JVR sets stage for Marleau heroics
Late goals reward for diligent work on emotional night at ACC
The Maple Leafs played the kind of game they needed to play Friday night, with star centre Auston Matthews on the injury shelf.
Tight checking in the neutral zone and strong forechecking were hallmarks of their performance against the Boston Bruins at the Air Canada Centre, in the opener of a home-andhome series.
It paid off in the end, with James van Riemsdyk scoring his second goal of the night with a minute to go in the third period, setting the stage for Patrick Marleau’s 3-2 winner in overtime.
“You want the puck on (Marleau’s) stick when the game’s on the line,” van Riemsdyk said. “He has a lot of tools in his tool box. He sees a lot of ice. He finds guys on the ice, and for sure we have some good chemistry (on a line with Tyler Bozak).”
Van Riemsdyk scored his seventh goal of the season in the final minute of the second period, then tipped in a lovely slap pass from Mitch Marner to force OT.
Marner, who has been getting heat for his pass-first mentality with just one goal on the season, also set up Marleau’s winner at 1:07 of the extra period. He faked a slapshot and passed off to the right faceoff circle, where Jake Gardiner slid the puck to the corner of the crease and Marleau tipped it home for the Leafs’ third win in a row — and second without Matthews.
“People talk shoot first, pass first. I think you just want to make the right play . . .” van Riemsdyk said. “Mitch is a fun person to be around. Everyone wants to score goals, but some plays — like the ones he made tonight — show what he has in him. He was huge for us tonight.
“It’s more than just pass first, too. It’s about putting the puck in the right area, where someone else can get it. It’s not always the wow pass ... Mitch is a smart player.”
Boston grabbed a 2-1 lead on a David Pastrnak goal with one second remaining on a Bruins power play in the second period. That was almost enough to deliver the two points for the Bruins on a night when scoring was tough to come by.
Patrice Bergeron had the other goal for the Bruins, who will turn around and host the Leafs on Saturday. This night will be a tough act to follow — the Hall of Fame Game with all seven of this year’s inductees on hand plus several more greats of the game.
Darryl Sittler drew loud cheers, spurred when his introduction reminded fans that the former Leafs captain racked up his record10-point game against the Bruins. Dave Andreychuk, the last Leaf to score 50 goals, also got the crowd going, as did Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne.
Veterans of the Second World War also received an ovation on the eve of Remembrance Day ceremonies.
After that electric opening, the Leafs and Bruins worked hard but couldn’t produce anything until the late stages of the second period.
Bergeron scored on a half-slapshot while turning to take a pass in the middle from Brad Marchand for the game’s first goal.