Coming off of what was arguably their worst performance in a very long time on Tuesday night, which resulted in a 4-1 loss versus the Kings, the Leafs were back in action last night in Boston as they were set to do battle with their forever rivals, the Bruins. Last night’s game had a bit of everything; it honestly felt like a playoff game for most of the night.
First Star – Ilya Samsonov
After having a very underwhelming start to the season, Samsonov put forth a statement game last night, to say the least, he was fantastic from start to finish. The Bruins peppered him all night long as he faced a total of 40 shots, and he turned aside 38 of them, giving him a 0.950 save percentage. He made several incredible stops last night, but he came up ever so clutch during a four-on-three penalty kill for the blue and white in overtime. If it wasn’t for Samsonov, the Leafs absolutely would not have picked up a point last night. Not a chance; Samsonov stole them a point single-handedly. While he didn’t pick up the victory, Leafs Nation can only hope for Samsonov to build off of this incredible performance moving forward. He admitted to having some struggles mentally to start the season, so let’s hope he is starting to get that under control and he can get back to the way he performed all season last year.
Second Star – Jeremy Swayman
Swayman absolutely stood on his head last night. He stopped 33 of 35 shots, giving him a 0.943 save percentage on the night. He made some unbelievable saves, especially the one he made when the Leafs were on the power play midway through the second period when the game was tied 2-2. The Leafs top power play unit whipped the puck around like the Harlem Globetrotters on what would have been one of the most incredible passing plays I’ve ever seen. However, to Swayman’s credit, the Leafs had him moving from post to post, but he still somehow managed to get back across to get in front of the William Nylander shot to keep it a tie game, and he sent the TD Garden faithful into an absolute frenzy. Following last night’s contest, Swayman holds a 5-0-0 record and has only given up seven goals in those five games, giving him a goals against average of 1.38 and a save percentage of 0.954. The Bruins have an absolute superstar on their hands, to say the least.
Third Star – Mitch Marner
It took the Leafs a while to get things going offensively last night, but when they finally did, it was Marner who led the way. He scored a fantastic goal, then, on the ensuing faceoff, he immediately got in on the forecheck in the Bruins zone. He laid a very solid hit along the end boards, which played a large factor in the game-tying goal from Auston Matthews. While Marner did not pick up an assist on the play, he was the one that made things happen, which led to the goal; it was an all-around fantastic shift from the Leafs alternate captain. He was somehow only credited with one hit on the night, but that simply wasn’t the case, he got in on the forecheck on several occasions and finished his check on the Bruins defense. He played a total of 24:55 last night, scored a goal, had three shots on net, two blocked shots, as well as two takeaways. Just an all-around great performance from number 16 at both ends of the rink.
Also worth noting, William Nylander picked up another assist last night, extending his season-opening point streak to 10 games and counting. He was also a dominant presence from start to finish as well. The Leafs return home for a five game home stand which kicks off on Saturday night as they host their QEW rivals, the Buffalo Sabres. The blue and white hope some home cooking can help get them rolling in the right direction because through their first 10 games, they have a 5-3-2 record which simply is not good enough given the expectations the fanbase has for this team.
