The Toronto Maple Leafs Won’t Take It Easy: Make a Splendid Return
The Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Columbus Blue Jackets game on Thursday night brought to mind a scene from one of Clint Eastwood’s best westerns. The Leafs had been unforgiven in the past, then they had been forgiven in the present.
The Leafs gave Columbus a 5-0 lead after the first two periods. It appeared as though Santa was sponsoring the game because the Toronto Maple Leafs gave away so many pucks to the Blue Jackets. The Leafs lacked spark, vigor, and interest since their fathers were no longer present. After the second period, the spectators jeered them off the ice.
However, the Leafs charged into the third frame with their guns blazing, akin to cowboys seeking atonement. When William Nylander, Mitch Marner, Jake McCabe, Auston Matthews, and Matthews again (with the net empty for a sixth attacker) found pay dirt and forced overtime, the villagers went crazy.
There is usually a shootout at the end of a good western story, but that was not to be. Columbus won 6-5 thanks to a goal from Blue Jacket Kent Johnson, his second of the game, following an intense, entertaining 3-on-3 period.
The Toronto Maple Leafs entered the game with a 9-1-3 record from the previous two weeks. Despite hardly ever playing a full 60 minutes, they keep scoring points.
Maybe the Leafs were overdue for a bad game, but Sheldon Keefe, the coach, and general manager Brad Treliving must be concerned that it happened at home against one of the worst teams in the league. Ilya Samsonov, the goalie, just had a confused expression the entire game (though, to be fair, he didn’t receive much help from his teammates in the first forty minutes). Samsonov’s SV% plummeted to.829 after giving up six goals on 35 shots, bringing his annual average down to.878).
Indeed, the players should get a lot of credit for persevering and figuring out a way to get back into the game. In terms of overall game statistics, the Leafs actually had a 48-35 advantage over Columbus, with an xGF
But bear in mind that in the NHL, teams almost never lose after taking a sizable lead, so much so that “score effects” exist. Once behind five goals, the losing team nearly never recovers, despite always posting incredible stats at that point.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have triumphed numerous times this season despite the fact that the underlying statistics did not support them. Over time, fortune tends to balance itself out.
