It’s St. Patrick’s Day weekend, so the Maple Leafs will be wearing their throwback Toronto St. Pats jerseys. A new jersey could mean a new outlook right? It’s like airing out the house.

Right away the Maple Leafs take control of the game and get a shot off on Flyers goalie Brian Elliott, then turnaround and try it again. While some may like these jerseys, if you aren’t up close to them the numbers are very hard to see. Be prepared for a lot of ‘guy did this’ or ‘player did that’. Send your complaints to the Leafs parent company’s twitter account, @MLSE.

The Leafs bugger up a two on one and leave the centre slot open, but Andersen makes the save. The clock ticks away for the first period, as the Maple Leafs try to not give their opponent too much space tonight. They’re playing a little more cautious than usual after back to back whoopings.

In the Leafs end, JVR tries his around the net trick, but even though Freddie doesn’t completely see where the puck is, he knows to keep things tight to the post when James is  around. The Flyers are coming out a bit on top of the game in the offensive zone, but they’re not getting much against the Leafs. Except a penalty that is. Phil Myers gets called for interference just past the halfway mark of the first period. The Maple Leafs get a power play.

Now is the time to lay off safe, and the Maple Leafs seem to want to keep playing methodical and slow. At the 30 second mark of the power play, Brian Elliott is worked harder than he has been all season as the Leafs get several rebounds off a shot, 4 shots total, but he’s able to keep the puck out of the net. The power play ends with the game still scoreless.

The Flyers send the puck down the ice, but it’s deflected into the netting. At the face off Nolan Patrick wins it and Jakob Voracek is right behind him to take the shot, and it goes in.

1-0 Flyers.

The Maple Leafs give as good as they get after the goal, but Elliott keeps making saves, and the Flyers won’t give the Leafs a chance for a break away, or turnover, or anything. They are giving up power plays though, as the Flyers get their second penalty of the game; this time it’s Travis Sanheim for slashing.

The Maple Leafs have perfect set up this power play, and when Sean Couturier can’t  get the puck over the blue line the Leafs get it down to William Nylander who gets the pass across the crease to Patrick Marleau who ties the game.

Game tied 1-1.

The Maple Leafs come right back into the Flyers zone, and when Shayne Gostisbhere misplays the puck, Auston Matthews gets the chance to score over Elliott’s pads and does so.

The Flyers claim the puck is off it’s moorings, but that’s due to Elliott’s play. It doesn’t matter to the NHL, who waive it off.

The Maple Leafs seem to take the no goal personally, and come out hard against the Flyers with two near goals before Claude Giroux gets a break away but is denied by Andersen who works hard to keep the puck out as the buzzer sounds to end the period.

After one, it’s tied 1-1.

The Maple Leafs come out of the dressing room with more confidence and start taking the game directly to the Flyers. We get some good passing around the Flyers zone until it’s knocked out, and the Flyers come down to the Leafs zone, and a shot from the point gets deflected into the net by James Van Riemsdyk.

After the goal, the Leafs go into the Flyers zone and Radko Gudas gets called for holding Nazem Kadri and the Maple Leafs get their third power play of the game.

The Maple Leafs are given plenty of time to set up in the Flyers zone - the Flyers have one of the worst road PK’s in the league - but can’t get the puck in the net this time.

Flyers goal aside, the first five minutes of the second period has been all Leafs. Frederik Gauthier comes close to scoring but Elliott makes the last second save. The Leafs keep the game going in the Flyers zone, and things are going all the way in the Leafs favour until a Morgan Rielly shot goes right into Connor Browns head. Things are whistled dead and Brown heads to the back.

When play resumes, we go right back to where we left off, with the Maple Leafs taking the game to the Flyers zone, and trying to make it stick. It doesn’t always, though as James van Riemsdyk gets his second goal of the game after a close poking in the crease.

The Flyers now lead 3-1.

The Maple Leafs attack the Flyers net once again, right after the face off and Brian Elliott makes the Leafs work hard for it, but they get one in as Mitchell Marner sends a pass across to Zach Hyman AND HYMAN CATCHES THE PASS AND SCORES.

The Flyers lead is cut by one; Flyers 3 - Maple Leafs 2.

