Post-Game Analysis: Leafs Beat Seattle 5-1, Kicking Off Road-Trip With a Bang

Maple Leafs Star Auston Matthews Set to Take Face-off on the Road
Maple Leafs Star Auston Matthews Set to Take Face-off on the Road Photo credit: Christopher Mast/NHL via Getty Images

The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Seattle Kraken 5-1 in the opening game of Toronto’s road trip! A battle between two of the league’s fastest teams was full of impact plays, but the Maple Leafs’ depth prevailed, earning the team the full two points. The return of Mark Giordano was a success, the 39-year-old defenseman scored a goal, and Auston Matthews had two of his own in an electrifying effort. On Wednesday night, the Maple Leafs will now look ahead to a battle with Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers. 

It was a pretty quick start to open this one, as some of the fastest teams in the league went head-to-head. Seattle struck first after a failed breakout by the Maple Leafs, which led to Vince Dunn scoring his 11th goal of the season. A backhand pass was sent up the middle by Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly, which set up the opportunity for Vince Dunn to capitalize on. 

After the Seattle Kraken took an early lead, the Maple Leafs got one right back. A beautiful play in front by Ryan O’Reilly led to Mark Giordano scoring his 4th goal of the season. O’Reilly screened Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer, which Giordano took advantage of and placed one between the legs of the Kraken netminder. 

A beautiful slap-pass by Justin Holl in front to John Tavares was converted, giving the Maple Leafs the lead in the opening period. After Mark Giordano tied things up against his former team. The blue and white added another; this time, the captain John Tavares scored his 27th goal of the season. 

After the blue and white took the lead, they didn’t stop there. This time it was Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren who continued his impressive season. The 23-year-old added his 5th goal of the season thanks to a beautiful pass from Mitch Marner. The Leafs took a 3-1 lead with 7:09 remaining in the first, really controlling the opening frame. After giving up an early goal to Vince Dunn, the Leafs shut it down and added three of their own heading into the intermission. 

The Maple Leafs went up 4-1 early in the second period. 4:13 into the middle frame, Maple Leaf star Auston Matthews scored his 27th goal of the season. The Leafs star batted in a loose puck from the side of the goal, making it one of my favorite goals I’ve seen in a while. With Major League Baseball spring training starting this weekend, it was definitely cool to see Auston Matthews score a baseball-like swing! 

After the Leafs took a 4-1 lead, Kraken Head Coach Dave Hakstol pulled goaltender Philipp Grubauer. Once the Seattle starter was pulled in favor of Martin Jones, the Kraken started to play much better hockey, nearly getting one back. Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov did well keeping out the danger despite the Seattle surge. The Kraken outshot the Maple Leafs 15-4 in the middle frame but just couldn’t get one back heading into the intermission. 

Once the third period was underway, the Toronto Maple Leafs looked much better. The blue and white took a commanding 5-1 lead in the third period. For the second time tonight, Auston Matthews added the Leafs’ fifth goal. A beautiful rush up the ice driven by the Leafs’ top line resulted in Matthews getting his 28th goal of the season. 

After the Leafs’ fifth goal, the Kraken tried getting back into the game but just couldn’t break down the Maple Leafs. This was an extremely impressive third period for Toronto, limiting the Kraken to only five shots on goal. After the surge in the second period, being able to bounce back and defend this well is significant moving forward. The Toronto Maple Leafs closed this one out with a beautiful 5-1 victory on the road, kicking off the road trip with a bang. 

Thanks for reading! For more Leafs content, follow me on Twitter at ITR_Anselmo

Saint Joseph Woll Leafs Late Night

WELCOME BACK TO LEAFS LATE NIGHT! Presented by Inside The RinkRoscoe / Fanalyst – 3 Game Skid- Highlight Finish- Traaaade Season- State of the Game w DartyNEW MERCH IS AVAILABLE!JOIN OUR DISCORD!Remember to follow us on Twitter @LeafsLateNight & IG @LeafsLateNightCheck out Mike, Josh, and Nathan's articles on the Leafs + many more! insidetherink.comHow to support us and our sponsors:TicketmasterColumbia Sports ApparelESPN+ SubscriptionFanaticsDraft Kings – CODE ITR
  1. Saint Joseph Woll
  2. Vanquishing Rivals of Yesteryear
  3. Lawesome-Tawesome
  4. Back To Business w/ Steph The Fanalyst
  5. Preseason Debut – All New Blue

Discover more from Inside The Rink

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Joshua Anselmo

A hockey mind that's always looking at new and insightful ways to bring different perspectives of the game we all love.

Leave a Reply

Adam Proteau

Catching up With Adam Proteau of The Hockey News

With the trade deadline behind us and teams pushing toward the Stanley Cup playoffs, I figured now was as good a time as ever to conduct an email interview with the great Adam Proteau of The Hockey News. Adam was kind enough to take time out of his busy writing schedule to give us his […]

Read More
Todd McLellan behind the bench

March Contiues to Be a Month That Sinks the Detroit Red Wings Playoff Hopes

March has been the part of the NHL schedule that has caused the Detroit Red Wings the most trouble in the past three seasons. In two of these three seasons, the Red Wings were led by former head coach Derek Lalonde. The Red Wings had a record of 3-11 in March of 2024 under Lalonde. […]

Read More
New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes celebrates a first-period goal against the Minnesota Wild.

New Jersey Devils Take Down Wild in a Shootout to Sweep the Season Series

The New Jersey Devils defeated the Minnesota Wild 3-2 in a shootout on Monday night at the Prudential Center, sweeping the home-and-home season series between the two. Looking to end a three-game winless streak at home, the Devils put together another 60-plus minute effort that earned them a resilient and well-deserved win over a team […]

Read More