The Maple Leafs unveiled their third goal song, "Panama" by Van Halen, on Monday against the Blackhawks.
The Maple Leafs unveiled their third goal song, "Panama" by Van Halen, on Monday against the Blackhawks.
Another game, another goal song for the Maple Leafs.
While that was the big special occasion, there was also a player named Connor Bedard playing in Scotiabank Arena for the first time. The 18-year-old didn't score but he did have a number of chances to find the back of the net.
A couple defensive blunders allowed the Blackhawks to get ahead in this game, and the Maple Leafs just couldn't find their way back. Here are a few observations from Monday's 4-1 loss to Chicago.
Joseph Woll's composure
Aside from allowing three goals on 29 shots, Woll looked at ease during his first start of the season with the Maple Leafs.
His calmness really stood out for me. Chicago had plenty of chances throughout the game, but the 25-year-old stopped almost everything aside from a Corey Perry breakaway, a MacKenzie Entwistle shot from in front, and a Tyler Johnson power play goal.
While you could say Woll should've saved those shots, you could also argue that, on all three goals, Toronto's defense should've been there not allowing those chances to become available.
Woll plays a composed game, always in the right position to make a save. And when the 25-year-old needs to use his athleticism to make a save, he can do that too. It wasn't the best game from him on Monday, but again, I wouldn't blame him for the goals against.
Toronto's defense
Speaking of the Maple Leafs' defense, they stood out tonight, but not in a good way.
On the first goal, both John Klingberg and Jake McCabe aren't covering their man, leading to Entwistle to be open in front. I won't add any ill will onto Toronto's defense on the second goal as it was an incredible pass by Alex Vlasic to find Perry on the breakaway.
Goal three, though, while it is on the power play, I believe a number of players could've done more.
Andreas Athanasiou gets past Fraser Minten before the blue line and has McCabe and Timothy Liljegren watching the puck. That allows Johnson to sneak in on the right side and get in all alone to score.
Toronto's defense has been a fascinating topic of discussion since the summer, and so far, they haven't looked the greatest. If the Maple Leafs want to be a contender this season, GM Brad Treliving will likely need to add a defender at the deadline.
It's only game three, though. There's plenty of time for this group of defensemen to turn their game around.
The newest goal song
Following John Tavares' goal in the second period, "Panama" by Van Halen played throughout Scotiabank Arena.
It's one of three goal songs used this season by the Maple Leafs. After the home opener last Wednesday, there was some concern over lyrics from the remix of Kid Cudi's "Pursuit of Happiness". The song has since been "shelved," according to The Canadian Press.
READ MORE: Why the Maple Leafs Keep Changing Up Their Goal Song
Out of all three songs, I'd love to hear Mickie Krause's "Dup Dup" more when Toronto finds the back of the net. It takes me back to when the Chicago Blackhawks had The Fratellis' "Chelsea Dagger" as their goal song.
The more the Blackhawks found the back of the net, the more the opposing team grew to hate it. Toronto needs a goal song like that with the amount of fire power they have up front.
Other observations
- The Maple Leafs have had fights in all three games. It was Ryan Reaves dropping the gloves in the first two and Noah Gregor fighting after a collision with Nikita Zaitsev in the first period. Are the Reaves fights just a coincidence or will they be a regular occurrence to pump the team up? We'll likely have the answer soon.
- The duo of John Tavares and William Nylander hasn't stopped playing well since the opening of the season. The two are tied with Auston Matthews for the team lead in points after three games.
We could still see Nylander at center eventually, but for now the pair is having plenty of success.
- Toronto's third line of Matthew Knies, Fraser Minten, and Max Domi didn't look bad against Chicago. Minten, in particular, had a few chances to score his first NHL goal but couldn't put it behind Arvid Soderblom.
- Matthews on the penalty kill is smart. Very smart. I'm also very surprised it took the Maple Leafs this long to put him in that spot. His strength and shot-blocking ability makes him the perfect candidate for that role.
And with the way Matthews is playing right now, Toronto's giving themselves an advantage with putting him on the penalty kill.
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