Andrei Vasilevskiy Pulled as Toronto Maple Leafs Dominate: Full Game Recap and Analysis
Andrei Vasilevskiy tried an amateur tactic by giving Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly an ice shower at warm-ups, and now he's sitting on the bench.
In the lone game for the NHL docket, the Toronto Maple Leafs were at home against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Monday Night Hockey on Prime; Amazon's exclusive deal to stream Canadian hockey games on Monday nights. It was a heated clash between two division rivals and could be a precursor to a playoff series down the line. Before the game, Lightning netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy decided to pull a Bush League move and shower Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly with ice before the game:
Vasilevskiy's Amateur Hour Move
In what he thought would be an intimidation tactic, Vasilevskiy entered his crease as confident as ever. Two periods later, he's sitting on the bench. Toronto, after getting out to a 1-0 lead before Tampa tied it, decided to rattle off four unanswered goals on the Russian goaltender, and leading to head coach Jon Cooper to remove him from the game.
Toronto's Thunderous Attack on the Lightning
Although it seems like it doesn't matter much who the Lightning head coach decides to put in, as Toronto has been dominating all night. While they've lacked in the faceoff circle, the Maple Leafs have dominated in almost every other facet of the game. The BMW line got things started with a goal from William Nylander before Tampa responded with a Nicholas Paul equalizer. The Maple Leafs ramped it up though in the second period, with Auston Matthews scoring two minutes into the frame, followed by two relatively quick goals from Nylander and Max Pacioretty before Matthew Knies ended Vasilevskiy's night. Matthews' goal was a special one, as he tied Alex Ovechkin for most goals scored before the age of 28 with 371.
Toronto fans at Scotiabank Arena also had a little fun with the domination of the Lightning, chanting "Where is Stamkos?" eluding to the former captain and franchise icon who departed for Nashville this summer.
The game got testier in the final frame, however it's understandable given Tampa's utter humiliation at the hands of the Maple Leafs. Tampa did manage to score a second goal from Brayden Point. One of the key takeaways of the game so far has been Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson's new edge to his game, something we haven't seen from the defenseman since his days as a Coyote. Playing with a new sense of urgency and intimidation, OEL has thrown his body around all game and gotten up close and personal a few times with the Lightning players.
Toronto ended up defeating Tampa Bay 5-2, not letting them get back in the game and was spearheaded by an outstanding effort from goaltender Anthony Stolarz as well as a two-goal effort from emerging superstar William Nylander:
Sign Matthew Knies Now
It's also been a bit of a break out for Matthew Knies as he is finally starting to gather his momentum after a slow start to the season. The pending RFA had a goal tonight but also played incredibly well on the defensive end and has given the Maple Leafs all the more reason to quickly lock him up to a contract lest they lose out on a potential superstar. After his solid campaign last season where he had 15 goals and 20 assists, Knies already has three points and is starting to look more like the player we saw last season.
GM Brad Treliving shouldn't need to think long and hard about whether or not to lock up Knies, as the eventual departure of Mitch Marner leaves a gaping hole for Toronto to fill, and if Knies can break out this season, it'll make it easier for Toronto to swallow that pill when Marner heads out.
Chris Tanev Is What the Leafs Needed All These Years
When Toronto signed Chris Tanev this season a lot of people wondered whether or not the veteran defenseman would fit in, especially with the possibility of getting injured as you get older. Still an elite defenseman, the Maple Leafs took a gamble and boy is it paying off.
Seven blocked shots against the Tampa Bay Lightning adds to the 15 he already had this year, which is a huge improvement and is this year's version of Mark Giordano. It's been a long time coming since Toronto has had a true defensive stalwart on the blueline and the addition of Tanev has been more than impressive. He's able to do incredible things you barely notice but is impressive when you take a closer look:
Maple Leafs fans are thankful the team decided to take a chance on Tanev, who has brought new life into a Maple Leafs defense that has felt stagnant for the better part of a decade.
What's Up Next For Both Teams?
Toronto faces the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night as part of a back-to-back slate, and Tampa heads to New Jersey to face the Devils in another back-to-back. Toronto's game starts at 7:30 PM ET and Tampa's starts at 6:45 PM ET.
