Month: October 2022

(Editor’s note: the following reportage is 100% fictious, full of speculation from the desperate and sickened mind of a Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey fan).

After another painful night at the rink (a Leafs loss to the Anaheim Ducks, the worst team in the NHL), this reporter fell into a nightmarish thought sequence which led to the following conjecture scenario from the recent past, to present day and into the future:

Wednesday, Oct 26:  Team President, Brenden Shanahan, meets with Larry Tanenbaum and the Leafs board to present his exit strategy plan for GM Kyle Dubas and Coach Keefe.  Approved.  Two clandestine calls placed to potential head coach candidates by Shanahan.  Barry Trotz speculates his desire to someday coach an original six franchise.

Thursday, Oct 27:  Brandon Pridham accepts offer to become interim General Manager.  Shanahan makes direct calls to Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong, Blue Jackets Jarmo Kekalainen and New Jersey’s Tom Fitzgerald.  Leafs lose to the San Jose Sharks

Friday, Oct 28:  Barry Trots, Pridham and Shanahan meet secretly in a Mimico park to discuss details for a succession plan

Saturday, Oct 29:  Leafs lose in LA.  Final transition budget developed by Pridham

Sunday, Oct 30:  Loss to Anaheim.  Shanahan meets with Dubas and Keefe at Pearson International to give them their termination notices

Monday, Oct 31:  Shanahan holds a noon press conference to announce the firings and to introduce Pridham as the interim General Manager and Trotz as the new Head Coach.  Pridham immediately announces trades for d-man Vladislav Gavrikov of the Coumbus Blue Jackets, d-man Jacob Chychrun from the Coyotes and forward Myles Wood from the New Jersey Devils.  Leaving town are Nick Robertson, Wayne Simmonds, Justin Holl, Pierre Engvall and some cash.  Trots introduces his new coaching staff and plans

Tuesday, Nov 1:  Coach Trotz holds his first full day of practice including a bag skate and the introduction of new defensive system

Wednesday, Nov 2:  Leafs 4 Flyers 0

Good night and rock on !!

The Toronto Maple Leafs moved on to phase two of their California “Dream” tour with a visit to the Staples Centre, the LA Kings home rink.  Coach Todd McLellan has his squad off to a 4 and 5 to start, after coming off 44 win/99 point season last year.  Their biggest challenge at this point would appear to be goaltending as they sport a sub .900 save percentage.

The Leafs are coming off a rather shabby overtime loss at the Shark Tank in San Jose on Thursday.  Apologies (BTW) for my missed report on that game.  As I drifted in and out of a lung infected coma, I saw a few positives, like Marner and Mathews scoring to erase a 3-1 deficit.

Tonight Coach Keefe threw his roster back in to another blender.  On D, Victor Mete’ came out and was replaced by Filp Kral the 6’2”, 23 year old, left shot rookie for his NHL debut.  He was added to pair with veteran Mark Giordano.  Up front, Denis Malik and Zach Ashton-Reese got to test the press box popcorn, replaced by Wayne Simmonds on a bottom 6 line with Cale Jarnkroc and Nicola Aube’-Kubel.  Nick Robertson moved down to a line with the steady David Kampf and Pierre Engvall.  Not surprisingly Alex Kerfoot took Nicky-Bobby’s spot on the left side with the 2^nd line and Michael Bunting got bumped back up with Michell Marner and Austin Mathews.

Tonight’s “feeling out” was rather dull and sloppy as both teams needed a wake up call.  John Tavares finally opened the scoring at 9:15 with his 4^th PPG.  This was a bit of a relief for Leafs Nation as they have been scored on first for the past 6 games.

In the second, a pair of Justin Holl penalties resulted in back-to-back goals for Kempe and Arvadsson in just 6 minutes to give the Kings the lead.  Los Angeles took that queue to turn on the jets and assert themselves against a lacklustre Leafs team.  Andre Kopitar then set up Gabriel Vilardi for his 7^th.  If it wasn’t for a late push by TML and 3 consecutive “hold ins” by Giordano at his point, Pierre Engvall wouldn’t have scored his first goal 9 games off a nice pass from behind the net by Kampf.  That closed the period down at 3-2 LA.

