The Toronto Maple Leafs exacted a bit of revenge for their first round playoff loss to the Washington Capitals last season, as Connor Brown provided all the offense necessary in a 2-0 victory at Capital One Arena on Tuesday.
Brown, who replaced Mitch Marner on a line with James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak, slid a rebound of a Morgan Rielly point shot past Caps goalie Braden Holtby early in the third period after both squads missed a number of great scoring opportunities in the opening 40 minutes.
“I liked that Brownie worked hard, he was good on the penalty kill, he got to the net and they got the puck there. We didn't have a lot of that type of play tonight – like I said, it was a lot of rush instead of being heavy.” Leafs coach Mike Babcock said after the game. “It was great to see him get to the net and be rewarded.”
Nazem Kadri added an empty netter and Frederik Andersen made 30 saves for his fifth win and first shutout of the season.
The transition will be a quick one for Toronto, who plays the first of 14 regular season back-to-back games against the Detroit Red Wings at Air Canada Centre on Wednesday. The game marks the 1500th game of veteran Patrick Marleau's career. The 38-year-old is the 18th player in NHL history to reach that milestone.
"It's one thing to get to 1500 (games), it's another to be as good as he is." Leafs coach Mike Babcock said Wednesday morning. "We're lucky to have him here, we're excited to have him, we're excited for him today and we need to play in this situation for him."
The Leafs continue to rotate players in their lineup, as Eric Fehr replaces Dominic Moore at center on the fourth line and Andreas Borgman subs in for Calle Rosen on the bottom pairing with Connor Carrick. The most significant change will be backup Curtis McElhinney making his first start of the season.
McElhinney went 6-7-0 in 14 games with Toronto last season and played well in the pre-season, but will have to continue to be a dependable option and keep the Leafs in games with Calvin Pickard waiting in the wings in the AHL.
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The Tragically Hip’s Gord Downie passed away on Tuesday at the age of 53.
The Hip were the quintessential Canadian band and Downie was not only a compelling front man on stage, but a gifted songwriter who inspired listeners with his lyrics.
I was fortunate to see the Hip in concert 10 times over the years, mostly in Western New York. In all those shows, my favorite musical memory came in their last visit to Buffalo in April 2015 on the “Fully Completely” tour.
The band traditionally avoided playing the classic "50 Mission Cap" in all their Buffalo shows, but had to do it this time because the tour was celebrating the 22nd anniversary of the album. When the very recognizable intro began, there was a cheer from the Southern Ontario contingent of the crowd, but when Downie uttered the line "the last goal have ever scored, won the Leafs the Cup", the Buffalo crowd lustily booed.
The reaction similar to the crowd at Key Bank Center booing the Leafs scoring a goal during a game, which seemed fitting because the Hip and hockey always seemed to be a perfect fit.
Rest in peace, Gord! Your music meant so much to millions and will live on in our hearts!!
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