The Toronto Maple Leafs fell short in Saturday’s matchup before the preseason against the Montreal Canadiens and lost 4-2 in a match that offered many insights for the season opener on 8 October.
Montreal received goals from Lane Hutson, Alex Newhook, Riley Nier and Sean Farrell, while John Tavares and William Nylander scored for Toronto. Anthony Stolarz took a hit during the game – which made a few people a bit nervous – but was good and made 15 saves on 18 shots before Prospect Artur Akhtyamov took over in the third period.
Tavares a peak, looks good again
Even in a quiet team effort, John Tavares was a highlight. The captain of Leafs scored and generated consistent opportunities for his line sizes, which shows that he remains a driving force at the age of 35. The chemistry of Tavares with Nylander and newcomer Matias Maccelli could be an important second rule for Toronto.
There was a somewhat concerned moment when Tavares and Nylyer met in the vicinity of the Maple Leafs bank. Nylyer seemed to take the worst of it, but was okay.
New line combinations are still hunting
A new trio from Dakota Joshua, Nicolas Roy and Maccelli showed flashes but missed cohesion. Joshua noted that it was a first outing together, with room to build timing and trust before the regular season. “We would certainly have had a little more attacking zone time,” said Joshua after the game. “But as you said, first game there, just get a feeling for each other. Maybe a second or two will leave here and there, but that’s the preseason for that, and we will be sharpened and ready to go.”
To show how new for the Leafs Joshua is and proves that it can take some time to get up to speed, Mike Johnson from TSN reported”Dakota Joshua didn’t even know where the dressing room of the Maple Leafs was. The security had to ask if he was in the team.” After he had never been to the room, he is still familiar with the Maple Leafs.
Head coach Craig Berube hinted that the Joshua-Roy-Maccelli line would get a different run during Thursday’s pre-season match.
Stolarz fine after taking a hit
Anthony Stolarz stood up for the Maple Leafs and played the first two periods. “It felt good,” he said. “It is clear that the preseason is entirely about bringing in your representatives, becoming familiar with the D. I thought my puck accents were really good last night, and the boys really did well to communicate with me. So just coming back on the same page was really fun.”
The special teams from Toronto were exposed and there was a moment when Stolarz was run by Laval Rocket star Laurent Dauphin. Those were the disadvantages, but the good news was that there was no reason to panic, especially given that Joseph Woll is out. “It’s something you get used to,” Stolarz noted about the hit. “As a keeper you know how to brace yourself and what to expect. So he just controls the net to make a hard game. He comes across me and we get a power play from it.”
Berube said: “It is always a risky game. The entire pre -season, you are always worried about something that happens to someone, right?” He added: “But he was good. He was fine and he was moving well in the net tonight.”
Elliote Friedman reports”It called it during Mon/Tor broadcast last night, but hearing Maple Leafs and Anthony Stolarz are on the way to an extension when they are ready, it expects that it will be in the approximately $ 4 million series.”
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