It took nine attempts, but the Toronto Maple Leafs have won the second game of a back to back for the first time this season amid their gruelling first-half schedule.
Coming off a disappointing performance versus the Islanders, the team didn’t lack for energy against a rested Penguins side. It was about as fun of a 2-2 midseason game as you’ll see; an evenly-fought, back-and-forth, high-event battle featuring lights-out goaltending at both ends, an inordinate amount of posts hit and a high number of breakaways, to go along with some chippy-ness and post-whistle scrums.
That was one of the most entertaining games I've seen this year, which is weird because only 4 goals were scored & the nets werent enlarged.
— Anthony Petrielli (@APetrielli) December 31, 2015
Jonathan Bernier received another opportunity to redeem himself due to James Reimer’s nagging injury and he grabbed this one with both hands, making 39 saves before turning aside two shooters in the shootout, an area where he’s typically struggled.
Player Notes
Leo Komarov—The intensity in the game ramped up after his questionable hit on Letang. He led the forwards in TOI tonight with 22:06, and in hits with seven, to go along with four shots on net and an assist on the first goal. Had a big faceoff win on the penalty kill at the end of the game that Grabner should have cleared, and stopped Kessel 1v1 at the end of overtime followed by a hilarious flopping defense in front of Bernier in the dying seconds. Was exchanging shots with opponents all night behind the play, particularly Ian Cole.
Michael Grabner—Played nearly five minutes on the penalty kill, the most of any Leafs forward. Had the bad aforementioned clear that almost cost the team in the dying minutes. Had a few chances in the slot and Murray stood tall on him. None of the passes were ever in his wheel house and he always had to adjust to them. On 3v3 with Kadri, he got lost on the cycle a few times leaving guys wide open, and the Leafs got handled for an extended period of time. Great screen on Murray for Phaneuf’s goal.
Nazem Kadri—Led Leafs forwards with six shots on net tonight, and also hit the post on a 2v1. Made a nice play to pick pocket Malkin and then got robbed on a breakaway. Naz got an assist on Phaneuf’s goal with a hard pass to the point. Was able to drive defensemen wide and have his way with that move including beating Maatta wide before cutting in for a great shot, but he got stopped trying to toe drag a player in the third. He didn’t seem to have much gas left in the tank as the game wound down—fanning on a pass in the neutral zone on a powerplay that resulted in a turnover towards the end of the third, and then getting controlled in 3v3 overtime.
Joffrey Lupul—Played a little over 10 minutes on the night. I believe he only had one shift in the third after a brutal play on the wall in his own end where he waited for the puck to come to him instead of skating to it and retrieving it. The result was the Penguins got the puck back and proceeded to dominate and almost score. Missed Phaneuf for a one timer opportunity in the second period even though Dion called for it and was right beside him; instead he passed it to Gardiner on the far side.
Tyler Bozak—Only Kadri and Komarov played more than him and he won 65% of his faceoffs. Got stopped on a shorthanded breakaway and was used on the PK more than usual with Froese out, particularly for opening faceoffs. Had four shots on net, including a nice readjustment on a 2v1 with Grabner where the puck was in his skates and he managed to get a shot. Had an assist on the Gardiner goal and was pretty creative on the night in general.
Dion Phaneuf—Had an electric first period; scored a goal, drew a penalty, got in Malkin’s face multiple times, and joined the rush to create offense. He wore down as the game progressed, which is to be expected on a back-to-back. Finished the game with six shots on net and was second on the team in ice time playing just under 23 minutes. It is interesting that Marinicin had more time on the PK than him when Marinicin only played 9:06 the entire night. Phaneuf did get caught on the wall on the penalty kill for the first goal. He gave Phil a nice shot at one point and was generally playing as if he was in a bad mood all night, which was nice to see.
Matt Hunwick—Played the most on the team at 28:37. That’s just too much and frankly unacceptable. He got caught on the wall on the second goal and Malkin toyed with him in overtime. He did make a great stick play on a rebound in the dying minutes of regulation on the penalty kill to shoot a puck away that Crosby was certainly going to put into an empty net. Was too slow with the puck in overtime, turning it over in his own zone, and Crosby also beat him to a puck on an icing which resulted in a scoring chance. He does an admirable job, but as had been a trend, he’s in over his head with the minutes he’s being given. His ice time was in part fuelled by the 7:23 he played shorthanded.
Jake Gardiner—Played the fifth most among Leafs defensemen, coming in at 19:20. Had a goal and also another prime scoring opportunity where he toe dragged a Penguin and deked out the goalie before running out of room. His ice time was hurt by not playing a second on the penalty kill all night. Gardiner had the second best possession numbers on the team despite 33% zone starts. Steady game overall. He did well to set up play 5v5 in his own end and move the puck up patiently.
Morgan Rielly—Played just 15 seconds less than Phaneuf at 22:42 on the night for third on the team. Hit the post on a 2v1 on an absolute rocket; his wrist shot has come a long way and is now a legitimate weapon. Conversely, he strangely fanned on a few pucks tonight on the point. Was able to skate the puck out of danger at times and had to cover for Hunwick all night. He was on for both goals and was the guy in front of Crosby, but he had no chance to really make much of a play on either goal.
Roman Polak—Played 21 minutes on the night, 5:27 of which was on the penalty kill. Polak had some really physical battles on the wall today, particularly with Patric Hornqvist. A common issue for him this season has been the crispness of his d-to-d passes as he puts them in his partner’s skates and that leads to extended own zone time, as the transitions aren’t sharp. Cleared the net well on the penalty kill and his stick blocked a lot of passing lanes to sniff out opportunities. The PK was hectic at times and Polak was part of causing that, but he battled well.
Even Strength Shot Attempts Chart
Scoring Chances Chart
Shot Location Chart
Leafs Player Stats — Toronto 3 vs. Penguins 2 (SO)
| PLAYER | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | S | HITS | BKS | FO% | PP TOI | SH TOI | TOI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M. Hunwick | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | - | 0:00 | 7:23 | 28:37:00 |
| D. Phaneuf | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 1 | - | 2:10 | 1:39 | 22:57 |
| P. Parenteau | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | - | 2:08 | 0:00 | 17:05 |
| J. Lupul | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 2:01 | 0:00 | 10:22 |
| J. van Riemsdyk | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | 2:10 | 0:00 | 16:23 |
| S. Matthias | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | 0:02 | 2:01 | 10:07 |
| P. Holland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 36% | 1:45 | 0:40 | 13:02 |
| D. Winnik | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | 0:00 | 4:18 | 13:15 |
| B. Boyes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | - | 1:52 | 0:00 | 9:59 |
| M. Arcobello | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 62% | 0:07 | 0:00 | 8:59 |
| M. Grabner | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | 0:00 | 4:57 | 18:53 |
| T. Bozak | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 65% | 1:52 | 2:14 | 20:05 |
| N. Kadri | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 56% | 2:06 | 0:00 | 20:14 |
| M. Rielly | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | 0:07 | 1:39 | 22:42 |
| R. Polak | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | - | 0:05 | 5:27 | 21:01 |
| L. Komarov | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 50% | 1:50 | 3:34 | 22:06 |
| J. Gardiner | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | 1:45 | 0:00 | 19:20 |
| M. Marincin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | 0:00 | 1:56 | 9:06 |
Mike Babcock Post Game
Leafs vs Penguins – Game in 10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Baq8LqC0N4Y
