What a game. The Toronto Maple Leafs scored seven unanswered goals to rally from a 3-0 first-period deficit. In the end, they defeated the Montreal Canadiens 7-3. Until last night, the Canadiens had been one of the hottest teams in the NHL. Given how they’d been playing, the loss came out of nowhere. Aside from reviewing the game action, last night’s contributions from all players suggest that this Toronto team might have the potential to distribute scoring across all its lines when it’s rolling.
Related: Maple Leafs Perform Comeback to Pound Canadiens 7-3
For the Blue & White, goals came from Bobby McMann, Nicholas Robertson, William Nylander, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Steven Lorentz, Auston Matthews, and David Kampf. Seven players and seven goals. Joseph Woll made 32 saves to carry home the win. In this strange game, Montreal went up early and scored often, with goals from Kirby Dach, Patrik Laine, and Josh Anderson.
But after a prolific three-goal first period, they were done scoring. In a third period where Toronto scored five goals, those three goals proved not to be enough. The Habs had their chances, but Woll’s solid play gave his teammates a chance to grab control in the second half of the game. They did.
Item 1: A Quick Itemized List of Scores Shows Maple Leafs Potential Depth
Bobby McMann started the comeback with an unassisted goal (he also added an assist). Nicholas Robertson scored to cut the deficit to 3-2, then William Nylander tied the game early in the third with his breakaway goal. Oliver Ekman-Larsson put the Maple Leafs ahead with a power-play goal, followed by Auston Matthews’ short-handed marker. Steven Lorentz snapped his nine-game scoring drought with a goal, and David Kampf scored a short-handed empty-netter.
Item 2: Joseph Woll Bounces Back in Win Over Canadiens
Joseph Woll had a tough start against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, allowing three goals in the first period. However, the young goalie rebounded, stopping 32 of 35 shots. Despite struggling in recent starts, where he allowed 12 goals over three games, Woll put up a wall. That paved the way for a comeback, and his teammates exploded for a season-high offensive outburst.
The team has been riding Woll as its primary goalie, with Anthony Stolarz sidelined due to a knee injury. His workload is increasing. Last night was his 24th…
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