Leafs Rebound Against the Panthers

 

Those who have followed my blog since the very beginning know that I try to focus on hockey but occasionally there are times when there is a story more significant than the game. Sometimes I use this blog as a platform to voice my opinion on topics surrounding hockey. You have seen me write and give my thoughts on the disrespect Women’s Hockey gets from Canadian newspaper writers for example. Well after some thought I decided to give my opinion on players declining to take part in a team’s pride night. If anyone wants to stop reading, I understand.

Last night the Florida Panthers held their Pride Night where players would wear Pride-themed jerseys for the fifteen-minute warmup. Earlier in the day brothers Eric and Marc Staal released a statement that said they wouldn’t take part in the team’s warmup. Eric and Marc claimed their faith as the reason for not taking part. Of course, everyone has the right to make the decision but after the game, Eric was asked about taking part in pride night a few years ago as a member of the Canadiens. Eric’s response was “I’ve never worn the pride jersey ever”.

See that photo from La Presse? That’s Eric Staal wearing number 21 and that’s a Pride-themed jersey. I can’t speak about Marc and his decision but Eric is either ignorantly ignoring the obvious photo evidence or thinks fans are stupid and don’t know how the internet works. My point to all of this is, in my opinion when you play for a team regardless of who it is you play for that team’s entire fanbase. That fanbase will include people that are gay, lesbian, or transgender. When a player states that he welcomes everyone but won’t wear the jersey, in my opinion, you aren’t accepting of everyone and as we all know your actions speak louder than your words.

If I was a player in pro hockey and my team wanted me to wear a themed jersey of any kind, be it pride, religion or anything in warmup, I would have no problem whatsoever with wearing one. To me what you identify as, or your sexual preference doesn’t matter, if you support the team I play for, perfect then I play for you every time I step on the ice. I understand there are religious implications with an event like Pride Night as we saw with someone like James Reimer on the weekend and San Jose’s event, but for Eric to use the same reasoning when there’s evidence that clearly shows something different just leaves us with more questions than answers.

If you’re still with me let’s talk about the game.

 

The Leafs were looking to put that embarrassing 7-2 loss to the Islanders behind them as they made the trip to Sunrise. Matt Murray would get the start in goal for Keefe’s Leafs because Ilya Samsonov returned to Toronto as he and his wife welcomed their first child. Murray has faced some criticism from fans and media in the city because he had given up four or more goals in his last six starts with Ottawa being the latest game but what the media ignores is…. TORONTO WON and Murray was the only reason the Leafs got that win. For Florida, Sergei Bobrovsky would get the start as the Panthers are currently one point out of a playoff spot. Right from the very start of the game, Toronto would play with a purpose as they would apply pressure right away. The Leafs would be rewarded fives minutes in as Mitch Marner would find Auston Matthews in the slot and his wrist shot would beat Bobrovsky for Auston’s 33^rd goal of the season giving the Leafs the 1-0 lead and for the eighth consecutive game Toronto would open the scoring. With Toronto, leading Florida would begin their attempt to tie the game testing Murray but Matt did a great job tracking the puck through traffic and controlling his rebounds. His play early on would instill confidence in his team and the fans watching because we all want to see Matt Murray have success. Late in period one with all kinds of pressure being applied by the Panthers it looked as if Murray had made the save of the year. With his back to the play, Brady Tkachuk would see his shot enter the glove of Matt Murray. Everyone on the Leaf bench thought they still held the 1-0 lead but after a review, you would see the puck cross the goal line just as it entered Matt’s glove so the goal would be awarded for Brady’s 35^th of the season and after twenty minutes the game would be tied at one.

The other night against the Islanders the second period would be when the wheels fell off for the Leafs and things got out of hand but last night would be completely different. Eighty seconds into play Toronto would regain the lead thanks to William Nylander as he chipped in a John Tavares rebound giving Willy 36 goals this season and the Leafs a 2-1 lead. Ninety seconds later the Leaf lead would be doubled. Mark Giordano would send the puck to Auston Matthews who was behind the Florida net. Auston instead of looking for a pass would walk out and beat Bobrovsky with a wrist shot for his second of the game and 34^th of the season. For everyone questioning Auston’s production rate, I suggest taking a deep breath and relaxing because in 64 games Matthews has 73 points after last night. No, he won’t score 60 like last year but he is still on pace to score over 40 goals so again relax Leaf fans.

With Toronto leading 3-1, it looked as if the second period would be smooth sailing for the visiting Leafs, but Florida had a different plan because midway through period two they would cut into Toronto’s lead. Nick Cousins would score his 7^th goal of the season after beating Murray with a backhand right over the shoulder cutting the Leaf advantage to 3-2. That’s as close as Florida would get because late in the second period Toronto would head to the powerplay and for the first time in 71 games this season Toronto would have their first 5 on 3 powerplay. Keefe would call a time out to go over a plan with his five forwards unit and it would pay off. Nylander and Tavares would head in on a rush Nylander would set up Tavares only to see the shot hit the post. John would gather the rebound and center the pass to Michael Bunting who would find the back of the net for his 21^st of the season and after forty minutes Toronto would lead 4-2.

Toronto needed to play a solid defensive game to see this one out, unfortunately, the Leafs would cough up the puck allowing Florida to apply pressure but thankfully Matt Murray’s strong play continued, and the Leafs were able to survive the early attack. The Leafs would settle down and begin to run the clock down. Late in the third John Tavares would collect his third assist of the evening passing Maurice Richard on the league’s all-time point list. Tavares would assist on Alex Kerfoot’s 8^th goal of the season ending a scoring Drout that seemed to last a lifetime. This was Alex’s first goal since January 17^th when he last scored against these same Florida Panthers, a 5-4 Overtime win for Toronto.

A few minutes later with the Leafs comfortably leading this one 5-2 Erik Gustafsson would be sent off for a high-sticking minor. Paul Maurice would call his goalie to the bench to give his team a 6 on 4 advantage, but it would backfire. David Kampf would pick up an assist and Mitch Marner would score his 28^th goal of the season. This goal now gives Mitch 92 points on the campaign as for the third straight season he searches for his first-ever 100-point season in the NHL. He is just eight points away from the century mark this time.

Time would expire and Toronto would leave Florida with a well-deserved 6-2 win for Matt Murray’s 17^th win this season. The Leafs would get some help in their battle with Tampa for home ice from an unlikely source as Ottawa beat the Lightning 6-2. The Leafs now hold a five-point advantage over their playoff opponents.

Toronto now travels to Raleigh for a Saturday night matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes. That’s all for this one for anyone who stuck around for the entire read and to those who may not have thanks as always for reading.