Good, Bad, & Ugly in Maple Leafs’ 3-1 Victory vs. Red Wings

The Toronto Maple Leafs went 2-0 on their current four-game homestand with a low-event, grind-it-out 3-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. Here are the good, bad, and ugly aspects of the game.

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The Good: Strong Defense & Tavares and Marner Step Up

Once again, without Auston Matthews in the lineup, the Maple Leafs committed to Craig Berube’s defense-first brand of hockey. Toronto is 4-1-1 in its last six games and finds itself in 2nd place in the Atlantic Division, three points behind the 1st-place Florida Panthers (with a game in hand) and three points up on the 3rd-place Tampa Bay Lightning (with one more game played).

Toronto scored two more goals on their suddenly hot power play. After struggling through the first twelve games of the season, the Maple Leafs have scored six power-play goals in their last three games.

John Tavares Gives Goal to Mitch Marner

John Tavares scored two, three, or maybe just two goals. Confused? So was I, and so was the official scorer. It appeared that Mitch Marner scored Toronto’s first goal when it looked like he knocked in his rebound during Toronto’s first power play in the first period. Marner was still credited with the goal at the end of the period.

Early in the second period, it was announced that the goal had been changed, and Tavares was given credit for it. A different-angle replay showed that Tavares appeared to have propelled the puck into the net. Later, it was reported that Tavares told the referee that Marner’s stick had made the last contact with the puck. A final enlarged picture confirmed Marner’s stick between the puck and Tavares’ stick.

Tavares scored the second Maple Leafs power-play goal from the slot less than two minutes after Dylan Larkin had scored a power-play goal from the exact location to tie the game in the second period. He then scored into the empty net after being gifted the puck by Moritz Seider just inside the Detroit blue line, with Detroit goalie Cam Talbot headed to the bench for an extra attacker with 1:30 left in the game.

Tavares Empty-Netter Was a Great Goal

Seider attempted a drop pass to Alex DeBrincat or Patrick Kane, but Tavares immediately reached the puck. While facing away from the Detroit goal, Tavares fired a blind wrist shot that went dead-center into the net. Tavares came within the thickness of Marner’s stick blade of scoring his second hat trick in less than two weeks.

Marner ended up with a goal and an assist in the game and is on a seven-game point streak, scoring two goals and adding nine assists for eleven points in those seven games. Morgan Rielly added two assists to follow up his three-point night against the Boston Bruins, giving him five points in his last two games.

While Anthony Stolarz did not face many shots, he was stellar when he needed to be. He stopped 21 of the 22 shots he faced, including a couple of spectacular saves. Stolarz improved his record to 6-2-2 with a 2.30 GAA and a .930 SV%.

The Bad: Slow Start After Pre-Game Ceremony & No 5-on-5 Scoring

This game was the annual Hockey Hall of Fame game, with the new inductees being introduced in a ceremony before the game. Typically, games tend to start slow when there’s a long delay between the pregame skate and the start of a game. This game was no exception. It started slow and stayed slow. After a spirited, physical game against Boston, this game was the exact opposite: it had little physicality and not much intensity. The contest went for long stretches without whistles, yet neither team created much offense, especially at 5-on-5. According to Naturalstattrick.com, there were only nine 5-on-5 High Danger Scoring Chances in the game, five for Toronto and four for Detroit.

The Maple Leafs have not scored a 5-on-5 goal in their last three games. The last 5-on-5 goal they scored was at 13:52 of the 3rd period in St. Louis on November 2nd. It’s worth noting, however, that the Maple Leafs have only given up one 5-on-5 goal in their last three games.

The Red Wings’ Goal Was Scored on Their Power Play

The one goal the Red Wings scored in the game was on the power play. The Toronto penalty kill did break down on this play. It’s unclear if someone missed an assignment or if it was a systems issue. Pontus Holmberg had Dylan Larkin covered in front of the Toronto net. When the puck came to Lucas Raymond at the half-boards to the right of Stolarz, Holmberg left Larkin to cover the point despite Matthews Knies being nearby. Whether Holmberg was supposed to stay on Larkin (the more dangerous player) or Knies was supposed to pick him up, Larkin was left alone in the slot. Raymond passed him the puck, and Larkin fired a wrist shot over Stolarz’s glove into the top corner of the net. Conor Timmins attempted to block the shot but failed, possibly screening Stolarz.

The Ugly: Dangerous Cross-Check by Holl on Pacioretty

Other than the game itself, which might be considered “ugly,” there was one incident that went unnoticed by the broadcast team that was indeed ugly. At the 4:03 mark of the second period, Max Pacioretty took a dangerous cross-check to his back by former Maple Leaf Justin Holl, which sent him sprawling head-first into the boards. There was no call on the play, and the announcers never mentioned it. It was a dangerous play that could have had severe consequences, yet it went unnoticed.

What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?

The Maple Leafs are home tonight against the struggling Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens sit 30th in the league with a record of 4-8-2 and only ten points. As a Maple Leafs fan, I know that games like this can be nerve-wracking. The Canadiens had Friday off and will be more rested. Berube used his bench well against Detroit. Marner was the most-used forward at 20:27, with McCabe logging significant ice time (24:29) alongside Chris Tanev (22:27). Oliver Ekman-Larsson had 19:42 and Rielly at 20:17. We may see those minutes reverse against Montreal.

Berube also has Connor Dewar, who can insert up front if needed, and Matt Benning and Philippe Myers on defense. Joseph Woll is expected to get the start in the net.

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