During a challenge on the Chicago Blackhawks' second goal of the game (which was called back for goaltender interference), Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube pretty much begged for his team to get going. Three minutes later, the Maple Leafs give up a shorthanded goal, allowing the Blackhawks to take a 2-0 lead. It was a difficult couple of games for Toronto. First, they fell in overtime to the San Jose Sharks after having a 2-1 lead entering the third period. Then on Saturday, after allowing a late second-period goal to go down 3-2 to the Edmonton Oilers, Berube hoped there'd be a third-period comeback. There wasn't. Berube went as far as calling out his leaders following that game in hopes that it'd spark something in this struggling Maple Leafs team. After two-and-a-half periods of wondering when a spark would come, Auston Matthews won a face-off back to Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and his shot beat Spencer Knight to cut Chicago's lead in half. That was the spark which lit a fire. Late in the game, Toronto drew a penalty, and the Maple Leafs headed to the power play. William Nylander won the puck from behind the net and fed Matthews. He turned, fired, and beat Knight for his 14th goal of the season. As he skated towards the boards, he motioned the crowd for more noise, minutes after they were booing their team. Ten seconds after a much-needed power play goal, Troy Stecher throws the puck into Chicago's zone and Dakota Joshua puts the puck past Knight, sealing a 3-2 comeback win on Joe Bowen night. POWER PLAY COMES UP BIG, MAYBE A SHIFT COMING? Well, this was another tough one. Until it wasn't. Entering Tuesday's game, the Maple Leafs were second-last in the NHL in terms of power play success. They're passing has been fairly strong as of late, though the players have struggled to gain any "Grade A" opportunities. It was going to be a challenge against the Blackhawks either way, given they're fourth in the league on the penalty kill. On their first power play, the Maple Leafs gave up a shorthanded goal. On their second power play (which was split between the second and third periods), Toronto only mustered one shot on goal. Their third power play late in the game was different. It was a frustrating start to the final man advantage. Chicago cleared the puck early, and it didn't feel like they'd be able to get anything going. But after Nylander found Matthews to beat Knight with a nice shot, maybe this can spark something? Sometimes all it takes is one goal to light a fire. Could this be it? We'll see. JOSEPH WOLL'S RETURN The 27-year-old got his first start for Toronto since going down with a lower-body injury on Dec. 4 against the Carolina Hurricanes, and it was what you'd expect. Woll's movement, puck tracking, and positioning were strong all night against the Blackhawks. He gave Toronto a chance to remain in the game, however, and his teammates answered late in the game. If there's a goal he'd like to have back, it'd probably be the first one from Blackhawks defenseman Wyatt Kaiser. Woll has a clear sight of the shot from Wyatt, but cannot get his glove on it before it beats him. On the other goal, there was no chance for Woll to get over, since it was a two-on-one. Woll finished the game stopping 23 of 25 shots against the Blackhawks.
