Toronto Maple Leafs Comprehensive: Player, Stats and Quotes of the Week
By William Cann
The Game of the Week
The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Flames 3-2 on a Sunday afternoon and the game puck goes to Jack Campbell for his gutsy 31 save performance. You can check out my preview of the Calgary Flames here, as part of the Canadian division primer from EIL, where I had them competing at the top of the division, and the Flames looked just as good as advertised in this game.
It’s worth repeating, but 7 games in 12 days right out of the gate, with no pre-season, is a serious challenge. The team looked tired. Calgary was rested and clearly looked quicker. They played the Leafs hard right from the opening face-off. All 3 goals the Leafs scored were lucky goals that bounced their way in the net. To be honest, the Leafs really had no business winning this game.
It was a tough game to watch and not an enjoyable one from a fan’s perspective. Matthews was clearly not 100% after missing the previous game with an injury. There was no Joe Thornton because he’s out at least 4 weeks. They Leafs were out-chanced and out-played, and really struggled for long stretches in the game. It was just an ugly, frustrating game.
Why, then, do I select this game as the game of the week? Because it was beautiful.
Jack Campbell kept his team in the game and gave them a chance. He did his job. And, under the circumstances, you really have to give the rest of the guys credit for just finding a way to win. It was the kind of game where they could have just folded, given up, and lost. They didn’t. They just kept playing. A few bounces went in the other team’s net, and what do you know, they got 2 points.
Winning ugly games when the odds are stacked against you is something this team isn’t supposed to do. Right? I mean, have they done it before? Not often. It’s not their thing. It’s not their MO. Or is it? A new season, with some new additions, should be a bit of a reset for this team. Plus, the core is pretty young. They are still growing as players. Perhaps this is the beginning of this team taking another step in development.
Either way, I hated the game when I watched it, but I loved it after I took a step back and put it into perspective. This is actually the type of game that I’ve been waiting for.