Unusual suspects lead Leafs to big win
If Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner are going to have a rare off-night, it goes without saying that other Maple Leafs will have to step into the breach.
In Montreal on Wednesday night? We’re looking at you, Ilya Mikheyev, Justin Holl and Travis Dermott. Fans, do not adjust your sets.
Mikheyev finally scored his first goal of the 2020-21 regular season after buzzing around the opponents’ nets through the first 13 games, giving the Leafs the winner in a 4-2 victory against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre.
Mikheyev’s goal at 2:32 of the third period came 42 seconds after Holl broke a 1-1 tie. Mikheyev had not scored since Dec. 27, 2019, in New Jersey, the night he suffered a severe wrist injury; Holl scored his first since last Feb. 27.
And Dermott? He had not scored since Jan. 2, 2020.
The quick-strike goals early in the third gave the Leafs their 11th win in 14 games, further solidifying their spot atop the National Hockey League standings with 23 points.
Tomas Tatar got the Canadiens to within one goal with under four minutes to play, but Zach Hyman scored into an empty net with 64 seconds left.
The Canadiens are five points back of the Leafs. The key in this is the rivalry between the storied franchises is real again, and taking into
account they meet eight more times this season, it’s only going to solidify.
Mikheyev swatted the puck past Canadiens goalie Carey price on a pass from Alex Kerfoot. That came after Holl walked into the slot and blasted a shot past price, reminding us of the way Al Macinnis used to rip slapshots into nets behind guessing goaltenders.
Matthews’ run of eight games in a row with at least one goal came to an end, though he assisted on Hyman’s goal to run his point streak to 11 games. Marner’s eight-game point streak ended.
The Leafs and Canadiens meet again on Saturday in Toronto at Scotiabank
Arena. It’s not a true homeand-home set, as the Canadiens play host to Connor Mcdavid and the edmonton oilers on Thursday night.
The Leafs didn’t have John Tavares for a stretch in the second period after his face was crunched into the ice by Canadiens defenceman Shea Weber, who landed on the Leafs captain deep in the Montreal zone. After going to the quiet room, Tavares returned with six minutes to go in the period and not long after helped set up the Leafs’ first goal.
The Leafs tied the game at 15:18 while the teams played four on four.
Dermott, back in the lineup after missing two games with a charley horse and trying
to convince coach Sheldon Keefe that fellow defenceman Mikko Lehtonen doesn’t exist, scored his first goal in 37 games and did so in an eye-opening manner.
After the Leafs controlled the puck for a long stretch, Dermott got a pass from Jake Muzzin, who had three assists, and took advantage of some space before going high on price’s blocker side. Dermott’s happy scream was loud and clear in the empty rink, and no wonder.
“It was nice to get one,” Dermott told Sportsnet during the second intermission. “Wasn’t planning on coming out and scoring goals, you’re focused on working hard.”
Frederik Andersen was the busier of the netminders through 40 minutes, making 21 saves to price’s 11. A few minutes after the Dermott goal, Andersen make a sharp save on Jonathan Drouin.
During his morning availability, Keefe gave props to the Canadiens and warned that his club would have to be in tune from the opening faceoff.
“It’s a team that doesn’t give you any shifts off,” Keefe said. “You have to be ready to go right from the start of the game all the way through and I believe we will be.”
That’s not what transpired.
The Canadiens scored on their first shot on goal when Josh Anderson beat Andersen between the legs at 1:16. The play developed in the neutral zone after Muzzin turned the puck over and then took a hit from Anderson. The latter was fed by Drouin and scored after a burst of speed.
That goal didn’t serve as a wake-up call for the Leafs. The visitors didn’t register their second shot on goal until the 13:34 mark, when Tavares tipped a Matthews shot that price easily handled.
After using a lineup of 11 forwards and seven defencemen in a 3-1 win over Vancouver Monday, Keefe went back with a normal split of 12 forwards and six defencemen. Lehtonen and Rasmus Sandin were scratches on the blue line, while Nic petan and pierre engvall dressed at forward and Alexander Barabanov sat.