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The Toronto Maple Leafs cannot be happy to have gone to extra time for the 10th time in 21 games, but are pleased with the end result as the Leafs rebounded from blowing a two-goal third-period lead to win 4-3 in a shootout over the Seattle Kraken at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday.
Similar to the win over Florida on Tuesday, all of Toronto’s scoring was done by one player. Against the Kraken, it was Mitch Marner, who snapped an eight-game scoring drought with a hat trick, and the game-clinching goal in the shootout.
MITCH MARNER! SHOOTOUT WINNER! pic.twitter.com/mdqzZATAjv
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) December 1, 2023
“(Mitch) looked confident to me. He played with authority.… Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said after the game. “When you are feeling it, all of a sudden, it starts to come to you. The breakaway goal is vintage Mitch Marner breaking away like that and capitalizing. Again, he scored with authority in the shootout. It is a great sign for us.…
Concerns about the club’s defense showed in the third period with the Leafs looking to hold on to a 3-1 lead, as snipes by Eeli Tolvanen and Jared McCann evened the score and forced overtime.
“We are thinking about it too much. We have been in this situation a lot. We are asked about it every single day — and for good reason. We haven’t found a way to get on the right side of it.… Keefe said. “At the end of the day, this is a really hard league to get points in. I just looked before I came in. I think there are 23 teams below us in the standings right now, and we haven’t played our best hockey.…
It was another strong performance by goalie Joseph Woll, who held the score even with four stops in overtime and both Seattle opportunities in the shootout for his eighth victory.
“When we make a mistake, he is there. He is competing. It seems like he is growing every single start. That is an important piece for our team.… Keefe said. “To see Joseph growing like this through this process of this week — as we have started to get into more of an NHL-type rhythm — is great. Clearly, he is the backbone of getting these points of late.…
game save for Woll pic.twitter.com/4XYWGqqKiQ
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) December 1, 2023
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