Big night for Leafs defence duo
Ozhiganov, Dermott each score first of year
To get some sail power in the Atlantic, the Toronto Maple Leafs will need some help with the rigging.
On Monday, that meant some rare scoring assistance from defensive deck hands Igor Ozhiganov and Travis Dermott in a 4-2 win over the Boston Bruins, tightening the division even more heading into December.
Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner are the Leaf blueliners usually figuring in backline points, with Rielly at or near the top of the league in that sector much of the month. But with the sure-handed Mitch Marner as their set-up man, Ozhiganov and Dermott produced their first of the season — the Russian’s goal being his first in the NHL. Josh Leivo and the second power play unit supplied the winner in the second period, with Zach Hyman potting an empty netter.
Marner has 24 primary assists — No. 1 in the league — and his 33 points after chipping in on Hyman’s goal are double that of idled young gun teammate Auston Matthews, who’s on the verge of returning this week.
The Leafs, with a record of 17-8-0 after 25 games and five straight home wins, had a tough time finishing around the Bruins net in the first period, getting three or four attempts off the stick of Nazem Kadri alone, including a behind-the-net breakaway pass from Dermott that Jaroslav Halak turned aside. John Tavares just missed a chance late in the period, but Marner set up Dermott to follow with a slot snap for his second career goal.
David Backes, stuck on one goal for Boston, had two good looks, while Colby Cave, one of the call-ups in their current injury crisis, rang the post so hard it was probably heard in the Scotiabank Arena washrooms.
The notion of a third straight penalty-free game by the Leafs at home disappeared a couple of minutes into the middle stanza. Par Lindholm was called for hooking, during which Ron Hainsey broke up a dump in by pawing the puck laterally to a teammate. That was ruled a gloved ahead pass and Toronto never cleared the zone on the ensuing defensive faceoff, with David Pastrnak eventually scoring from Brad Marchand.
A second call on the Leafs for too many men was killed off and at the end of it, Marner was behind the Boston goal and spotted Ozhiganov coming down the left side. Both Ozhiganov and Dermott were effective at their day jobs in front of goaltender Frederik Andersen, too.
Pastrnak, with a hat trick against the Leafs in a 5-1 win two weeks ago, added his second of the night, but the Leafs, on what’s become a rare man-advantage chance for them, went back ahead. The big guns have added Kasperi Kapanen to the first unit, but it was the second group which struck, with Leivo depositing a Tyler Ennis rebound.
Andersen, with 38 saves, passed Bruce Gamble for 11th place in team history with his 84th win. Three of his past five wins have required 30-plus stops.
Toronto has a day off before a rematch with the San Jose Sharks.
ATLANTIC CROSSING
Beginning Monday, six of the Leafs’ next nine games are against Atlantic rivals. The top five teams in the lodge were separated by five points and there was just two between the Leafs and Bruins, who play each other again on Dec. 12.
The Bruins had come here from another classic rivalry game win in Montreal on Saturday, while Toronto is due to face the muchimproved Sabres in Buffalo next week. Former Sabre Ennis has taken note of how difficult the Atlantic is becoming to navigate.
His old club and the Canadiens weren’t expected to be with the frontrunners.
“You think you know who is going to be in the mix in the pre-season and then it’s a little different, it’s tight. That’s why it’s important for us to keep winning.”
Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said Monday morning that the importance of finishing checks came into play against Montreal.
“We were much more physical, so were they. It was, I thought, a good oldfashioned game in terms of a couple of guys on each team were bleeding, had to get helped off, without crossing the line. It was a good, hard hockey game.
“It’s how we have to play against Toronto. We know they are skilled, fast and want to get going. We have to make it tough on them. They have to travel through some bodies to get to the net. It doesn’t mean you run around looking for hits and (be) reckless, but when they are there, you have to take them.”