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The Toronto Maple Leafs better hope the catchphrase “whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas… holds true for their season, because they put in a lethargic, uninspired performance in a 3-1 loss to the Golden Knights on Monday, which snapped their two-game winning streak.
William Nylander scored the lone Toronto goal in the second period, and Ilya Samsonov made 30 saves in his first loss, but the Leafs goaltender was the sole reason that the club remained within striking distance into the third period, as the club in front of him struggled to get scoring chances on Golden Knights goalie Logan Thompson, who had to make only 22 stops for his third victory of the season.
"We just got beat by a team that was better than us in all facets.… Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said after the game. "Clearly we were not as ready as our opponent was. They jumped on top of us at the start of each period. (It) took us probably 10-12 minutes in the first and second to really get our game going, I thought the back half of those periods we were fine. And then the third period, we didn't find it at all."
Tavares takes a Sandin slapshot off the knee
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) October 25, 2022
man... pic.twitter.com/ImTSYahjJv
John Tavares left the game early in the third period after being struck on the left knee by a Rasmus Sandin shot, but the Leafs team captain may have dodged a bullet, as he returned to action late in the game. Keefe did not have any update on Tavares after the game, but the club has two days off before returning to action in San Jose.
It was a particularly poor night for the Toronto blueline, as Justin Holl continues to struggle with the concept of defense. Victor Mete was caught way out of position on Michael Amadio’s insurance goal in the third and had a glaring giveaway behind the Leafs net that resulted in a Jack Eichel scoring chance in the middle frame. With Jake Muzzin’s status uncertain, Keefe has to be looking for his club to play better team defense until Timothy Liljegren and Jordie Benn return, or until GM Kyle Dubas makes a trade for some blueline help.
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