On Saturday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs faced the Ottawa Senators in a tightly contested game that ended in a thrilling shootout. Although he’s only scored seven goals during the regular season, Alexander Kerfoot was the shootout hero and scored the winning goal in the ninth round.
Toronto had a balanced scoring attack in their 5-4 win over the Senators on Saturday night. For the Maple Leafs, Calle Jarnkrok scored twice, while Mitch Marner (adding an assist), and Jake McCabe also contributed goals. Auston Matthews had two assists.
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Goalie Matt Murray, who faced his former team, made an outstanding 48 saves and played a crucial role in helping his team skate to the win.
Item One: Matt Murray Keeps His Team in the Game in Overtime
On Saturday night, and after a bunch of criticism from fans, Matt Murray was a standout for his team. He made 48 saves in regulation and the extra period, and he stopped 6 of 9 shootout attempts in a 5-4 win against the Senators.
Although Murray has now given up four goals in his six previous games, this performance was different. Murray was sharp and faced a lot of pressure, but he handled it well. He made a number of key saves, especially in the overtime. He was the team’s best player after regulation by far.
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After the game, Maple Leafs’ head coach Sheldon Keefe noted that the game had to be a confidence-building win for Murray. My guess is that tells as much about Keefe’s agenda (to help Murray build his confidence) as it does Murray’s confidence.
Interestingly, after the game, Murray admitted that he didn’t even see Kerfoot’s game-winning shootout score. He wasn’t even looking, he just put his head down and listened. There has to be huge pressure on the goalies in these shootouts.
Item Two: Auston Matthews and Calle Jarnkrok Are New Best Buds
For all the concern made about bringing Calle Jarnkrok in during the offseason, he’s proving to be a priceless addition to the Maple Leafs’ roster. In fact, don’t look now but he’s having a career season with the team – even at the advanced (hockey anyway) age of 31 years.
Despite playing in various positions and on different lines, he’s consistently performed well and is…
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