Sharks Swarm the Leafs

 

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The Leafs were back in action after Monday’s overtime loss to the Rangers last night against the Sharks from San Jose. San Jose was coming in unbeaten after collecting a win over Ottawa the night before. Aiden Hill would get the start in goal for the Sharks, and he was coming off a shutout his previous start, a 5-0 win over the winless Montreal Canadiens. The Leafs would counter with Michael Hutchinson who was making his first start since being an emergency call up with Mrazek going down with a groin injury.

The first period was evenly matched as both teams started with a lot of energy and pace. There were no goals in the first twenty minutes despite both teams having a chance on the man advantage. Midway through the first Morgan Reilly would be tripped up and Toronto would collect a few chances, but the man advantage would go goalless. Then a few minutes later with the Leafs controlling the play in the Sharks end of the rink Nick Ritchie would make a stupid decision and cross check the Sharks player Mario Ferraro into the boards sending him to the penalty box for a minimum of two minutes. Thankfully for the team’s sake and Ritchie’s the Sharks were unable to score and after twenty minutes the score would remain deadlocked at zero. I am going to gibe my thoughts on this penalty by Ritchie. This penalty was such a selfish thing to do your team is in the offensive zone and controlling the play with a goal possibly coming for the Leafs and Ritchie cross checks the opposing player when all he had to do was pressure him into the broads and engage in a battle for the puck. Instead, he pulls a page out of the Nazem Kadri play book and kills all momentum for his team. It is decisions like that, that end up gluing you to the bench or earning you a seat in the press box. This guy needs to learn and learn quickly that smarter decision’s need to be made.

 

In the second period of this game after a scoreless first we did not have to wait long for offense but unfortunately it was from the visiting team. Two and a half minutes into the action. Marc Edward Vlasic would take the puck behind the Leaf net and would then center the puck to Logan Couture who was left all alone by TJ Brodie and with Couture’s second goal of the season the Sharks would grab the 1-0 lead. Sheldon Keefe would decide to ice his fourth line after falling behind and it is a decision that would pay off as Jason Spezza and Wayne Simmons would get right to work applying all kinds of pressure and after a scramble in front with Hill down on the ice Jason Spezza would shovel the puck over the sprawled netminder and the game would be level 1-1. Sadly, the game was not tied for long because remember The Leafs had Hutchinson in goal, seventeen seconds later San Jose’s Timo Mier would collect a lose puck and from the faceoff circle he would just turn and fire the puck beating Hutchinson along the ice. This is a goal that no matter who you are it needs to be stopped; at any level of hockey this is a goal that cannot go in. The Leafs had just tied the game and before they can even blink, they are lining up at center for another faceoff. For anyone that has read my blog since I started last season when Hutchinson started and played well, I praised him for his positive play but my issue with him since being a member of the Leafs is there were far too many times where he gave up a goal that would take the wind out of his team. Last night’s second Sharks goal was no different because once the goal went in the broadcast showed the Leaf bench and viewers at home saw Jason Spezza shaking his head because he and anyone watching last nights game know that San Jose’s second goal just cannot happen.

The Leafs however would once again find themselves level just after the ten-minute mark when Ondrej Kase would block the Thomas Hertl point shot and it would lead to him skating in all alone on a breakaway and Kase would score on the backhand evening the game once again 2-2 for his first of the season and first goal as a member of the Maple Leafs. So once again with the Leafs tying the game the fans in attendance surely thought their team wasn’t going to have all the momentum and press for the all-important next goal but Erik Karlsson and San Jose had other plans and exactly a minute later Auston Matthews would fail to clear the puck, Jacob Middleton would hold the puck in and then set up Karlsson for the one timed point shot that would beat Hutchinson for the third goal and San Jose would lead 3-2 after forty minutes of action.

 

With the Leafs down a goal to start the third things got off to a terrible start and twenty-five seconds in Couture would send a pass out front to Jonathan Dahlen and he would slam the pass into the Leaf net for his third goal of the season. The Leafs would now see themselves needing to climb out of a substantial hole, but they would dig in their heels searching for the next goal with the hopes of momentum turning in their favor. Aiden Hill would continue to stand tall turning away each dangerous opportunity the Maple Leafs would throw his way. In the back half of period three when it seemed this game was done, and dusted Toronto would pull to within one as William Nylander’s point shot would deflect on John Tavares and into the net for his first of the year. On this goal Nylander’s productive start to the year continued as he picked up a primary assist giving him at least a point in each game other then the overtime loss to the Rangers on the 18^th. Toronto now trailing by a goal would now go all out looking for the equalizer and Auston Matthews who in just his second game back would have a fantastic opportunity for his first goal as he would step into a drop pass from Marner only for Matthews to see the puck go scorching into the glove hand of Aiden Hill. Leaf fans that would be as close as they Buds would get as with Hutchinson on the bench Logan Couture would send the puck into the open net putting this one away for good and the Sharks would swim away from Scotiabank Arena  and for the first time in franchise history the Sharks would go unbeaten in their first four games when facing Canadian teams… yes that is apparently a stat the league keeps track of.

 

The Leafs have a quick turnaround as they travel to the Igloo in Pittsburg for a meeting with the Penguins for Hockey Night in Canada and for a team with no Crosby or no Malkin and Jack Campbell starting in goal hopefully tonight’s matchup has a better ending for the Leafs and their fans.