The Toronto Maple Leafs succeeded in bouncing back from blowing a four-goal lead in a 6-5 loss to Ottawa earlier this week by playing a boring but effective brand of hockey, limiting offensive chances and getting solid goaltending in a 2-1 victory over the Senators on Wednesday night.
Auston Matthews and Brady Tkachuk exchanged goals in the second period, Alex Kerfoot scored the game-winner midway through the third, banking a rebound of the back of Matt Murray’s helmet into the goal, and Frederik Andersen made 27 saves for his 10th victory of the season.
“Ottawa was playing extremely well and playing to their structure perfectly. It took some time for us to stay with that. At the same time, I thought, as we talked to our team about,the fact that it was clear the way the night was going, it was going to be one where you had to earn your offense, you’ve got to have patience, you’ve got to keep your structure and I thought we did that for the most part.” Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said after the game. “We got some good penalty kills. We got a big goal by Kerf and find a way to get our two points.”
The Leafs had two Joe Thornton goals waved off by the officials, one for the veteran forward pushing Murray and the puck over the goal line and the other for being deflected with a high stick, but Matthews finally put Toronto in the lead with a one-timer blast past Murray.
“There’s nothing you can really do about those two. The first one just fighting for the puck I understand and the second one, high stick. Once we scored there right after the high stick, the boys were saying ‘the puck don’t lie’.” Matthews said. (Joe has) been all over it in these two games (that) he’s been back. He looks completely normal. He’s playing well, he’s making plays, he’s doing things that he does and he’s super easy to play with.”
With the victory, the Leafs move six points in front of Montreal for top spot in the North and finish off the three-game set with the Sens at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday. Keefe would not confirm any lineup changes after the contest, but it is expected that backup Michael Hutchinson will get his first start of the season in the second of back-to-back games and that Marcus Hogberg will go for Ottawa after Murray started on Wednesday.
New Leaf Alex Galchenyuk skated on Thursday in Blue and White for the first time wearing #12, but it is unknown whether when he will be inserted in the lineup.
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