Nick Abruzzese and Jack Campbell. That’s the point of this game, nothing else matters.

First Period

Ha! Remember when Saint Marty the coach of the Habs left their rookie out there vs the Matthews line? Mike Yeo grabs theirs off the ice really quick (he put him in the starting lineup to be nice).

Nice glove save by Campbell as he has to stretch for it.

Fourth line gets a shift and Abruzzese is driving the net while Colin Blackwell roars up, and he could taste the assist on the rookie’s goal, but no, the pass is intercepted.

Marner was tripped setting up an offensive entry, and the official comes over to explain why there was not call, but Marner seems unconvinced.

And as expected, Ilya Lyubushkin takes a tripping call.

(I HATE talking about penalty calls. I feel like I’m being forced into it by ... gestures at everything.)

Great shorty chance, but Hart has it.

Engvall down behind the Flyers net after nothing obvious at speed. It seems he “got the wind knocked out of him”. I realize I don’t know what that means, so wait while I hit Wikipedia...

[It is} a kind of diaphragm spasm that occurs when sudden force is applied to the abdomen which puts pressure on the solar plexus. This often happens in contact sports, from a forceful blow to the abdomen, or by falling on the back. It results in a temporary paralysis of the diaphragm that makes it difficult to breathe.

There was some kind of almost fight, but the NHL.com feed didn’t return to the game in time, so I don’t know.

Hart makes a great save off a weird deflection.

Big long flurry by the top line which featured William Nylander a lot of the time, and then Nylander seems to be on line two again, so his penance might be over.

Campbell gives up a rebound during some shaky Leafs defending, but Travis Konecny misses on the shot.

Thoughts

  • The Leafs look a little scatterbrained, particularly near their own net
  • They aren’t getting the puck and exiting the zone very well, and Lyubushkin is having an unspectacular game so far
  • Campbell is getting a nice test though!/

Second Period

If you watched the panel and saw Jennifer Botterill refusing to give ground to Kevin Bieksa on this nonsense about the beatdown on Troy Terry, you saw why she was a great player. Bieksa trotted out the old deterrent line, but the reality is a tough guy is not a deterrent. The only reason Botterill didn’t go over the table and smack Bieksa in the mouth is because of her sense of right and wrong, not the presence of his toughness.

So back to the game.

Matthews misses a defensive draw, misses the defensive assignment, and it looks like Justin Holl’s fault, as Kevin Hayes has a wide-open net.

1-0 Flyers 100% Leafy Goal

As we all knew would happen, the Leafs get the next power play, and here it is.

Marner with a hard shot after a lot of fairly static play finally opens up with some movement.

Hart is down, and Matthews and Marner can’t get one over him.

Much like last game, the first power-play unit plays the full two minutes. Last game, the top line played a lot less five-on-five than normal to make up for that plus the unusual amount of four-on-four.

WAAAAYYYYYNE

Yeah! Fourth line shift plays it smart on a non-icing call, and Simmonds busts the goal drought on a nice breakaway in the old home rink.

Tie Game

And another one! Looks like Timothy Liljegren with one of those bounce off the end boards shots meant to just get the puck up to the forwards.

2-1 Leafs 100% Flyera goal

Carter Hart the author of his own misfortune there.

Ivan Provorov ties it back up when the forward defending him gives up on him. Bunting this time.

Tie Game

William Nylander with a shot block on that play.

Ilya Mikheyev nearly gets the lead right away.

Leafs lines:

The Period ends with Matthews fanning on a shot, which seems appropriate.

Thoughts

  • Weird night from the top line — bad defensive mistakes, and they keep playing with Nylander who shows them up.
  • Marner is on the Tavares line now. Maybe for now is a better way to say it.
  • Jack Campbell is very busy, but so is Hart.
  • The teams are close to 50-50 at this point by most measures./

Third Period

More hitting than shooting early in the third. I don’t think either team really has a great offensive rhythm tonight.

Campbell grabs a puck and holds on while without his stick, and he’s doing fine here.

The Flyers top line gets another great chance. I’m willing to say that Joel Farabee is just really good.

Uh, oh, Matthews is over 50 now.

This goal was a beautiful example of the kind of super-cycle the usual recipe Matthews line plus Morgan Rielly can pull off.

3-2 Leafs

Kevin Hayes tries to crash the celebration party because Farbee might be good, but he ain’t that good (or Michael Bunting got him wound up).

Justin Holl takes an interference penalty, so it’s more PK time.

JvR tries the between the legs pass, but Morgan Rielly is not impressed. He takes that puck and gives it to Engvall, and away he goes:

4-2 Leafs

With the power play over, the Flyers match their fourth line to the Kämpf line — although Abruzzese is there too, and they are hemmed in pretty drastically. It looks like a power play again.

Provorov lets a point shot rip, and in it goes.

4-3 Leafs

Hart saves a Tavares shot on a two-on-one, and this might be a wide open finish now.

Campbell with a save on Farabee.

Matthews line three-on-one fails to score, but the second try from Morgan Rielly does not fail. It’s Provorov vs Rielly tonight and Mo is winning.

5-3 Leafs

JT adds a goal because I’m now three behind in this recap.

6-3 Leafs

Poor rookie got done by Nylander. Abruzzese can relate, he was dead on to Provorov on that one goal.

There’s a fight over nothing. Same guys as before. Simmonds putting on a show in the old barn.

That’s all the really matters. The Leafs scored enough for a shakier goalie than Jack, and it would be excellent if they just keep doing that.

Thoughts

The Leafs played a really good third. That’s my total thoughts.

There are back-to-backs on Monday and Tuesday, whish should be illegal, see you then.

Game Coverage