Andersen magic plus Marner marker equals 10th win
The Maple Leafs won a game they probably shouldn’t have, banking their 10th victory of the season — 3-1 over the Vegas Golden Knights at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday night — on the strength of another solid goaltending effort from Frederik Andersen. Connor Brown, Mitch Marner and Nazem Kadri — into an empty net with 34 seconds remaining to relieve the pressure — scored for Toronto. Vegas, which dominated play for most of the final two periods, got a lone goal from Cody Eakin.
á Offensive stars: In addition to his first-period marker, Brown was sprung on a breakaway midway through the second period — but couldn’t settle the puck down off a lob pass … Marner was his usual brilliant self, all over the ice … A Kasperi Kapanen-Patrick Marleau twoon-one in the third was about the only other l solid scoring chance until Kadri’s capper.
á Defensive stars: Andersen owns this category. Big stops in the first period — especially a point-blank chance by Vegas winger Reilly Smith on the first shift of the game — kept Toronto in the game. Andersen flashed his glove hand to stop a slapshot through a screen on a second-period Vegas power play. He also stopped Max Pacioretty in the crease early in the third. Overall, Andersen had to be extremely sharp. The Leafs were outshot 13-8 in the first and 18-8 in the second. Vegas owned a 52-25 edge in shot attempts after 40 minutes, and the Leafs were outshot 37-21 overall. Fans chanted “Fred-die, Fred-die” after another huge save with 2:33 left.
á Turning point: Marner’s goal, just nine seconds into the second period. It stood up as the game winner despite the fact Vegas badly outplayed the Leafs for most of the game, including most of the second.
á Talking point: The Leafs struggled against the Golden Knights’ strong cycling game, repeating a theme throughout the early stages of this season. Vegas poured on the pressure in the late stages of the first, then really controlled play in the second. The Leafs’ Corsi figures were dismal as a result: 38.7 per cent in the first and a seasonlow 28.2 per cent in the second.
á Scary moment: Vegas centre Erik Haula was stretchered off the ice after a second-period hit into the glass from Leafs winger Patrick Marleau. Nothing dirty about the hit, but Haula fell awkwardly on his right knee. He waved as he was carted off the ice, a good sign.
á Takeaways: Brown scored his second goal of the season and was an offensive star for the third line, but the third and fourth lines were pinned in the defensive zone for much of the second period. The Leafs simply need more from those two units — more scoring and more offensive-zone time … Toronto committed seven giveaways in the second period. They also had three shots ring off the post behind Andersen.
á Up next: Home to the New Jersey Devils on Friday night.