The Toronto Maple Leafs were back in action last night against the Calgary Flames. They came into the game looking to start a winning streak after beating the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night.
It hasn’t been the best start to the season for Toronto. They’ve had to overcome a lot of adjustments to their lineups and that takes time. However, they are now 10 games into the season and need to turn things around or else they are at risk of falling behind early. Luckily, they were able to battle back and beat the Flames 4-3 to win their second straight game on NHL’s first instalment of Frozen Frenzy, a night where all 32 teams are in action.
With that, let’s look at some takeaways from last night’s game.
Stolarz’s Game Looks Off
If we compare Anthony Stolarz from last season to this season, it almost looks like two different goalies. Personally, I’m not sure if it has something to do with him appearing in eight games, and being a bit overworked, or if it has to do with the absence of Joseph Woll, who he has built such a strong tandem with. But, he clearly isn’t playing the game. There were a few examples in the game last night that prove that, his game is definitely off.
The first example is the Flames’ second goal of the game from Joel Farabee. It was nothing more than him driving to the net and getting an extra whack at the loose puck and it found its way through his five-hole. The second example, although not entirely his fault, was the third goal. Samuel Honzek collected the puck in the slot behind the defense and quickly shot it on net. Again, it’s not just on Stolarz but at that spot in the game, when you are winning, he needs to find a way to make a save on that play.
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It’s plays like that, that he managed to make a big save on last season. However, this season, he looks like something is off. Hopefully, it’s just him being overused and he can return to form, because the Maple Leafs need him to play better.
Domi & Knies Have Very Strong Game
The Maple Leafs needed some of their players not named Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and John Tavares to have a strong game. They got that tonight, between Max Domi and Matthew Knies, who had a huge night and together won the game for their club. Domi was able to find the back of the net twice, which gives him three goals on the year, just five short of his total from last season. He was one of the hardest working players in the lineup last night. He played a good 200-foot game and was able to show off his shot, burying two past Dustin Wolf with two lasers that beat him.
As for Knies, he also had two goals, his came as a beneficiary of great play from his teammates. On a nightly basis, he plays a power-forward style and that comes with rewards. He goes hard to the net, puts his body on the line, and takes a beating in front of the goalie. When a player does that, it comes with being rewarded with goals, and last night he was. On the first goal, Nylander had a great steal and found Knies in front of the net to do the rest. On the second goal, he was battling in front of the net on the power play in the third period and stayed with the loose puck to find the back of the net.
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It’s efforts like this from players like Domi and Knies that the coaching staff and fan base love to see. No, it wasn’t a great game. They didn’t start off strong but eventually took over the game. But then when players who aren’t necessarily part of the “top earners” or “best players” contribute that much to help you pick up a win, it makes the team much better.
