Each week I will dive into team news and notes for the Toronto Maple Leafs. I will highlight the game of the week, the player of the week, and provide some fun quotes and observations as we break the season into weekly segments.
In week three, the Toronto Maple Leafs won 3 out of 4 games on the Alberta road trip, playing a game every other night, and the OT loss on Saturday night meant that they got a point in every game.
I’ll take 7 out of a possible 8 points away from home at any point in the season. They are beginning to look like a 1st place team. Oh wait, they are a 1st place team. Before last night’s games anyways (the Leafs are off until Thursday) the Leafs were in first place overall in the NHL.
It has been an excellent start to the season.
Game of the week
The Toronto Maple Leafs lost 4-3 in overtime to the Oilers on hockey night in Canada.
One reason I loved this game was because it was Mikko Lehtonen’s most active game to date. He took two penalties (one resulted in a penalty shot), saved a goal, had his first NHL point, and was noticeable all over the ice in a limited 9 minutes of ice time. I’m not entirely sure if he helped us win or lose, but I liked it either way. He is starting to be more comfortable and it is beginning to show in his play.
Now to the rest of the game. I know, I know, Connor McDavid walked right through the entire team, made a GIF out of Muzzin, and scored the kind of goal that just makes you want to cry. He scored another beauty in OT to get the Oilers the extra point. McDavid is the best player in the world and sometimes you just tip your hat to the great ones for the things that they can do. So why is this the game of the week? Because it was very clearly the best game of the season so far.
The game was fast-paced and competitive. Both goalies were good. Both teams played hard. The Oilers played like they were desperate for 2 points, which they were, and the Leafs kept finding ways to match them. My point here is that this game was a clear turning point in the season. Teams are shaking off the rust, auditions are over, and rosters are set. It’s go time from here on out. The better the hockey gets, the more I love it, and that’s why this was the game of the week.
Keefe said it best in his post game press conference when he talked about turning the page. He knows it. The team knows it. We all know it. Pre-season is over. We are now in a non-stop sprint to the finish, and absolutely every single point counts.