What a difference a week makes. This time last week, I was furious, coming off the heels of some truly unforgivable losses and comments from the Toronto Maple Leafs, and I was ready to burn it all to the ground. The usage of the past tense does not mean that all is forgiven, far from it, but these past two wins are a step in the right direction.
I was at the game last night against Ottawa. While I am not one for sports betting, I do have far too many Sens fan friends, and so a standard wager was placed. The loser buys the first two rounds next time we get together.
The Leafs hot start
The game started nervously, with an early Leafs power play. To anyone who hasn’t watched Leafs hockey this season, that statement might seem counterintuitive. It does not bear explaining. However, the Leafs new look power play took the ice, and William Nylander promptly received a pass in the centre of the ice, skated in, and scored. 1–0 good guys.
The rest of the first period was relatively uneventful (definitely when compared to the rest of the game) until a second Leafs power play late. Leafs fans are fickle beings, the building was electric after Willy scored, but we were getting outshot for the rest of the first and the energy was steadily declining. The first unit looked very much like the power play of old, struggling to gain the zone, missing passes, and getting nowhere. The boo birds were starting to ring down when the second unit took the ice. And then suddenly it flipped.
To be honest, I don’t think the special teams success in this game was as much the Leafs doing as it was the Senators. Rewatching that power play goal, I struggle to see how there is a team worse than the Senators on the penalty kill that year. Matthew Knies was able to very calmly find an uncovered lane, directly in the middle of the slot, and he buried a beautiful saucer pass from Max Domi. Both these players, who have certainly been disappointing this season, had great games.
The next generation
The energy in the building steadily increased starting from the second onward. On a side note, nothing makes me feel more like this Simpsons meme than the 67 trend:
I do not understand it, and it makes me feel ancient whenever I see it. Every single child under 15 on the jumbotron immediately did the hand motion, and the two kids sitting in front of us exploded each time.
Are the Leafs fun again?
The Leafs took a one-goal lead into the second period, which lasted a grand total of 18 seconds. Ridly Greig (because of course it was Ridly Greig) got a pseudo-breakaway, and as Philippe Myers was literally draped all over them, both of them ran Joseph Woll. In what was determined to be a “continuous” play, the puck crossed the line and was a good goal.
It seemed, after the 2–2 goal, that defence became optional for both teams. The game very quickly turned into a track meet. The Leafs scored three more times in quick succession, all goals coming from the net-front area. Who would have thought that if you drive the net and are the first on rebounds, good things happen?
The Senators figured that out in the third. By the time the period started, the game was already going on late, which happens when there are seven goals in the first two periods. My brother and I were hoping for a relatively quick third, a hope that was dashed rapidly.
The start of something new?
I don’t know if this game is a turning point for the Leafs. I will say that I was surprised that we didn’t blow that lead. The Leafs of the first 35 games this season would not have been able to hold on, or at least did not prove it was likely they could. Toronto has now strung together two wins in a row. Nobody will argue that the Sens game was pretty, but the standings don’t ask how; they ask how many.
The Leafs are still not out of it; they sit three points back of the second wild card and eight points back of first in the Atlantic with more than half the season left. Do I have complete faith in this team that they’ll turn it around? No. Is it very slowly returning? Maybe. I’m still jaded and cynical, and they still have a lot to prove. Last night helped.
