Kraken Losing Streak At Four; Will Hope For Better Health As Homestand Continues
Outlined against a gray January sky, the Four Horsemen of the Maple Leafs - Matthews, Marner, Nylander, and Tavares - rode into Climate Pledge Arena on Sunday.
(With apologies to Grantland Rice. Look, YOU try writing 82 original game stories)
The Toronto quartet and their mates faced a Seattle Kraken team depleted by injuries, illness, and a suspension to Yanni Gourde.
Matthews' individual brilliance on a 1st period goal, combined with a triumphant return in the Leafs net by Ilya Samsonov, was just enough to hold off a plucky Kraken squad, 3-1.
Seattle's losing streak grows to four. The team gets two welcome days off before hosting the Chicago Blackhawks at CPA on Wednesday.
1st Period
For whatever reason, the Maple Leafs have declared Brandon Tanev public enemy #1.
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Perhaps the Kraken can call on this guy for help.
This sport isn't sufficiently difficult for Auston Matthews. Taking a Mitch Marner feed from behind the net, Matthews puts the puck through his own legs, onto his backhand, and past Joey Daccord for a 1-0 Leafs lead at 7:06.
As we wrote earlier today, it's a bad idea to let Matthews shoot. So far in 44 games, 38 of those shots have become goals.
2nd Period
Eight seconds after Jamie Oleksiak finishes serving a hooking penalty, Toronto doubles its lead at 2:50. Nicholas Robertson, who was listed as scratched before the game, makes the Kraken wish he was.
Ilya Samsonov got the start in goal for Toronto tonight, just his second game since Dec. 29. Though he sports a 3.88 GAA and .863 save percentage, you wouldn't know it. His glove snare on a Devin Shore wrister from between the circles is his latest of several fine saves.
It isn't hurting Samsonov's confidence that the Kraken have recorded nine SOG in the game's first 37 minutes.
And just like that, it's a one-goal game. Jordan Eberle fishes the rebound of a Tomas Tatar shot out from a maze of legs, fades toward the right post, and scores his 7th at 14:03.
Seconds later, Oliver Bjorkstrand rings a potential game-tier off the crossbar. The re-energized Kraken have another chance when Tomas Tatar has Samsonov down on the ice, but can't squeeze the puck past him.
The battle on the ice is no more ferocious than that in the stands, with dueling - and boisterous - "Let's Go Kraken" and "Go Leafs Go" chants.
This also happened.
3rd Period
The Kraken are competing without Yanni Gourde, Matty Beniers, Vince Dunn, Kailer Yamamoto, and Pierre-Eduard Bellemare. Some of the skaters who did dress are fighting off the flu.
The team is playing the way coach Dave Hakstol said they would need to, in order to have a chance to win - simple. However, two top centers and a top-pairing defenseman aren't replaceable. A team which has had difficulty scoring all season now has gone more than half the period without so much as one shot.
From the Leafs perspective, any win right now is welcome, but letting the Kraken hang around like this isn't an effort they'll remember fondly.
Samsonov comes up huge to preserve the Toronto lead with seven minutes left; a remarkable toe pad save on Justin Schultz's left circle drive, and falling on the rebound before Eberle can pounce.
McCabe's empty netter finalizes the Toronto victory at 3-1. Both teams were 0-2 on the power play. Shots finished 26-17 Maple Leafs.
