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Morning After: Double Clutch

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Photo credit:Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
Scott Maxwell
6 years ago
  • It feels good, doesn’t it? You know, beating the Habs. It’s fun. I like this rivalry thing, especially when both teams are good. And especially when the Leafs are the better team.
So, join me, as we relive last night’s victory in all of it’s awesomeness.

1-0 Canadiens

Ok, it wasn’t all awesomeness. It didn’t exactly start off well, as the Habs opened the scoring just over two minutes in. Somehow, the puck finds it’s way through the cluster of five players in front of Freddy without even touching any of them. Of course once it makes it through them, Andersen is hopeless, because said cluster of players is screening him. This goal was part luck, and part good shooting from Petry.
Also, uh… WHO WAS COVERING HIM!!!

1-1 ?

James “Contract Year” van Riemsdyk was so eager to score, he couldn’t wait for CBC to return from commercial break before he scored. It was, however, an extremely lucky play. Drouin nutmegged his own teammate, and JVR pounced on the loose puck. And when I say pounced, I mean like a cat pouncing at a toy, and then it slips away without gaining full control, because that’s exactly what happened. The weird bounce froze Price long enough for it to get by him.

2-1 Leafs

I think someone bumped the settings down to Rookie on this one, because this is a goal most kids dream of scoring in video games. Matthews goes end to end through most of the team, including a great move around Jordie Benn, and then wires it past Price. Speaking of video games, I think Price’s controller died.

2-2 ?

Hyman seemed to be startled by getting the puck, because he immediately bobbles it, and that’s what starts this mess. Galchenyuk sneaks out with it, and fires it past Andersen for his first of the season. Pretty good production for a fourth liner.

Almost Goal Alert

It didn’t count, but can we admire Matthews hitting the puck out of mid-air (twice) to get past Carey Price. It’s too bad that his stick was 3 inches too high. I mean jeez, what a lack of discipline. He could’ve poked someone’s eye out doing that.

3-2 Canadiens

Apparently Alzner got possessed on Friday the 13th, because there’s no way he’d ever make a pass as nice as that. He even admited it! Regardless, it was a solid play worthy of (at the very least) a respectable golf clap.

3-3 ?

Marleau putting in work! After Uncle Leo’s wraparound attempt sneaks through Price, Marleau manages to outwork three Habs and jam the puck in the net for a couple seconds before Petry can stop it. It ain’t pretty, but not all of them are.

4-3 ?

Feel free to just watch this goal, and all it’s beauty.
I don’t know what to say about this. A great pass by Nylander, saucing it to Matthews. A great reception by Matthews, batting it out of the air. A great shot by Matthews, somehow making a bouncing puck be as accurate as a sniper’s bullet. A great celebration from two of the kids. And a great win!
Ok, maybe not a great win. The Leafs got out shot to hell, and they let the team that only had 4 goals going into tonight almost double that total. But, when you’re good, you can get away with being bad on your team. Especially when you have Auston Matthews.
So, enjoy the win! Savour it on Sunday, and tell your Habs coworkers that it sucks to suck. Because the next time you watch the Leafs, they’ll be in Washington for the first time since April, facing off against an Alex Ovechkin who’s out for blood.

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