Game of Firsts
After an off-day Saturday, both the Leafs and the Raptors were in action today. The Leafs had a 9 a.m. HNIC game vs. the Canucks at home. (result) The Raptors' road game at the Bucks started a bit past 10:30 a.m.
Let's get the first game out of the way, a 5-0 win by the Buds. And since the Raptors came away with an impressive W on the road, those guys deserve a separate post!
Firsts
Trevor Moore scored his first NHL goal with a great individual effort.
He's been a very, very good 4th line winger since his call-up (though "a very, very good 4th line winger doesn't sound like a compliment). Of course, his time with the big club is ticking because once Hyman and Ennis are healed and ready to go, Moore will be the odd-man out (along with Gaut). But the kid is making the most of his time.
As well as Moore did up there in the scoring play, it really was on D-man Pouliot. That's just a terrible play, letting the winger walk around you like a pylon. There's really no excuse for it.
But Moore does deserve credit for his effort. One thing about Moore that jumps out is he goes at full speed every shift. He works the corners, gets into puck battles, and backchecks his butt off going the other way. And when you're a 4th line guy, you know you won't play 18-20 minutes a game. So whenever you're on the ice, you should just go at it full-throttle, right?
Much easier said than done, obviously, but Moore has been doing just that.
And how about Rielly, the de facto captain on a team without anyone wearing "C," fetching the puck out of the net for Moore? And after Hutchinson got his first shutout as a Leaf, it was also Rielly who retrieved the puck for the goalie. That's leadership right there.
Good to see Hutch wearing a proper mask, after donning the white mask with small Leafs decals just behind the ears vs. the Wild. Don't think he was severely tested, but he made saves that he had to.
And the Canucks were playing their sixth game on a six-game road trip. Those guys looked gassed in the 3rd. And they were missing Elias.
Matthews Ends Drought
Matthews ended his five-game goalless drought, which matched his season high. Not one of the prettier goals he's scored this season, but hey, they all count the same.
Now he has 20 goals. This is his third-straight season with at least 20. For what it's worth, Matthews has 94 goals over the past three seasons (counting this one), two more than Crosby. Matthews is tied with McDavid and Pastrnak in 4th place in that span.
(If you're curious, it goes Ovechkin (112), Laine (104) and Kucherov (99). You're welcome.)
Johnsson did some great work in the corners to set up that goal. Matthews returned the favor later to assist on Johnsson's goal, as the new C-LW combo combined for five points, +6 rating and six shots on goal.
Bounceback Game
Losing always sucks, but giving up 8 goals in 2 games vs. mediocre offenses (Isles+Wild) was particularly discouraging for me. Yes, we got Vancouver at the tail end of a long trip and third game in four nights, but the boys put in a hard day's work to take care of business, rather than taking it easy against an overmatched opponent.
Not like we dominated this contest for any sustained stretch by any means, but I just felt we played a solid checking game and controlled the puck in the O-zone effectively.
Hockey can be an incredibly simple game, if you think about it. Work hard and you'll be rewarded. With the skills that we have, we can go up against virtually any team in the NHL. Finding the extra gear and working the corners and dragging the opponents into the cycling game... these things have been a challenge at times. Another thing that's a lot easier for me to say as the armchair coach and blogger than done against the best hockey players in the world.
Anyway, we get Nashville Tuesday. Should be a danday, with the Preds having just handled the Habs 4-1 in Montreal.
Let's get the first game out of the way, a 5-0 win by the Buds. And since the Raptors came away with an impressive W on the road, those guys deserve a separate post!
Firsts
Trevor Moore scored his first NHL goal with a great individual effort.
He's been a very, very good 4th line winger since his call-up (though "a very, very good 4th line winger doesn't sound like a compliment). Of course, his time with the big club is ticking because once Hyman and Ennis are healed and ready to go, Moore will be the odd-man out (along with Gaut). But the kid is making the most of his time.
As well as Moore did up there in the scoring play, it really was on D-man Pouliot. That's just a terrible play, letting the winger walk around you like a pylon. There's really no excuse for it.
But Moore does deserve credit for his effort. One thing about Moore that jumps out is he goes at full speed every shift. He works the corners, gets into puck battles, and backchecks his butt off going the other way. And when you're a 4th line guy, you know you won't play 18-20 minutes a game. So whenever you're on the ice, you should just go at it full-throttle, right?
Much easier said than done, obviously, but Moore has been doing just that.
And how about Rielly, the de facto captain on a team without anyone wearing "C," fetching the puck out of the net for Moore? And after Hutchinson got his first shutout as a Leaf, it was also Rielly who retrieved the puck for the goalie. That's leadership right there.
Good to see Hutch wearing a proper mask, after donning the white mask with small Leafs decals just behind the ears vs. the Wild. Don't think he was severely tested, but he made saves that he had to.
And the Canucks were playing their sixth game on a six-game road trip. Those guys looked gassed in the 3rd. And they were missing Elias.
Matthews Ends Drought
Matthews ended his five-game goalless drought, which matched his season high. Not one of the prettier goals he's scored this season, but hey, they all count the same.
Now he has 20 goals. This is his third-straight season with at least 20. For what it's worth, Matthews has 94 goals over the past three seasons (counting this one), two more than Crosby. Matthews is tied with McDavid and Pastrnak in 4th place in that span.
(If you're curious, it goes Ovechkin (112), Laine (104) and Kucherov (99). You're welcome.)
Johnsson did some great work in the corners to set up that goal. Matthews returned the favor later to assist on Johnsson's goal, as the new C-LW combo combined for five points, +6 rating and six shots on goal.
Bounceback Game
Losing always sucks, but giving up 8 goals in 2 games vs. mediocre offenses (Isles+Wild) was particularly discouraging for me. Yes, we got Vancouver at the tail end of a long trip and third game in four nights, but the boys put in a hard day's work to take care of business, rather than taking it easy against an overmatched opponent.
Not like we dominated this contest for any sustained stretch by any means, but I just felt we played a solid checking game and controlled the puck in the O-zone effectively.
Hockey can be an incredibly simple game, if you think about it. Work hard and you'll be rewarded. With the skills that we have, we can go up against virtually any team in the NHL. Finding the extra gear and working the corners and dragging the opponents into the cycling game... these things have been a challenge at times. Another thing that's a lot easier for me to say as the armchair coach and blogger than done against the best hockey players in the world.
Anyway, we get Nashville Tuesday. Should be a danday, with the Preds having just handled the Habs 4-1 in Montreal.
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