Toronto Maple Leafs: Ilya Samsonov Can Play on the Road Too!

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been nothing but impressed with the play of Ilya Samsonov, who leads all NHL goalies in the most important goalie stat: high-danger save percentage.

That said, it had been, according to last night’s broadcast, 45 days since the Toronto Maple Leafs best goalie since Ed Belfour won a game on the road.

Which he did last night.

With a shut-out, in fine style.  Like a boss.

Toronto  Maple Leafs Shut-Out the Worst Team in the NHL

This was looking like a classic Tanner Write-Up where I tell you how the Leafs destroyed the opposition but got sandbagged somehow and ended up losing.

For a long, long time, the Leafs were crushing the Jackets but winning just 1-0.

These games tend to not go well for the Leafs, but tonight was different, as John Tavares scored twice to make sure that didn’t happen.

Oh, and Pierre Engvall scored an absolutely gorgeous goal on a sweet feed from the suddenly underrated Morgan Rielly.

Despite the heroics of Tavares and Samsonov, the game’s best feature was the play of William Nylander, who, if he had any luck, would have had about five goals on his own.

He had two breakaways, then a really good scoring chance which he doubled by almost banking the puck in after the play broke up. Later he set up Jarnkrok for a goal I still don’t know how he missed, and then Nylander himself froze the goalie and shot high.

There was also the time that Bunting whiffed on a tap in, then Marner just held the puck while the goalie recovered from letting him have a totally empty net to shoot at.

The more I think about it, the Blue Jackets were lucky this game wasn’t an 8-0 laugher.

Weirdly though, the Toronto Maple Leafs were dusted when TJ Brodie was on the ice last night, not something that usually happens.

The two teams will of course play again tonight, with the Leasf needing to stay sharp despite a lull in the schedule that will see them play five of the NHL’s worst teams in a row.

This is either the best or worst thing that can happen to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Either they go on a five game winning streak, or they add fuel to their reputation of not being able to handle the NHL’s loser teams.

If they can can go 5-0 against the Jackets and Hawks twice each, and Montreal once, the Leafs might be able to make a run at Boston after all.