Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Samsonov, Tavares, Rielly & More

The matchup was thrilling, but the result was more than frustrating for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ultimately, the Carolina Hurricanes overcame a late deficit to pull out a 5-4 shootout victory over the home team Maple Leafs. Sebastian Aho stood out for the Hurricanes, contributing two goals and an assist. Newcomer Jake Guentzel played the hero in the shootout, scoring the decisive goal to steal the win for Carolina. 

It wasn’t that the Maple Leafs didn’t play well enough. However, they were on the wrong end of two last-second goals that swung momentum in favor of the Hurricanes. Seth Jarvis capitalized on a rebound with just 2.7 seconds remaining in the second period, narrowing Toronto’s lead to 3-1. Then, despite a hard-working penalty kill effort and an empty net for Carolina, Aho scored the game-tying goal with less than six seconds left in regulation.

Both goals were on the goofy puck bounces that could have gone one way or another. On this night, they bounced to the Hurricanes.

Item 1: 3 Reasons the Maple Leafs Lost the Game

The Maple Leafs lost this game for three key reasons. First, too many defensive lapses helped Carolina come back. Second, they missed their chances with the man advantage. Third, as noted, they had some horrible luck with puck bounces this night. 

Despite holding leads of 3-0 and even a late 4-2 lead, the Maple Leafs struggled to contain Carolina’s offensive onslaught. Not only were the last-second goals deflating, but Toronto also allowed two goals in the final minutes of regulation. They had a huge chance to capitalize on a power play in overtime, but they could not put the puck in the net.

Item 2: The Maple Leafs Got Balanced Scoring

One good aspect of the game was that the Maple Leafs’ scoring was distributed well throughout the lineup. John Tavares scored a goal and added an assist. William Nylander, Nick Robertson, and David Kampf also scored. Morgan Rielly contributed two assists. Coach Sheldon Keefe commended his team on their effort, even though the final result was frustrating.

Interestingly, Toronto scored all four goals on clear (or botched) breakaway attempts. However, they couldn’t score in the shootout. Early in the second period, Tavares, Nylander, and Robertson all capitalized on breakaway opportunities to establish a commanding three-goal lead. Robertson was the recipient of a nice pass on Tavares’ failed breakaway. In the third period, David Kampf extended the Maple Leafs’ lead to 4-2 with another breakaway goal.

Item 3: Ilya Samsonov Plays Well But Finally Loses

Ilya Samsonov put up another strong performance, but it wasn’t enough to pull off the win. Despite making 36 saves, he couldn’t preserve Toronto’s lead. The loss was Samsonov’s first in his last five starts, ending his four-game win streak.