Welcome everyone to the game one post-game, er, post. Don't call it a recap. This season, we're taking a step back on recaps and not doing full text-based coverage of every game.
We'll try to flesh things out more for the Monday Amazon games for people who aren't able to watch. But for us, writing 1,500 words while trying to watch the game takes away a lot of our fun.
First Period
Marner has the first shot of the game from Matthews pic.twitter.com/biCIOZXuSJ
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) October 9, 2024
The teams traded penalties in the traditional way for the first few weeks of a new season. Max Domi got a roughing call on the second shift of the game.
Domi is called for roughing pic.twitter.com/9c8YzLfHZe
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) October 9, 2024
The Habs took the next one, and then Conor Timmins went off for slashing which the Canadiens made the Leafs pay for.
well, that was well-played pic.twitter.com/wofcp7IjjC
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) October 9, 2024
The preseason PK not in evidence there.
The Leafs get a couple more power plays, one that will largely happen in period two.
Score: 1-0 Canadiens.
The five-on-five game very heavily favoured the Leafs, but the Leafs power play was very bad and there was some epic misadventures trying to get set up.
Second Period
Stolarz has the save of the game so far
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) October 10, 2024
robs Dvorak pic.twitter.com/fi3r00n0nt
OEL and Jake McCabe decided to sit and watch from the penalty box, and we got Pontus Holmberg as the number one PKer.
OEL gets a breakaway out of the box pic.twitter.com/u1kjV2QFfK
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) October 10, 2024
The Leafs exited the period with three pings and the score unchanged.
They are utterly dominant at five-on-five, and the Canadiens had six Corsi For off the power play that period to the Leafs 25. Neither team has a very good power play tonight outside that one slick play that got the Canadiens the goal.
Third Period
Domination continued in the third as the Canadiens just hung on for five minutes.
The Leafs, unfortunately get a power play and the second unit is the only thing keeping the first unit from being the worst on the ice.
The Leafs pull Stolarz at the end and suddenly the six-on-five is the best man advantage crew in hockey. Someday I will understand this.
In general, I thought they were good defensively, fast moving north, on the puck, and Montembeault stood on his head. The special teams need work, but beyond the fairly hopeless cast on PP2, it's tweaking, not an overhaul.
That's all for tonight! See you tomorrow in New Jersey.
