Corsi and Fenwick | EV Face Offs | H2H Time On Ice

Game Summary | Event Summary | Scoring Chances | In Lou We Trust Recap

The Toronto Maple Leafs were downed 2-1 by the New Jersey Devils in overtime. They came within 23 seconds of getting the game to a skills competition before Ilya Kovalchuk, revived under Jacques Lemaire of all people, went end to end and managed to sneak a shot in past James Reimer. Optimus Reim had had a great night and his 37 saves played an integral part in getting the Leafs a single point but that goal had a strong odour.

Other Thoughts

  1. Joffrey Zoolander (nee Lupul) had a decent first game as a Maple Leaf. He meshed decently with Tyler Bozak and Clarke MacArthur. He used his speed in the third to create a great chance then he fanned on it. He dangled a few times at the blueline leading to some offsides.
  2. Phil Kessel's on a two-game point streak. He was stoned twice but he outfought his marker to set up Nikolai Kulemin with an empty net. Kessel certainly seems to be rejuvenated playing alongside the Means of Production.
  3. Speak of our Russian Goldfish, that was his fourth game in a with a goal and he has five in the past six. That gives him 21 on the season and puts him at 20th in the NHL in goals. The guy ahead of him in a tie at 16th? Mikhail Grabovski.
  4. Keith Aulie paired up with Dion Phaneuf and were the primary pairing against Ilya Kovalchuk. He was instrumental in keeping him quiet until the unfortunate last goal. He killed some penalties and drove some Devils through the boards.
  5. Mike Komisarek still played almost no minutes. Have to believe he's gone at the end of the year.
  6. James Reimer bumped his save percentage up to .930 with 37 saves. If he had played enough games to qualify he'd have the second best save percentage in the league.

And finally, a few thoughts on James Reimer by Ilya Kovalchuk via Chris Johnston of the Canadian Press

"He played great, this kid. I think we'll see him more often. He's a big guy, covers a lot of space and controls rebounds well."

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