New addition Kevin Fiala got the only goal the Kings really needed at the 2:11 mark of the third period after a steal off Rasmus Sandin to pretty much salt it away for the LA Kings.

Hopper Notes:  The Toronto Maple Leafs dropped back to 4-4-1 after another rather feeble loss…not be a complete cynic, but they were at this exact same record this time last year…a lot of no shows wore Leaf jerseys tonight:, Jarnkrok, Sandin, Aube-Kubel, the entire first line etc, etc…if it wasn’t for Samsonov, this game could have been 5 or 6-2…kinda silly looking outfits for TML tonight (thanks Biebs), but I kinda dug the silver buckets on the Kings…the ongoing debate as to who the first NHL coach to be fired (Boudreau, Keefe or Dallas Eakins) could be over this time tomorrow…and to add fuel to the fire, Barry Trots has hinted he’d like to coach an original 6 club…the Rangers, Bruins, Canadiens and Red Wings seem to be set and didn’t Chicago just hire another new coach ?…hmmmmm….Cheers – please comment.

Well, Leafs Nation wanted to see if the Toronto Maple Leafs were really in a renaissance or was that two game streak just an epiphany.  Sure, they added Wayne Simmonds and Kyle Clifford after being waived and even worse, passing the wire.  They had to shake off the early season second guessing that the media frenzy had created.  But Captain Johnny is off to a great start, new goalie Ilya Samsonov is 4 and 0 and Coach Keefe decided to re-insert the so far disappointing Pierre Engvall back on to the third line. 

With all the coaching merry-go-round from this past summer, I kind of forgot Bruce Cassidy ended up in Vegas.  This should help the Golden Knights with systems and defence.  The big headline for tonight’s contest is that former Leaf Phil Kessel is about to tie Keith Yandle’s iron man record of 989 consecutive games.  Now, who amongst us (from say 5 years ago) would have ever guessed that !?!  Next Question will “promise land” Jack Eichel ever start to contribute significantly ?

The game started as most would have suspected from a couple of 4 and 2 teams- FAST !   That was all nixed with another too many men call against Toronto.  On the ensuing sequence, the new iron man scored what most thought was his 400^th goal.  A reviewable play negated that on an offside call.  Almost immediately, Las Vegas assured the home town crowd what was meant to be with a Nick Roy goal.  (BTW, Kessel got an assist).  The Leafs floundered a bit after that but then around the 7 minute mark they started hitting and playing much more assertive hockey.  The Mathews line pinned the Knights in their own zone for close to 2 minutes and were oh so close to tying things up.  1 zip Vegas after one.

A real good hockey game continued into the second.  Marner post, great saves at either end.  The shot attempts were 30-30 about halfway through, but much the same as we saw in the first, the Leafs seemed to find a new gear in the back half of the second.  William Nylander scored his team leading 4^th goal after to some hard work from linemates Tavares and Robertson.  This game wasn’t over yet.

Like the start of periods one and two, the Golden Knights came out smokin’ hot.  Within the first minute, Chandler Stevens had staked his team to a 2-1 lead.  By the 11-minute mark, a bad Leafs change and poor coverage by Victor Mete pretty much decided this one as former Leaf Amodeo scored some insurance, despite Samsonov’s steady play.  Keefe pulled his goalie with 3:30 left.  Bunting took his regular dive to add to the drama at 6 on 4 to no avail.  3-1 Vegas.

