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The Toronto Maple Leafs have climbed into an Eastern Conference playoff spot on the strength of their offense and goalie Frederik Andersen being able to cover up for the club’s inexperience and defensive shortcomings.
That was not the case on Saturday, as Toronto’s young scorers could not make up for a weary Andersen's subpar performance in a 5-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens at Air Canada Center. Tyler Bozak, Nazem Kadri and James van Riemsdyk scored for Toronto, who suffered their first regulation loss since their last game at ACC on December 19 vs Anaheim. Andersen made 31 saves in a 4-2 victory over New Jersey on Friday and was playing both ends of back-to-back games for the third time this season.
Montreal took advantage of Toronto’s propensity for giving up goals in bunches, as Max Pacioretty and Artturi Lehkonen scored in the opening 3:47 of the first period.
Rookie Mitch Marner spearheaded the Toronto offense with three assists, setting up linemate Bozak and Kadri for first period power play goals, but Montreal rookie Nikita Scherbak restored the lead with his first NHL goal with 1.6 seconds remaining.
Marner hardly trying pic.twitter.com/8wxec35ZTX
— GIF Grand Maester (@myregularface) January 8, 2017
Alexander Radulov and van Riemsdyk traded goals in a middle frame littered with fights and physical confrontations.
Tag team match: Martin vs McCaron and Gauthier vs Farnham pic.twitter.com/rHkYObtn85
— Flintor (@TheFlintor) January 8, 2017
Matt Martin and Frederik Gauthier dropped the gloves with Habs rookie Michael McCarron and journeyman Bobby Farnham, and Zach Hyman drew the ire of Habs defenseman Shea Weber by driving the net and colliding with Carey Price.
i just love the ref cam pic.twitter.com/Bd9oJG3t87
— GIF Grand Maester (@myregularface) January 8, 2017
McCarron restored Montreal’s two-goal lead with his first of the season and that was enough for the superlative Price, who made 33 saves for his 20th win of the season.
The loss will leave a bitter taste in the Leafs mouth, as they will not play again until Friday against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
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As was the case 12 months ago, the Leafs outlook after the 2017 IIHF World Junior is positive regarding the four prospects that played in Toronto and Montreal.
2015 draft pick Martins Dzierkals was a big part of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies bid to win a Memorial Cup last year, stood out at the Leafs Rookie Tournament in London in September and impressed with winless Team Latvia.
ESPN’s Corey Pronman thinks the 19-year-old winger has the speed and skill to put defensemen on heels and the hockey IQ to see the play and create opportunities.
Dzierkals had three points (one goal, two assists) in six games for Latvia and would be eligible to re-enter the NHL Draft if he is not signed by June, but he appears to have his sights set on being part of the Leafs youth movement.
Dzierkals showing off some of that Latvian hustle to get his 1st of tournament 🇱🇻 pic.twitter.com/IdafmYm7m3
— Future Of The Six (@FutureOfThe6) December 30, 2016
“(Toronto) is the team I was drafted by and (we played in) the rink where the Leafs play. I hope this is not the only time I’m going to play here.… Dzierkals told the Toronto Star’s Kevin McGran.“They’re rebuilding. They have a lot of young talent. They’re doing really good this year. They’re going to keep building. They’re going to get a Cup for sure in the next couple of years and I want to be part of it.…
2016 second rounder Carl Grundstrom surprised some with his offensive ability, as he scored seven points (3 goals, 4 assists) in seven games for Team Sweden and was moved up to the top line with first rounders Joel Eriksson-Ek(MIN) and Alex Nylander(BUF) early in the tournament.
Leafs prospect Carl Grundstrom scores for Sweden to put them up 2-1 over Canada, but my goodness, Alex Nylander's touch at the start pic.twitter.com/21BoU2uJ4U
— Jeff Veillette (@JeffVeillette) January 5, 2017
Pronman was impressed with Grundstrom’s penalty killing ability, speed and skill level, but also his willingness to win battles along the boards and block shots. Leafs assistant GM Mark Hunter said the 19-year-old winger reminded him of current Leaf Leo Komarov and the dozen penalty minutes and willingness to crash the net made those comparisons pretty accurate.
Jeremy Bracco was a key contributor for Team USA in their gold medal effort, scoring three times and converting in the shootout to keep the American squad alive against Russia in the semi-final.
— GIF Grand Maester (@myregularface) January 4, 2017
While the 19-year-old’s stature has some concerned that his game will not translate to the NHL, Bracco proved quite effective and slippery against bigger players against Russia and Canada who will be in the NHL very soon.
2016 third rounder Joseph Woll won his two starts for Team USA, including a 24-save victory over Canada in the preliminary round. The Boston College freshman will not turn 19 until July, which makes him the odds-on favorite to be the American’s top goalie at the 2018 World Junior in Buffalo next December.
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