Despite being on the second game of a back-to-back, the Maple Leafs were victorious in Pittsburgh! After defeating the Minnesota Wild 4-3 on Friday afternoon, the Maple Leafs traveled to Pittsburgh and continued their dominance. The blue and white have gotten points in 10 games out of their last 11! The team currently sits 2nd in the Atlantic Division with a 13-5-5 record and only five points behind the 1st place Bruins. The Maple Leafs next game is in Detroit for a date with the Red Wings!
You couldn’t have asked for a better start in the opening period. A bad change by the Pittsburgh Penguins allowed Auston Matthews to fire a perfect pass to send Mitch Marner all alone on a breakaway! Marner pulled off almost the same deke as he did two weeks ago when the team was last in Pittsburgh! Funny enough, it was also the same goaltender Mitch was able to beat, Penguins Casey DeSmith. After Marner’s deja vu goal, the Penguins started to claw back. A few high-danger opportunities started to come the other way, but the Maple Leafs stayed strong. The early Leafs goal was the perfect start from Toronto’s perspective as frustration for their opponents and fans started to rise. After a couple of Maple Leafs power-plays, the team didn’t let up, finishing their shots on goal. The blue and white went into the intermission with a lopsided 17-5 shots tally.
In the second frame, the play was a lot more balanced. A few odd-man rushes for both teams weren’t converted. After Leafs forward Mitch Marner beat Penguins defenseman Kris Letang in the corner. Mitch was able to find fellow teammate Pontus Holmberg. Pontus was all alone in the slot as he ripped one high glove! This was a beautiful play by Mitch Marner, but an even better finish by Holmberg. This was Holmberg’s 2nd goal in his last three games now for the Maple Leafs. Predominantly playing as the team’s third-line center when in the lineup is an encouraging sign for the blue and white. Having a deep team down the middle is pivotal for success in the NHL. As a team with cup aspirations, the Maple Leafs need a full-time answer for their third center, and Pontus has been a great short-term answer. Still early, but hard not to be encouraged by the 23-year-old. Just under a minute later, a nifty steal by Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews set up William Nylander in the slot, who beat DeSmith for his 12th of the year! Auston Matthews continued his dominant night, adding his 2nd assist. After the Maple Leafs took a commanding 3-0 lead, the play started to level up. Penguins center Jeff Carter had a few chances but was snuffed out by the strong play of Mark Giordano and Erik Kallgren. The shot totals after 2 periods were 27-15 in favor of the Maple Leafs.
After forty minutes of play and being up three, all Leafs nation wanted was a quiet final period. The team got off with an early break as Penguins forward Jake Guentzel was called for a slash on Maple Leafs defenseman Justin Holl. Once the power play was up, the Penguins started gaining momentum. An odd Crosby cross-check finally gave the building some life. After a couple of minutes passed from Crosby’s jolt, the Penguins finally got on the board. A nicely executed play between the Penguins top line found Rakell all alone to the left of Kallgren, who made no mistake. After the Penguins scored, PPG Paints Arena started to have even more life. After Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews scored the dagger, fans were soon silenced. Auston scored his 10th of the season off a beautiful spin shot that Penguins goaltender Casey DeSmith really had no chance on. The game’s final minutes were quiet as the Maple Leafs put on a perfect defensive showing.
It was a good night for the Maple Leafs, the crowd was full of members from Leafs nation who made the trip to Pittsburgh, and wow, were they ever rewarded. As the night went along, the Penguins in arena DJ played “You Make my Dreams” by Hall and Oates, which got the many fans representing Leafs nation to sing along. You honestly couldn’t have asked for a better road game for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Toronto may be missing large chunks of their defensive core right now, but you couldn’t tell the last few nights. Defending by a committee is what has to be done for the blue and white to remain successful, and wow, have they ever executed it to perfection. The Leafs next game is on the road in the “Motor City” on Monday!
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