HOPPER NOTES:  A couple of significant revelations from today’s press scrums:  will Carey Price ever play another NHL game ? … Winnipeg Coach Rick Bowness tried to shake off a serious (dizziness) health reaction during today’s presser…the Leafs lost to abetter team on this night…Phil Kessel needs to complete an injury free appearance on Thursday in San Jose to take over the Iron Man lead (who knew ?) …the Jeff Chechryn to the Leafs for Nicky Bobby rumour ?  Not so much – thanks to my favorite cub reporter in the world though ! …can anyone explain the complete melt down in Vancouver ? …I kinda don’t mind Jarenkrock on the third line – LW neighbour (Engvall) could learn a thing or two…while I’m at it, Kerfoot was a bit of a no show too…the crowd seemed about 50/50…the Leafs have just GOT to get Mitchy going !…boy, I sure hope Justin Holl’s Mum doesn’t go on the Intranet….I think Bunting’s time of drawing penalties is up…glad to see Johnny T come back with 5 minutes left after shaking off that bullet to the knee…Guy’s I wish I had on my team ?  Shea Theodore….I think I might take Thursday (San Jose) off….cheers !

CRISIS ?  WHAT CRISIS ?

It was off to the “PEG” for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ first of five road games through the wild west.  The 2 and 2 Winnipeg Jets just love to play the Leafs, especially at home.  Their covid afflicted new head coach Rick Bowness was back behind the bench and their new player leadership group seems to have the “room” in order.  They definitely missed sniper Nicolaj Ehlers, recently assigned to the injured reserve.

Toronto, decided to beef up for this encounter adding both Kyle Clifford and Wayne Simmonds to the fourth line, placing Pierre Engvall and Aube’-Kubel seats in the press box.  The steady play of goalie Ilya Samsonov earned him a second straight start in the net.  Most of the pre-game hype was about this trip being an excellent team bonding opportunity away from the “white noise” of the Toronto media.

A very competitive first period produced lots of end to end action with solid goaltending from both sides.  Winnipeg opened the scoring at 4:17 when Pierre-Luc Dubois finished off a nice 3 on 2, banging in his own rebound.  Brooklin, ON native and former Whitby Wildcat, Cole Perfetti was a big part of that goal.  Toronto responded with a nice power play goal featuring a “roofer” from Captain John.  Nylander and Mathews were very instrumental in that set-up.  Speaking of Austin, he must have had 5-6 shots directed at Hellebuyck – none of which actually hit the net.

The Leafs took over an increasingly hostile game in the final 5 minutes of the second.  Despite fine saves at either end, goal posts and missed nets, the speed and hitting started to ramp up.  John Tavares, having another great game rapped one of the cross bar/post.  That was followed on the next shift by the “new” 4^th line as Clifford laid one into the middle ice where the “Wayne Train” showed his skill to send a perfect feed to David Kampf for the go ahead goal. Lots of crease scrums and general nastiness ensued.  As an example, Robertson was accepting a bit of a suicide pass on his way out of his own zone when he was rocked by Josh Morrisey.  Not only did TJ Broadie get after Josh, but Morgan Rielly just lost it trying to defend his young team mate.  Next shift – Keefe sends out Clifford and Simmonds as if to show “there’s a new Sheriff in town”.  You could feel the temperature rising and with more scrums and face washing – the refs had to do something.  They (wrongly?) chose to give the Jets a penalty, which riled the crowd but led to Tavares’ second goal of the night.  Mathews and Sandin drew assists and the period ended with SOG 23-19 for Toronto.

The Leafs pretty much shut the home team down in the third.  Samsonov was called on for a couple of keys saves but it was an empty net goal by Michael Bunting from his linemates Mathews and Marner that put the capper on this night.

HOPPER NOTES:  Tonight’s game winning goal was set up by Simmonds and Clifford – just sayin’…Ilya Samsonov, although a little awkward with the puck at times, is now 4 and 0, squares up to shooters and seems to have been accepted as a valued team mate…Guys I wish I had on my team: Neil Pionk….I didn’t see a lot of ice time for Victor Mete tonight…congrats to the Argos for clinching the east today…you can’t tell me: that Wayne Simmonds is done as an NHL player…to all the Austin Mathews second guessers – RELAX ! – the guy could have had a hat trick tonight (3 assists ain’t bad)…loved the 7 pm opening song “VEHICLE” from one hit wonders the Ides of March…”I’ll take you anywhere you want to go – and by now, you surely know”….please feel free to comment and watch for my Hopper on Hockey “VLOG” next Tuesday on You Tube…CHEERS !

