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Reim Time - Reimer Blanks Habs in Leafs' Season Opener

October 6, 2011, 9:50 PM ET [ Comments]
Ken Beckett
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
With many questions regarding whether he's the real deal, Toronto Maple Leafs netminder James Reimer answered strongly, making 32 saves in a 2-0 shutout victory over the Montreal Canadiens to open up the 2011-12 season.

Reimer's shutout was the fourth of his career. The Morweena, Manitoba native earned first star of the game honours for his performance in the Leafs' home opener.

The last time the Leafs started off the season with a shutout victory was in 2002, when Ed Belfour stopped 33 shots during a 6-0 win in Pittsburgh over the Penguins. The last shutout win to come in a home opener came back in 2000, when Curtis Joseph stopped 26 shots in a 2-0 victory over the Habs.

The first period of the first game of the season was scoreless, with the Habs badly outshooting the Leafs. Montreal kept Reimer busy in the Toronto net, outshooting the Leafs 14-4 after 20 minutes.

It took Toronto 21 games to collect their first shorthanded goal in 2010-11, but the wait would not be nearly as long this year thanks to Matthew Lombardi in his Leafs debut.

With Luke Schenn in the penalty box for a questionable boarding call to start the second period, Lombardi found himself in on a 2-on-1 with Mike Brown. Habs netminder Carey Price made the initial save, but Lombardi circled the net and roofed the loose puck over a sprawling Price. The assists went to Brown and captain Dion Phaneuf on the goal scored just 33 seconds into the middle frame.

Lombardi's goal was his first in over a year, missing all but two games last season due to a concussion. The Montreal native's last regular season goal came on Apr. 10, 2010, when he scored as a member of the Phoenix Coyotes.

Toronto jumped out to a two-goal lead in the third period thanks to a rocket of a shot from their captain. Off a Phil Kessel drop pass, Phaneuf fired a laser over Price to give Toronto the 2-0 lead. It took Phaneuf 13 games last season to register his first goal of the year, scoring his first on Dec. 14, 2010, in a game against the Edmonton Oilers.

Phaneuf's goal was scored at 4:42 of the third, with the assists going to Kessel and Joffrey Lupul for their first points of the year. With a goal and an assist in the home opener, Phaneuf was named second star of the game.

Third star of the game honours went to Matthew Lombardi, who showed no signs of rust in his first regular season game in almost a year. The 29-year old centreman logged 11:02 in ice-time with a shorthanded goal and two shots on the Montreal net.

Despite his impressive debut in Blue and White, Lombardi says there's still plenty of room for improvement as he makes his way back from a concussion which sidelined him for all but two games last season.

"I've still got to be better," Lombardi stated. "I got a lucky bounce there, it was nice to get that. But it's getting there, it's getting better. It felt definitely better than my first [pre-season] one, but I've still got to keep pushing through this. I know I can get better and move along here."

Head coach Ron Wilson explained post-game that Lombardi's skating skills make him an effective penalty killer, and that he will see increased minutes as the season goes along.

"One thing he can do with his speed is kill penalties," Wilson said. "And I saw some good things to give him a little bit more ice-time. It just wasn't the goal. He was skating really well and pressuring the puck. He got banged two or three times and responded well to that. As we go here, you can probably look for him to get a minute or two more a game as we get him ready."

Another player making his Leafs debut also impressed on Thursday. In his first game since being acquired from the New Jersey Devils, David Steckel was a man on a mission in the face-off dot, going 18-for-25 and winning 72 percent of his draws.

With all the attention put on James Reimer because of his impressive play in the second half of last season and the three-year, $5.4 million deal he signed in the summer, the amount of pressure on the man fans call Optimus Reim is intense.

Reimer said after the game that the pressure he focuses on however comes from nobody but himself.

"I guess there is kind of no better way to start," Reimer said. "As far as the pressure is concerned, the outside pressure I try not to think about too much. And whether that's ceased a little bit now since we've had a good start -- it may have. But the pressure I put on myself is what I worry about, and that stays true whether I get a shutout or I let in six goals on five shots. That's what I worry about."

The last Leaf to score a shorthanded goal in a home opener was Mats Sundin. The former captain scored shorthanded in a game to open up the 1999-2000 season against the Habs.

Toronto holds an undefeated record of 3-0-2 in their last five season openers. The Leafs are 8-3-1-1 in home openers against their forever rivals, the Canadiens.

The Leafs are back in action on Saturday when another chapter of the Battle of Ontario is written, as the Ottawa Senators visit the Air Canada Centre.

Canadiens vs. Leafs Stats Recap

Shots
MTL: 32
TOR: 18

Shot Leaders
MTL: Four players tied with four shots each
TOR: Joffrey Lupul (4)

Power Play
MTL: 0/5
TOR: 0/3

Blocked Shots
MTL: 12
TOR: 20

Blocked Shot Leaders
MTL: Josh Gorges (3)
TOR: Komisarek, Liles and Schenn tied (4)

Hits
MTL: 10
TOR: 15

Hits Leaders
MTL: Max Pacioretty (2)
TOR: Mike Komisarek (6)

Face-Off Leaders - Min. 10 opportunities
MTL: Tomas Plekanec - 14/24 (58%)
TOR: David Steckel - 18/25 (72%)

Time on Ice
MTL: P.K. Subban (24:46)
TOR: Dion Phaneuf (23:57)

Three Stars
1) James Reimer - TOR (32 Saves, SO)
2) Dion Phaneuf - TOR (1G, 1A)
3) Matthew Lombardi - TOR (1G, 0A)

Game Highlights


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