The Toronto Maple Leafs faced off against the Vancouver Canucks in the second game of their Western road trip before the Olympic break. Coming into the game, there were a lot of questions surrounding the team and the direction they might take. Unfortunately, the six-game losing streak they carried into the night had pushed them seemingly too far out of a playoff spot.
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Regardless, this was an important game. One that many considered a must-win, and that’s exactly how the Maple Leafs played it. After pushing back and scoring early in the third period, both teams battled through an exciting overtime. Toronto eventually took the game in a shootout, snapping their six-game losing streak. With that, let’s take a look at some key takeaways from last night’s game.
Woll Has a Bounce-Back Game
It was about time the Maple Leafs got some good goaltending. After a long stretch to start January, things not going well between the pipes. However, last night against the Canucks, Joseph Woll looked very good. Even when he appeared out of position, he found his way back and made the save.
Joseph Woll, Toronto Maple Leafs (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
After a few bad starts in a row, Woll turned things around and shut the door. That allowed his club to fight back with an early third-period goal and stay in a tie game. He also came up with some big saves in overtime, including one where he wasn’t ready for the shot after a bad bounce but still managed to keep the puck out. At times, he looked like prime Dominik Hašek during the overtime period.
Woll finished the night stopping 28 of 30 shots for a .933 save percentage, which was a significant improvement over his previous start against the Buffalo Sabres. In that game, he gave up six goals plus an empty-netter and posted an .800 save percentage. If the Maple Leafs have any chance of getting back into the playoff race, it’s going to be on the back of Woll. He needs to play the way he did last night moving forward.
Good Game to Build Off Of
Considering how poorly they’ve been playing lately, last night’s game against the Canucks was a good one to build off. At times, the Maple Leafs controlled play, something they hadn’t been able to do in recent games. They played with pace, brought some physicality, and generated a ton of scoring chances. If not for Vancouver goaltender Nikita Tolopilo, this game could have gotten out of hand, especially when Toronto turned up the pressure in the third period.
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The Maple Leafs picked up two points with the shootout win. With back-to-back games against the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames coming up on Monday and Tuesday, this game against Vancouver felt huge. It’s clear that Toronto is trending toward selling at the deadline. While some fans might argue that winning isn’t what they want right now, it’s still nice to see the team put together a strong effort and try to win games.
Yes, the math is against them. But if they can pick up some points against the Flames and Oilers before the Olympic break, it’s still possible they can play themselves into a wild card spot. Games like this one against the Canucks help build the confidence needed to do that.
What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?
As mentioned above, they travel to Alberta to take on the Oilers and Flames on Monday and Tuesday night. These are the final two games the Maple Leafs will play before the Olympic break begins.
At that point, Toronto’s players will get nearly a month off before returning to action on Feb. 25 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. They’ll then round out that mini two-game road trip to Florida with a matchup against the Florida Panthers on Feb. 26.
