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The Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights was a departure from the club’s recent struggles on home ice, as they scored the opening goal and game winner in the opening forty minutes, but the win that ended their two-game losing skid at Scotiabank Arena was mostly due to the performance of Frederik Andersen, who made 36 saves for his eighth victory of the season.
“It seems like (Andersen)’s got no pressure on him. He just goes out there and has fun with it. He’s a pretty quiet guy but this year he’s opened up a lot.… Leafs winger Mitch Marner said after the game. “He really focuses and gets ready for the games. He’s a pro. He knows how to get it done right. He’s been unbelievable for the last two years for us here.…
Andersen continues to be a workhorse, getting the win in his eighth straight start and making more than 30 saves in six of his eight victories.
Leafs players prior to the game were focused on the importance on getting out to an early lead and just over five minutes into the first, Connor Brown accomplished that goal by beating Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury with a quick shot after stealing the puck from defenseman Nick Holden.
Toronto extended the lead nine seconds into the middle frame, as John Tavares set up Marner on a two-on-one break for his fifth goal of the season, but yielded control to the Golden Knights in the second, outshooting them 16-8 and narrowing the gap to 2-1 on a deflection by Cody Eakin, before settling down in the third and getting an empty net insurance goal from Nazem Kadri.
“I thought (Vegas) really dominated the second period. We were lucky to get out of the second.… Leafs coach Mike Babcock said after the game. …In the end, when you look at this game, it's kind of like when Pittsburgh left here with the points or Dallas left here with the points. You thought you had done enough to win and you didn't. Tonight, the shoe is on the other foot and we'll take it and maybe we can loosen up at home a little bit and play.… *******
The Leafs had an off day on Wednesday and will practice at MasterCard Centre on Thursday prior to the final game of their two-game homestand against the New Jersey Devils on Friday. The club did make a roster move, sending winger Trevor Moore back to the Toronto Marlies.
The 23-year-old was the Marlies leading scorer (eight goals, three assists in 10 games) before being recalled last week, but did not get the opportunity to make his NHL debut in Pittsburgh or against Vegas.
The demotion to the AHL could be temporary in nature for Moore, as the Leafs will head out for a four game road trip beginning in Boston on Saturday and heading out to the West Coast next week.
The Leafs currently have only 12 forwards on their NHL roster and will likely call up an extra forward with them far from their minor league affiliate. The Marlies are playing back-to-back games in Belleville on Friday and Saturday, which would give Moore the chance to get back on the ice.
Marner gets the interception and does a loop around the offensive zone before he finds Tavares. Great opportunity. pic.twitter.com/OpQPZqcvAW
— Flintor (@TheFlintor) November 7, 2018
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New episode of the podcast. Jump on it. @MikeInBuffalo #tmltalk https://t.co/zmQrDGHUjx pic.twitter.com/doHjfNut8v
— The Leafs Convo (@TheLeafsConvo) November 7, 2018