Morning-after recap: Ducks? Bucked.
By TLN Staff
6 years agoGood teams win close games, or so the old adage goes. This wasn’t a #beautiful game by the Leafs, but it wasn’t exactly an ugly one either. The Leafs controlled play in both the first and third period, created a high number of chances at even strength, drew a pair of penalties, killed off the penalties they did take and converted on quality opportunities. Save for a weird bounce that passed him, Frederik Andersen had another good start and when it was all said and done, the Leafs came out with a 3-1 win.
In coachspeak, they did the little things right that contributed to a win.
It was a depleted Ducks lineup and maybe a little closer than it should have been, but you’ll take two points in California whenever you can get it.
1-0 Leafs (Connor Brown goal)
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Game of inches.
With Mike Babcock playing with his lines in the game last night, it was the JVR-Marleau-Brown line that may have looked the best. Watch this goal a few times. I mean, really watch it.
- After a failed zone exit by Corey Perry (shut down by Morgan Rielly), JVR and Brown rush up the ice in a 2-on-1
- Sami Vatanen is in his “oh yikes what do I do” mode, but splits the difference between the two rushing forwards
- JVR waits… and waits… and waits… and waits… and threads the needle
- Brown makes contact with the puck at the edge of the crease just as Ducks goalie Gibson starts his lateral movement. A half-second later and that’s an easy poke check away.
A perfectly executed odd-man rush, and it’s 1-0 Leafs.
1-1 (Ondrej Kase/Andreas Borgman goal)
There are some beautiful goals in hockey, like the one above.
There are also some goals like this.
Plinko.
Bad spot for Borgman and it’s a tie hockey game.
2-1 Leafs (Patrick Marleau goal)
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*Extremely Paul Pierce in the 2014 NBA playoffs voice*
THAT’S WHY THEY GOT ME HERE!
Ron Hainsey with a nice play to keep the puck in at the line, a shot fired on net, and Patrick Marleau scores a goal off the rebound… backwards.
Not a ton to analyze outside of that, but a great presence of mind to find the open cage and there’s your game-winning goal.
Disallowed Anaheim goal
Well, that was real close. With under two minutes to go, the Ducks looked like they’d tied it up. They did, after all, put the puck into the net. But the initial call on the ice was no goal, and as these things go, the call on the ice usually stands if it’s a little unclear.
Score one for Dan O’Rourke.
3-1 Leafs (Leo Komarov EN goal)
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The Leafs had just eight empty netters all of last season. Leo Komarov pots their second of the year here, after Nazem Kadri’s shot into the blank cage in a 2-0 win against Washington.
With Komarov’s goal came a sense of relief, as it secured the Leafs first win in four games.
The Leafs play another hockey game tonight in California against the Los Angeles Kings. We hope they win.
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