG)
2. Matt Murray – 32 Saves on 33 Shots
3. John Tavares – 1 Goal, 1 Assist
The Leafs are right back at it tomorrow night as they head to Detroit to take on the Red Wings!
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