This reporter is with the majority of Leafs Nation – just let the players play !

Forget all the “this is what I meant to say, it’s early, second guessing on player personnel, injuries, questioning the coaching, who should or should not be on the roster etc etc”.

Like me, most were looking forward to a solid, end to end hard fought match between two upper echelon hockey teams.

Well travelled Dallas Coach Peter DeBoer has his squad off to a solid start.  The Robertson brothers (Nick #89 in his Toronto season debut) and leading Dallas scorer #21 Jason, the 23 year old possible franchise player) added an interesting twist.  GTA bred goalie Scott Wedgewood got his chance to bury the hometown Leafs.

At the end of a rather flat and uneventful first period, Leaf fans seemed more concerned about a late period cross check to ribs of Austin Mathews from Dallas Captain Jamie Benn.  #34 made it back the bench, but you could feel his pain.  As for the hockey, it was pretty even until the Stars started coming on strong from about  the12 minute mark.  Dallas was trailing on SOG and territorial play but suddenly gained some life over a 4 minute span that seemed to shake them out of their funk.  Luke Glendenning roofed a scramble goal to put the visitors ahead with 4:47 left.

The Toronto squad seemed to come out in the second with some extra juice.  Was it the questionable hit on their Hart Trophy winner, was it a reaction of this past week’s media woes?   Hard to say.  Alex Kerfoot took the bull by the horns with a power play goal in the second minute off a beauty rebound from Rasmus Sandin.  The Leafs continued their tear, outshooting their opponent 9-0 in the first half.  They ended up with a 23-17 SOG advantage by the buzzer.  1-1.  And, Toronto started the period on the PP.

Call up Nick Robertson scored on the ensuing power play on a nice set-up from Michael Bunting, the second time the “second unit” had scored.  He had certainly gained the Stars attention after taking two serious hits immediately following.  Despite a Leafs challenge, it was determined that a goalie interference charge was not valid and the Stars tied things up.  Seguin from Marchment.  2-2.

So, off to overtime we went.  The Leafs started 4 forwards because of the man advantage.  Totally dominated to no avail.  Things settle out at 4 on 4.  You guessed it Nick Roberton pounded in a Matthews feed for a well deserved Leaf win !

HOPPER NOTES:  How did Marchment slip thru our fingers (power forward, team guy, can score etc, etc)…You can’t tell me: that if Wayne Simmonds (or a similar ilk) would possibly allow the TML Hart Trophy winner to take the abuse he did tonight…until he set up that nice goal, I was wondering if Michael Bunting was in a sophomore jinx ? …guys I wish I had on my team: Miro Hysheshkinen (sorry Finnish people)…nice goaltending display from GTA goalie Scott Wedgewood…I hope you watch my “VLOG” on You Tube…please like and subscribe….CHEERS !

What a well deserved ass-kickin’.

Most hockey fans were looking for tonight’s Arizona/Toronto NHL game to see if the Coyotes were good enough to even compete at the professional level.  They are what most pundits call a “tank team”,  those who take on lame, LTIR contracts just to make the NHL salary floor  – those who play in tiny, non-profitable home venues and those who hope to win the Connor Bedard sweepstakes to land a generational, franchise player as the top pick at this year’s June draft.

The Leafs fell into a bit of a windfall from a salary cap standpoint when goalie Matt Murray went down pre game Saturday.  His $4 mill + left a lot of room for players like Nick Robertson, Victor Mete and Wayne Simmonds to “legally” re-join the Toronto taxi squad.  After this home stand ends on Thursday, the Leafs leave on an extended road trip and could use the depth.  Surprisingly, not one of these new recruits was called upon for tonight’s contest.

