Last night, the Toronto Maple Leafs took home a close 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens. John Tavares broke the 2-2 tie with just 6:46 left in the game when he potted his 20th goal of the season. Max Domi and Bobby McMann also scored for Toronto, and goalie Ilya Samsonov made 29 saves to hold his team in there until they caught up and went ahead.
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Montreal played well, getting good goaltending from Sam Montembeault and goals from Mike Matheson and Alex Newhook. However, in the end, the Canadiens came up one goal short. They had a chance to score on power-play opportunities late in the game but simply could not.
Item One: Three Reasons the Maple Leafs Won
There were three reasons the Maple Leafs beat the Canadiens on Saturday night. First, they got two key goals on similar-looking plays from McMann and Domi who used their speed to break in on Montembeault to score. They then got the late-game winner from Maple Leafs’ captain Tavares. Those three goals were enough on this night.
Second, the Maple Leafs got a strong defensive effort from the team. Although Mitch Marner missed the game with a lower-body injury, they were able to limit Montreal’s scoring opportunities. When the Canadiens were able to break through, Samsonov played his role by making solid saves.
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Third, the Maple Leafs shut down the Canadiens’ play with the man advantage. The team’s penalty kill was effective especially when Toronto faced pressure late in the game. They were shorthanded with three minutes left but denied the Canadiens’ attempts to tie the game.
Item Two: Samsonov Wins Again
Samsonov got the start against Montreal. He came into the game riding two solid starts where he had stopped 56 of 60 shots. He had another quality start to move his record to 17-5-6 for the season. On the night, after giving up an early Canadiens goal, he hung in there to make 29 saves. Once again, he remained calm in the crease and shut down the Canadiens’ offence for the remainder of the game.
Samsonov is now on a bit of a hot streak. He’s won three straight starts and allowed just six goals during that span. Since passing through waivers and going through his reset, he’s put up an impressive record of 12-3-0 in 15 games. He’s also let in three or fewer goals in 13 of those games. As mysteriously…
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