First Period

The first five minutes feature a lot of running around looking busy and only three Shots on Goal, all from the Leafs.

And then this happens:

Lots of traffic screening the shot from distance, but Ilya Samsonov barely moves and is not in position like he knew where the puck was going to come from.

1-0 Winnipeg

The Leafs are struggling to get the puck in their own zone. Once they do, they carry it up ice, dump it in, the Jets pick it up and come back and the Leafs struggle to get the puck in their own zone. Etc. etc.

Do you ever think about how a dump in where no one on the dumping team even tries to retrieve the puck isn't talked about like a turnover in some other zone?

Now that's a turnover:

Good god, someone on the Leafs got a shot off! Nick Robertson from Max Domi.

Timothy Liljegren does a successful dump in and retrieval while the team changes. It's... it's amazing. The Leafs actually got to touch the puck again in the offensive zone.

Wow. Reaves. My god. He just roars up the ice to try to catch a puck, and he almost gets to it. Then he plants his ass in the crease, and goal! Amazing effort from him outside his wheelhouse and successful effort from within it.

Tie Game

No! Tyler Bertuzzi gets the I have a baby now goal, and the ref waves it off. Call on the ice is accidental interference on the goalie.

The Leafs challenge this one, and the result is no goal. Jets get a power play that will mostly happen next period.

Thoughts

An extremely tedious period exploded into action in the last minute.

Period Two

Mark Giordano with a block on the power play, and that's all the guys who didn't play last game making waves this game.

The Jets blow a two-on-one against the Leafs brought on by another Matthews turnover. William Nylander gets a good rush chance coming back.

Another great chance coming from speed when Bertuzzi gets the puck right to Nylander.

Mitch Marner misses a wide-open net, but the Leafs are pressing with something more like serious offence than they had in the first period.

Jets come back with a flurry, and it's Brodie and Samsonov to the rescue.

Leafs take a penalty as Nick Robertson goes off for hooking when the puck pops back into the slot.

Winnipeg is making the Leafs fairly tepid PK look expert. Which is good because Liljegren takes a penalty immediately as the other one ends.

Wow. The Jets hit the post with Samsonov swimming, their only real chance on four minutes with the man advantage.

Thoughts

The Jets don't exactly do high quality offence, but the Leafs have been doing some excellent defending. The panic-time penalty and the struggle to exit the zone and stay out obscure that, but they're removing a lot of chances on Samsonov.

Leafs dominated for most of the period before they had to spend four minutes on the PK. No goals to show for it.

Third Period

Leafs start with aggressive offence, and draw their first power play.

Mo with a nice rocket from the point, and JT gets the tip. So, is he unwashed now?

2-1 Leafs

Jake McCabe flubs the puck at the line and spoils a goo Reaves-led cycle.

Leafs get stuck hard in their own zone – with the top line out there – and Samsonov has to hustle to keep up.

And again, after a long stretch hemmed in, Matt Knies takes a pretty obvious hooking penalty chopping at Gabe Vilardi with his stick.

Nylander with an outstanding shorty breakaway, gets the post as the most exciting part of that Jets power play.

And the Jets take a penalty with five minutes to go, and Nino Niederreiter is some mad about it. So am I, I have to look up how to spell his name. The Jets take another penalty 30 seconds in as the Jets goal-scorer breaks Tavares's stick.

Matthews scores! He takes that record of fastest Leaf to 600 points away from Marner as he gets his 40th goal.

3-1 Leafs

Leafs still on the power play.

Reaves is trying to fight... uh, Nik Ehlers. But someone comes in and hauls Ehlers away before Reaves takes a very stupid penalty.

Oh, this is beautiful. Simon Benoit gets the ENG, his first goal in 68 games, per the broadcast, and as a Leaf.

4-1 Leafs

Booo. The Jets get one back with 12 seconds left, and there's a brawl when the Jets player jumps McCabe for... something. Reaves gets involved.

4-2 Leafs

Thoughts

The Leafs won that game by surviving what the Jets do well – lock you down south of the red line – and by playing their own offensive game.

Reaves played very well, and got away with doing some stuff near the end that usually gets you penalties that can hurt you against a team with an actual power play.

Samsonov was excellent to good most of the game and a little alarming for a very little bit of it.

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