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The Toronto Maple Leafs proved early in the season that they could win a wide open offensive contest early in the season and without Auston Matthews in the lineup, they are showing that they can achieve victories in closer, low scoring contrests.
The Leafs earned their fifth straight win and fourth in a row without their leading scorer on Thursday, as William Nylander snapped a shot past Cory Schneider with 2.2 seconds left in overtime to give Toronto a 1-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils at Air Canada Centre.
The game was a duel between goaltenders Cory Schneider and Frederik Andersen. Schneider (who made 47 saves in a Devils victory over Toronto last month) was sharp once again, styming the Leafs until the final moments of overtime, while Andersen faced 42 shots and rose to the occasion during a four-on-three New Jersey man advantage early in the extra frame.
“I thought Freddie was really good, especially in overtime.” Leafs head coach Mike Babcock said after the game. “That was a big part(of the win) for us. It was a tight-checking game, there wasn't a lot of room for anybody. It was probably boring for the fans, but it's kind of what I expected and I was glad we embraced it. We stuck with it and found ourselves a way to get two points.”
Toronto during their winning streak has been more the beneficiary of better goaltending than a significant improvement of their team defense. In the five games, three times the Leafs starter was named the first star. Andersen is 4-0 during the streak, with a 1.68 GAA and .951 save percentage, but is facing an average of 35.5 shots per game. Backup Curtis McElhinney made 38 saves and allowed only one goal in his victory over Boston.
Toronto held an optional practice at the MasterCard Centre in Etobicoke on Friday before departing for Montreal. According to
TSN’s Kristen Shilton, Matthews took to the ice for the fifth straight day, but it is unknown whether he will return to the lineup against the division rival Canadiens on Saturday.
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UPDATE: Leafs sign Josh Leivo to a one-year, $925,000 extension. The extension takes the possiblity of him becoming a Group VI unrestricted free agent off the table and could either be the precursor to a trade or acknowledgement that he will be a replacement for one of the UFA wingers (JVR, Komarov) next season.
The NHL held a general managers meeting in Montreal on Friday, which traditionally has spurred trade chatter. In spite of their 13-7-0 record, the Maple Leafs are 24th in the league in goals allowed (63) and need to upgrade their top four at some point between now and the February 26th trade deadline.
The Fourth Period reported on Thursday that the Leafs are looking for help on the blueline, someone who can provide help on penalty kill and a puck moving defender.
Josh Leivo could be included as part of a package to acquire that much-needed help on defense, since he has been a scratch for all but five games this season and could see less playing time with the recall of Nikita Soshnikov.
Tyson Barrie of the Colorado Avalanche and Sami Vatanen were mentioned as defenders that the Leafs may have interest in. The 26-year-old right-handed Barrie has been the subject of trade rumors ever since he signed a four-year, $21 Million contract in 2016 and his offensive numbers dipped to 38 points last season and the chances of him being available may have increased with the addition of young blueliner Samuel Girard in the Matt Duchene trade.
Vatanen has long been rumored to be on the Leafs radar. The 26-year-old has played just eight games after recovering from off-season shoulder surgery and is under contract for another two seasons at $4.875 Million. The Ducks are in desperate need for reinforcements up front, with Ryan Getzlaf out until February, Ryan Kesler and Patrick Eaves also out.
Anaheim extended both Cam Fowler and Josh Manson on long-term deals that kick in next season and have to re-sign youngster Brandon Montour, which might make them willing to trade Vatanen at some point.
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