The Leafs pretty much toyed with the under manned Coyotes for most of the first period, but ironically it was Toronto cast off Nick Ritchie who scored the one and only goal of the period with a power play goal at 19:34.

Well, as Uncle Jed used to say: “Pitiful, just Pitiful”.  How could a team with an $85 million roster not dominate and easily defeat a team with a hundred dollar cap ?  What’s worse, the final game of the ALDS Yankees/Gaurdians game was rained out !  The ‘Yotes made it 2 zip early in the second and then just smothered the over/under archivers from Toronto.  0 for 3 on the PP, a too many men penalty and a gigantic 13 shots on goal.  Let’s add another shot to the head for Jake Muzzin and you have defcon 5.

There was really nothing good about tonight’s game from a Toronto Maple Leafs standpoint.  The boo birds were out turning on their own and not one of Coach Keefe’s churning of forward line or defensive pairings was working.  And then, as if by magic, William Nylander put the game within reach with help from John Tavares’ 900^th point.  Just 24 seconds later, Mitch Marner lifted a backhander to tie the game.  The Leafs had outshot Arizona by 12-3 at this point in the third and the “MO” was changing.  It wasn’t until a poor clearing pass from Holl that allowed the “Yotes” to score the winner with 1:33 left.  The Leafs tried to bounce back but a reviewed hand pass left it at a deserved 3-2 loss.  Pitiful indeed.

HOPPER NOTES:  I liked the fresh new look of the Sportsnet set for Monday Night Hockey – welcome Keith Yandle and Cassy, what were you thinking with that jacket…is it just me: or should the Coyotes reconsider adding purple to an already ghastly color pallet on their jerseys…after tonight’s piss poor performance, I look forward to seeing Nick Roberston (Malgin), Victor Mete (Muzzin) and Wayne Simmonds (Ashton-Reese) make their season debut on Thursday against Dallas…you can’t tell me: that those NHL players who choose to wear mouth guards are going to benefit from constantly chewing on them outside their yaps whilst play is in progress…I guess I picked the wrong night to focus on new winger Ashton-Reese (# 12, LW, 4^th line, from the Penguins), he was rather ineffectual, was benched for most of the period and will likely be replaced by Wayne Simmonds on Thursday…always keep the ones you love close to you….comments please and CHEERS to y’all !  

Uncle (GM) Pierre has been in the workshop going on 4 years now cleverly re-stocking the shelves with young blue chippers named Stuetzle, Sanderson, Norris, Pinto and Batherson. Then he peppered the roster with proven vets like Giroux, Hamonic, Talbot and DeBrinket.  What will all this mean in the Battle of Ontario in the years to come ?  Great Hockey !

We got a pretty good look at it tonight at the Scotiabank Arena as the Toronto Maple Leafs hosted the Ottawa Senators for the second of 4 their straight home games.

Roster changes effected the Leafs new goalie tandem as Mattt Murray will sit out with a groin injury for the minimum 10 day LTIR.  For the Senators, Cal Talbot will be out 5 to 7 weeks and Anton Forsberg got his second straight shot in the net.

Perhaps the biggest pregame news came from the Senators front office upon announcement of an agreement with the National Capital Commission to include a new hockey rink to become the home of the Senators as part of a huge re-development plan for downtown Ottawa.  Finally, no more mind numbing drives out to the middle of nowhere to catch a professional hockey game !

The Leafs came out hard to start the game and tried to push their younger opponents around.  The Senators capitalized on their power play opportunity, patiently moving the puck around the box until Claude Giroux set up a wide open Shane Pinto to open the scoring.  The Toronto squad seemed to sit back after that, being outplayed throughout the second half of the period.  As an example, they were hemmed in their own zone for the final 1:40 of the stanza.

