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The Toronto Maple Leafs once again put together a winning effort in a 4-3 win over Minnesota on Friday not on the back of their powerhouse offense, but playing solid team defense, taking advantage of opposition mistakes, and getting a big save in crunch time.
Mitch Marner, Zach Aston-Reese, Calle Jarnkrok, and William Nylander scored for Toronto, and Matt Murray made 25 saves for his fourth victory of the season, as the Leafs have earned points in seven straight games (5-0-2) and strengthened their hold on second place in the Atlantic Division.
“Guys are finding a way. It is what you have to do. At the end there, I don’t think Rasmus Sandin has ever been on the ice in the NHL with the goalie out. You have guys playing in different spots and finding a way. Everybody is contributing and doing their part, whether it is blocking shots or chipping pucks out.… Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said after the game. “They haven’t been the prettiest wins, but guys are finding a way and competing. That is exactly what you are asking of your group when you are going through what you are: to set yourself up for success to win a game. We have done that.…
It was a back-and-forth contest in the rare Friday afternoon game on the long American Thanksgiving holiday weekend, with Toronto getting a pair of first period softies on a long Marner shot through a screen and Aston-Reese sliding one along the ice past Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, but each time Minnesota responded with goals from Kirill Kaprizov and Matthew Boldy.
The Leafs took the lead for good midway through the second, as Jarnkrok buried the rebound of a Mark Giordano shot, and lengthened the lead late in the third on Nylander’s 11th of the season, but the Wild closed to within one with the goalie pulled on a Mats Zuccarello goal and nearly tied the game late in regulation on a defensive faux pas by Sandin, but Murray saved the day with a sprawling save on Kaprizov.
MATT. MURRAY. GAME. SAVER. pic.twitter.com/vxgSPNT891
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) November 25, 2022
“We got outstanding goaltending tonight. I am not sure where the stats will line up for him today. They don’t tell the whole story. Matt was excellent from the drop of the puck.… Keefe said. “The one that saves the game at the end is massive, but there was one early in the game where there was a scramble and they had two or three shots in succession all around the crease. All of a sudden, there is a guy who is 6’5 and sticks his leg out there to make a huge save. The reaction from our bench was that a lot of guys had disbelief. They had the sense it was going in, and all of a sudden, it doesn’t.…
With veteran Jordie Benn added to the list of injured blueliners, Toronto inserted Victor Mete and once again leaned heavily on their top four D, as Giordano, Justin Holl, Sandin, and Timothy Liljegren played over 20 minutes on the night. Rookie Mac Hollowell was +2 on the night playing nearly 14 minutes, while Mete played 11:47.
Toronto will have a quick turnaround continuing their four-game road trip with their final meeting of the regular season with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Leafs and Pens split their previous two meetings; a 4-2 loss in Toronto on November 11, and a 5-2 win in Pittsburgh on November 15. Keefe announced after the game that Erik Kallgren will get the start in the second of back-to-back games, and Denis Malgin will be inserted in place of Wayne Simmonds.
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