The night after a loss in the season opener that head coach Sheldon Keefe described as “unacceptable”, the Toronto Maple Leafs bounced back in their home opener with a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals. Auston Matthews scored his first goal of the season, which ended up being the game-winner, and Ilya Samsonov stopped 24 of 26 shots against his former team to help propel the Maple Leafs to their first victory of the season in front of their home crowd.
It was a much-needed victory for the club after an opening night performance against the Montreal Canadiens that left a sour taste in the mouths of most fans. Between sloppy plays (including a harsh giveaway on Josh Anderson’s winning goal) and the exposing of a clear weakness in Matt Murray’s game despite some tremendous saves, it was a forgettable way to open the season. But, we’re not going to talk about that game. Instead, here are three takeaways from the Maple Leafs’ home opener win against the Capitals.
Samsonov Stands Tall in Win Despite Shaky Start
As previously mentioned, the storyline heading into the game (outside of the obvious first home game of the season angle) was the 25-year-old Russian netminder making his Maple Leafs debut against his former team. A first-round pick (22nd overall) of the Capitals in 2015, he enters the 2022-23 season with something to prove. It’s not often you see a team give up on a goalie drafted in the first round so early in his career, but with two below-average seasons in a row, they had seen enough and didn’t think he was worth the upwards of $3 million annually, which he could have commanded in arbitration.
With Murray allowing four goals on 23 shots in his debut, last night’s game was a big opportunity for Samsonov to start off the season on a high note. Although he allowed a couple of weak goals early on, he eventually pulled it together and held down the fort for the Maple Leafs en route to the victory. All things considered, a .924 save percentage (SV%) in his debut is a good way to make a solid first impression with a new team, and it’s even sweeter when it comes against the one that cut ties with him only three years into his NHL career.
Jarnkrok Looking Like a Fine Replacement For Mikheyev Early On
It was obviously encouraging to see Matthews and John Tavares light the lamp for the first time this season, but the one forward that stood out to me more than anybody else was Calle Jarnkrok, who tied the game at two in the second period. With the Maple Leafs losing Ilya Mikheyev to a four-year deal with the Vancouver Canucks, Jarnkrok was signed to a four-year contract of his own to step into a similar role that Mikheyev had. And between his preseason efforts and last night’s game, he’s been effective in said role.
One thing Mikheyev brought to this team was arguably some of the best speed in the game. Although you won’t find Jarnkrok beating Connor McDavid in a footrace anytime soon, his defensive responsibility and sneaky goal-scoring ability are valuable qualities to have in a bottom-six forward. He displayed some explosive speed and a good ability to drive the net on his goal, a tap-in off of a pass from Alex Kerfoot, and he was strong on the forecheck and the penalty kill. At $2.1 million annually, the Swede carries some very sneaky value in his game and will be an important piece if he keeps proving that he can be relied on in high-leverage situations.
Maple Leafs’ Team Toughness Picked Up As the Game Went On
The Maple Leafs weren’t left with much of a choice when it came to waiving their two toughest players in Wayne Simmonds and Kyle Clifford before the season started, but there were instances in both last night and Wednesday night’s games where their presence definitely could have been used. Unfortunately, both of those players have clearly lost a step, and with a fully healthy lineup, shouldn’t crack the team’s top-12 forwards.
The Capitals clearly had the physical edge early on, with their fourth line of Nic Dowd, Conor Sheary, and Garnet Hathaway being matched with the Maple Leafs’ top line from the get-go. But, as the game went on, the Maple Leafs responded with some physical play of their own. Nicolas Aube-Kubel led the team with six hits, meanwhile, Matthews and Rasmus Sandin were tied for second with five apiece. With the bottom six group they currently have, they don’t need somebody like Simmonds or Clifford in the lineup solely for their fists. However, they can make this team much harder to play against with consistent physical efforts like we saw last night, and they should be looking to carry this energy into each and every night.
Maple Leafs Back in Action Saturday Against the Senators
The Maple Leafs will look to win two in a row on Saturday night when they host the Ottawa Senators for the first time this season. Keefe hasn’t announced a starting goalie yet, but don’t be surprised if he ends up going back to Murray for the start against his old team like he did for Samsonov last night. I would imagine that as we get deeper into the season, he’ll opt to ride whoever the hot goalie is, but it’s still early on, and as much as Murray’s debut didn’t look great on paper, he deserves a shot to grab his first win in front of the home crowd.
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The Senators are a team who always bring it against the Maple Leafs, and with the additions of former Chicago Blackhawks star Alex DeBrincat and veteran forward Claude Giroux, they’re going to be trying to prove that they can hang with the big dogs of the Atlantic Division. It’s important that the Maple Leafs dictate the pace of the game and don’t fall into the Senators’ rhythm, because despite the Maple Leafs clearly having the edge talent-wise, the Senators will always bring a strong effort. Regardless of who’s in goal Saturday night, the team needs to be ready to do many of the same things they did last night.
