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The Toronto Maple Leafs made lineup changes in expectation of a rough outing in Winnipeg, and they proved to be needed in the Leafs 4-1 victory over the Jets on Saturday. The contest was filled with chippy play, related to the bad blood that has existed between the two clubs going back to the Canadian Division and incidents involving defenseman Rasmus Sandin.
Although they had the lowest time-on-ice of any Leafs forwards, the presence of veterans Wayne Simmonds (10:10) and Kyle Clifford (9:06) did make a difference, as the wingers assisted on David Kampf’s game-winning goal in the second period and combined for five hits.
DAVID KAMPF 🚨
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) October 23, 2022
WHAT A PASS BY SIMMONDS pic.twitter.com/MHAcYBbjXF
More than just the expectation of a physical game against the Jets, through the first week of the season, there appeared to be more of a concerted effort by the opposition to be physical against Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Dallas captain Jamie Benn and former Leaf Mason Marchment were allowed to hit Matthews and Marner with no fear of any pushback or response from the Toronto side.
Simmonds skates through Scheifele
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) October 23, 2022
called for Unsportsmanlike Conduct pic.twitter.com/aKG0XnHXKh
That was not the case against Winnipeg, as Morgan Rielly stepped up after a Josh Morrissey check on Nick Robertson and filled in the Jets blueliner, and a number of Leafs came to the defense of Sandin, after Pierre-Luc Dubois went after the Toronto defenseman after he hit Winnipeg rookie Cole Perfetti, and Simmonds taking a shot at Mark Scheifele, perhaps in response to the Jets forward’s post-game comments after a win over Toronto last December.
Rielly went off pic.twitter.com/Z7Zg68GGeg
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) October 23, 2022
"Sometimes you need players to step out of character a little bit and Rielly's moment was that, he had somebody stick up for teammate and address that." head caoch Sheldon Keefe said after the win. "Different people to step up at different times and that's a real positive thing to come out of the game for us and for our organization. I had my fingers crossed that both (Clifford and Simmonds) we're gonna get through waivers, selfishly for me. They give us additional depth and give us the ability to change the look of our lineup at any time when you choose, now that we have a cap space. Those guys are so important to us."
Keefe will keep the veteran pair in the Leafs lineup against the Golden Knights in Vegas on Monday. Forward Zach Aston-Reese will be a healthy scratch, as Pierre Engvall returns after a one-game reset. Ilya Samsonov will get the start after a 27-save effort in his fourth win of the season, and Logan Thompson (2-2-0, 2.29 GAA, .926 save %) is expected to get the start for Vegas.
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