The Leafs were pretty much outplayed by their young, energetic upstarts again to begin period two.  The Sens had 25 hits by the middle of that period.  Toronto finally got their first PP and it was hard to distinguish between the crickets and boos !  After Brady T and Willy Ny exchanged goal post opportunities, David Kampf final tied it up after a nice feed from Muzzin.

The third started with a nice Samsonov save off a breaking Josh Norris.  It wasn’t until a Leafs PPG from Nylander set up by Mathews and Tavares finally put the Leafs ahead 2-1.  These Sens were not here to roll over.  Claude Giroux slammed in a rebound off a Debrinket feed to tie it right back up.  At 1:15, Justin Holl forced his big body in front of the Ottawa net to bang in a Bunting set up to win the game. 3 goals in the last 6 minutes.  Who knew ?

HOPPER NOTES:  How do you like those new electronic boards at SBA ?  On TV, they can be completely blank and then the next second full Corporate type ads…I could sell those – any takers ? …I would prefer Nick Robertson on that 2^nd line…especially now that the Leafs have $3.4 to work with in the Murray LTIR…Wayne Simmonds could also probably get on the taxi squad and add his jam to the room…great HNIC opening (despite Ron’s theatrics) …love that BET MGM TV spot with McDavid and Gretzky (just don’t over play it !)…I’m just learning to understand the Leafs 3 new wingers in the bottom 6, so tonight I focussed on Aube Kubal, # 96, former Colorado Cup champ, right shot, some good hits, good skater and penalty killer…new feature on hooperonhockey.ca :  YOU CAN’T TELL ME that Travis Hamonic (waived by Vancouver) this week wouldn’t be a suitable replacement for Justin Holl (despite tonight’s goal) on the right side of the Leafs D…second new feature:  IS IT JUST ME or is Coach Keefe’s fuse getting shorter with every waking moment ?…who on the TML will ever out hit Brady Tkachuk?  Liked Samsanov’s positioning tonight…Pierre Engvall ?….comments please and look for our Hopper on Hockey broadcasts on You Tube….BTW, I could really use a nerd or nerdette to help an old feller steer thru this INTRANET Shit….Cheers

NEXT ! 

That other new goalie the Toronto Maple Leafs signed this summer, 25 year old Ilya Samsonov late of the Washington Capitals, got the call tonight for the home opener @ Scotiabank Arena.  His counterpart Matt Murray didn’t fare so well last night in Montreal allowing 4 goals in the loss – mostly up over his shoulders.  He’s a big man at 6’4” – why does he go down so often and so quickly?

Anyways, Samsonov was not offered a renewal contract by his former team and ironically tonight’s opponent, the Washington Capitals.  He started for the Caps in last year’s 1^st round playoff exit and surely must be highly motivated to prove himself worthy tonight.

Coach Keefe was highly critical of his team’s effort last night, calling it unacceptable.  Was it the 12 x 2 on 1’s given up, the dash 3’s by the Muzzin/Holl pair or the mediocre goaltending performance by Murray.  Hard to say.

The “new guy”, Samsonov got into his debut quickly with a sharp glove save off a one timer.  The Leafs had a great power play, generating 5 solid shots when Marner fed a nifty cross ice pass to Reilly who sent a clever feed to Tavares waiting at the side of a wide-open net.  Three minutes later Jim Dowd converted a nice pass from Eric Gufstaven to tie things up followed by a “softie” from Marc Johanson who slipped one thru Samsonov’s body and elbow.  The Leafs outshot the Caps 22 to 11 and deserved better.  Dare I say – they were out goaltended?

The second period didn’t really add fuel that fire as the checking from both sides shut things down.  In fact, the Leafs didn’t have a shot on net over a 9 minute stretch.  Early in the period however Cale Jarnkrok did tie things up off a beautiful net front pass from 3^rd linemate Alex Kerfoot.  It seems that Toronto has settled on it’s 6 penalty killing forwards.  In no particular order or pairings, Keefe’s choices are: Kampf, Marner, Kerfoot, Aube-Kubal, Jarnkrok and Ashton-Reese.

