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Post-game Thoughts on Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 Loss to Montreal Canadiens

By Chris Okrainetz

Oct 29, 2016; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber (6) reacts after scoring a goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the third period at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 29, 2016; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber (6) reacts after scoring a goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the third period at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports /
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Despite putting forth a great effort, the Toronto Maple Leafs (2-3-3) couldn’t solve goaltender Carey Price and endured a tough 2-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens (8-0-1) on Saturday night.

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Thoughts and Observations

  • The rivalry between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens looked to be alive and well on Saturday night. There was 11 penalties during this game and both teams were chippy after the whistle. Add in the late-game urgency and this had the feeling of an April game, not an early season tilt in October.
  • Although Frederik Andersen didn’t get the win on Saturday, he put together another strong performance and looks more comfortable between the pipes.

    • More from Tip of the Tower

    William Nylander is off to an impressive start this season, amassing 10 points over eight games, but Saturday night’s performance against the Canadiens was by far one of his best games of the young season. He was all over the ice and is easily one Toronto’s most dangerous players when the puck is on his tape.

  • Nazem Kadri was heavily involved in this game and his physical play worked well against the Pacioretty, Desharnais and Shaw line. Kadri also looks great on the power play with Nylander and Auston Matthews.
  • He won’t wow anyone when they look at the box score, but Martin Marincin had a solid game Saturday. Back on the left side, Marincin used his long reach to break up plays and he looked more comfortable with his positioning.

    • Puck possession continues to be a strength for the Leafs as well. The Buds finished with 49 shot attempts on the night and managed to get 38 of those attempts on net, but, you know, that Carey Price guy is pretty good so the Leafs couldn’t muster more than one goal.

    Stock Up, Stock Down

    • Up: Nylander’s offensive skillset was on full display Saturday night, as the crafty Swede was regularly splitting Habs’ defenders and made a number of great passes. The power play trio of Nylander, Matthews and Kadri continued to play well together too. When you look at Nylander’s season thus far, he’s been one of the Leafs’ most consistent players and reminds me of Washington Capitals centre, and fellow countrymen, Nicklas Backstrom.
    • Down: The Leafs played well against Montreal, which makes it hard to pick a player who might be seeing their stock decline. However, it’s tough to overlook Connor Brown‘s night. The 22-year-old did take a hard hit from Alexei Emelin, but he remained in the game and only saw 11:12 minutes of ice time and 18 shifts. Brown’s minutes have been sporadic this season and he remains a player in search of a concrete role with the Leafs.

    Stat of the Night

    38

    The Leafs fired 38 shots on net but were unable to score more than a goal against Price. The Habs’ franchise goalie was very sharp on Saturday, which isn’t a surprise, but the 38 shots is a promising sign if you’re the Leafs.

    What’s Next

    The Maple Leafs will face a quick turnaround and travel to Brooklyn, NY for a Sunday evening matchup against the New York Islanders (3-5-0). The Islanders are coming off a 4-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, but there two two days of rest could prove to be advantageous since the Leafs will be playing a back-to-back.

    Next: Leafs: The Curious Case of Benjamin Smith

    What did you think of the Maple Leafs 2-1 loss to the Canadiens on Saturday night? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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