Wild 4 Maple Leafs 3
The Maple Leafs mounted a furious comeback attempt in the third period with 10 powerplay shots, but couldn’t solve Wild netminder Devan Dubnyk and lost 4-3 at Scotiabank Arena Thursday afternoon.
They outshot Minnesota 19-4 in the third, and did everything but tie the game. á Offensive stars: You’ve probably heard this before, but Mitch Marner had a big game. He scored two goals in the opening six minutes, including one seven seconds in. He tied the club record for the fastest
goal off an opening faceoff (Charlie Conacher did it Feb. 6, 1932).
á Defensive stars: As debuts go, this was a good one for Leafs goaltender Michael Hutchinson, who was recalled from the Marlies, along with Kasimir Kaskisuo, on an emergency basis prior to the game. Hutchinson stopped 30 of 34 shots and “gave us a chance out there,” according to Leafs coach Mike Babcock.
“It was a bit hectic,” said Hutchinson, who was acquired from the Florida Panthers six days ago and was told about his start the night before. “You had to get ready fast, but it was a fun game to be a part of. It would have been nice to get the two points there.” It was Hutchinson’s first NHL action since Oct. 23.
Talking point: Thursday’s matinee will go down as the game that saw William Nylander score his first goal. During his goal celebration, Nylander pretended to remove the proverbial monkey off his back. “It was nice, finally getting one,” said Nylander, whose last goal came last April. “A give-and-go with Auston (Matthews), just nice that it went in.”
Takeaways: The Next Generation Game featured special in-game entertainment and intermission events. The crowd, with more youngsters than usual in attendance, loved it. Toronto had a pair of excellent power plays in the third period while trailing by a goal. They managed 10 shots and were all over the Wild, but were 0-4 overall with the man advantage. Marner’s two goals had them ahead 2-0 in the first, but they were outshot 19-10 in the opening frame and had 17 defensive zone faceoffs. “A great game for our guys to learn how to win all kinds of games,” Babcock said.
They said it: “My focus is here (with the Leafs), and helping this team to win. I’m not thinking about it at all. As a kid growing up, you always thought it was something cool to be at. But stuff happens, no big deal. There’s bigger things in the world to think about.”— Marner, on being overlooked for the NHL all-star game.
Up next: The Leafs are home Saturday vs. Vancouver Canucks, 7 p.m.