After the Leafs score, Andreas Johnsson and Travis Sanheim get called for slashing each other, and we get two minutes of four on four hockey. It plays like five on five has this period, with most of the time spent in the Flyers zone, the Flyers get one quick chance, then back to the Flyers end.

Of course, they go back to the Leafs end and once again score off the face off. Radko Gudas this time.

Flyers lead goes back to two goals; Flyer 4 - Maple Leafs 2.

One minute later, Shayne Gostisbehere scores to grow the lead to three.

Flyers now lead the Leafs 5-2.

Connor Brown did come back, in case you were wondering where he went off to. Just a check up, but it seems the puck dinged off his visor. The Maple Leafs get back into the Flyers zone, as they have been doing, and Connor Brown sends the puck from behind the net to the point and it’s pass along the perimeter to Jake Muzzin, who scores to shrink the lead by one.

Flyers 5 - Maple Leafs 3.

Andreas Johnsson almost scores, but is poke checked by Elliott. Ron Hainsey has a slap shot. Marner tries for a wrist shot, but it’s blocked. The Leafs are trying to score and getting shots, but can’t get it past the Flyers.

Jake Muzzin takes the puck across the blue line and he scores again! Muzzin ties JVR in goals for this game!

The lead is down to one; Flyers 5 - Maple Leafs 4.

The Flyers get their first power play of the night as William Nylander is called for penalty.

The Flyers immediately lose possession of the puck and Mitch Marner tries to score all on his own. The first 30 seconds of this power play is spent in the Flyers zone. The period expire with the Flyers playing more defense than offense with the man advantage. They’ll have some more PP time in the third period.

After two it’s Flyers 5 - Maple Leafs 4.

The Flyers power play is bad, is the lesson of the night. They get a man advantage to start the third and squander it to the dominant Leafs PK.

The Maple Leafs keep putting the pressure on the Flyers, and Justin Holl and Nazem Kadri work the puck back to Martin Marincin,

The game is now tied 5-5.

The Maple Leafs go hard at the Flyers again and almost take the lead, but the play is whistled dead after Voracek gets called for tripping Marner. Another Leafs power play.

This Leafs power play isn’t as controlling as the others, but the Leafs still control most of the time, but the Flyers are getting better at clearing the puck. Must be all that practice they’ve had this game.

The Maple Leafs get called for too many men on the ice, and give the Flyers their second power play of the game.

The Flyers power play is still unable to control the puck, as they keep losing it and the Leafs dump it out. Sanheim gets a good shot that leads to a pile up in front of the net, but the Flyers don’t score and the power play ends without a goal.

The Maple Leafs get some good chances but Brian Elliott keeps the door closed on them. It’s all Leafs halfway through the third period and the Leafs are leading in shots 11-3.

As we get to the final five minutes of the game, Auston Matthews races in and takes a shot on Elliott which gets pad stopped, but Matthews comes all the way around the net to get a rebound and scores to give the Leafs their first lead of the game.

Maple Leafs 6 - Flyers 5.

William Nylander almost makes it 7-5, then Andreas Johnsson gets the puck back into the Flyers zone, is stonewalled by Elliott but Auston Matthews scores his second goal of the game into an empty net.

Maple Leafs 7 - Flyers 5.

The Flyers pull the goalie with 90 seconds left in the game, and JVR tips in a Gostisbehere shot for his hat trick against his former team.

Maple Leafs 7 - Flyers 6.

The Flyers unfortunately figured out how to use their man advantage at the worst possible moment and dominate the Maple Leafs with the empty net. A last second toe save keeps the Flyers from tying the game up, and the buzzer goes, giving the Maple Leafs a comeback 7-6 victory.

The Leafs don’t get much rest as they play the Ottawa Senators in one of the homes away from home, the CorelTireBank Place.

Game notes:

  • Patrick Marleau played his 777th consecutive game tonight, moving to sixth on the all time list. (But yeah he’ll be on LTIR next season)
  • Marleau also scored his 550th goal to pass Ron Francis for 28th all time.
  • Martin Marincin scored his first goal since November, 2016. The team he scored against in that game? The Flyers.
  • This is the first time Auston Matthews has scored against the Flyers. Only the Calgary Flames remain safe from him./
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