A very competitive third period allowed both teams to wheel and deal back and forth and you could almost feel the blood pressure rising from both coaches.  A Marc Giordano point shot was barely touched by Rocket Richard Trophy winner Auston Mathews,  but it was enough to count as the winner.  The Capitals had 3 straight PP opportunities in the third but could not put it past Samsonov despite pulling their goalie for the final 3 minutes.

HOPPER NOTES:  I know it’s just a small sample size, but I think the new 3^rd and 4^th line wingers are going to be OK….Man, that Bunting is a good shit disturber…guys I wish I had on my team:  Jim Dowd…final SOG were 34 TML, 26 Caps….look for a new You Tube video from Hopper on Hockey tomorrow afternoon…comments please – CHEERS !

Well Leafs Nation, it’s time for your forlorn Toronto Maple Leafs – they of the 6 straight years of  first round playoff exits – to lace ‘em up for the 2022-23 season.  No matter how last year’s 54 wins and 115 points stand up – don’t matter.  That was then – this is now.

Oh sure the returning veterans are a year older and assumably one year smarter.  They’ve got a new bottom six, with the departure of Spezza, Simmonds, Clifford, McDonald etc. and replaced them with the likes of Jarnkrok, Ashton-Reese and Aube-Kubel.  Heck, they even think that Dennis Malgin (soon to be Nick Robertson) can play up on the left wing with Tavares and Nylander on the second line.  The top 6 d-men are pretty much the same with Sandin moving to the right side to play along with veteran Mark Giordano.

Biggest change and risk?  Goaltending ! 

Matt Murray, a former Stanley Cup winner and last year’s burnout in Ottawa will start tonight in Montreal and rejected Washington goalie Ivan Samsonov gets tomorrow night’s home opener against who else, but the Capitals.  Both reclamation projects have got to be motivated.  They both looked strong in pre-season and have a lot to prove to a lot of people.

After a WAY too long opening ceremony at the Forum (Bell Center), the 2 teams got to show their stuff and their jitters through a pretty even first period.  Leafs goalie Murray looked quite solid in handling many of the 8 shots he faced.  Michael Bunting got the Leafs on the board off a nice feed from behind the icing line by Mitch Marner.  1-0.

Montreal came out of the intermission with a bang as sniper Cole Caulfield roofed his first off a fine 2 on 1 pass from newly minted Captain Nick Suzuki to tie things up quickly.  Dennis Malgin put the Leafs back in front with his first Leaf goal, banging in a tip off Tavares after a nice Nylander slapper at 10:54.  Not to be outdone, Caulfield tied it right back up with another roofer on an innocent looking rush.  Newcomer Kirby Dach came very close to moving the Habs in front on a wrap around which was reviewed and determined not to have crossed the line.  A late period penalty shot by Alex Kerfoot was foiled by Jake Allen to end the period at 2-2.

After a pretty dull third period, the Leafs put on a great power play exhibition with 5 minutes left – but no goal.  Newly acquired Sean Monahan then proved his worth to make it 3-2 off a solid rebound with 2:30 left.  The Leafs weren’t done yet however as Nylander combined with Tavares at the 1:50 mark to tie it back up.  Martin St. Louis thought about challenging the offside possibility but backed down.. Good for him because Josh Anderson popped in the winner off an errant Muzzin clear to pot the winner with 18 seconds left.  Pretty good game.

HOPPER NOTES:  The very young Montreal D Corps stood up very well tonight, as did the legitimate NHL forward line of Suzuki with Caulfield and Anderson…guys I wish I had on my team:  Brandon Gallagher…when will PK Subban re-surface ?  I’m thinking TV analysist on TSN… please go to You Tube, search Hopper on Hockey for a weekly broadcast of unabashed Leaf fan discussion on all things Toronto Maple Leafs…comments please – CHEERS !