After ending their previous two-game losing streak by defeating the Florida Panthers on Nov. 28, the Toronto Maple Leafs looked to keep the wins coming in their Nov. 30 matchup against the Seattle Kraken. In the end, they did just that, beating the NHL’s youngest franchise by a 4-3 final score in the shootout. While Toronto blew a 3-1 lead in the third period, it did not come back to bite them, as they secured two points through the shootout. Let’s now discuss three takeaways from the game.
Marner’s Hat Trick
After having zero points in his previous two games and just three points over his previous eight, Mitch Marner was more than due for a big game against the Kraken. In the end, he did just that, as he recorded a hat trick by scoring three goals before the completion of the second period. This was wonderful to see, and all three of his goals were nice ones.
Marner scored the game’s first goal 6:34 into the first period. The 2015 first-round pick received a perfect pass from William Nylander in front and easily wristed it past Philipp Grubauer. Just 21 seconds into the second period, Marner then fired a slapshot from the point past Grubauer, one-timing an Auston Matthews feed. Finally, to complete the hat trick, Marner beat Grubauer on the breakaway.
All three of Marner’s goals were excellent ones, and the fact that he had the fishbowl on makes it even more impressive. Without Marner, the Maple Leafs would not have had a chance to get two points, and he was, without a doubt, their top skater of the night. For good measure, he also scored the game-winning goal in the shootout.
Another Strong Night for Woll
While Marner was the Maple Leafs’ big star on offence, goaltender Joseph Woll also had an impressive night for the Maple Leafs. The Kraken were far hungrier as the game went on, and Woll was extremely busy because of it. By the end of the game, Woll made an impressive 37 saves out of 40 shots. Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs ended the contest with just 28 shots and only 15 over the final two periods.
While Woll allowed two goals in the third period, it is hard to place the blame on him for them. Eeli Tolvanen’s goal was a perfectly placed wrist shot, while the same can be said for Jared McCann’s game-tying goal. With that, the Maple Leafs were completely gassed at this point in the game, and the Kraken had all the momentum. Yet, Woll stood on his head from here, and he most notably took away a sure goal from Kraken winger Jordan Eberle with a remarkable save with just 36 seconds left.
With this win, Woll now has an 8-5-0 record, a 2.74 goals-against average (GAA), and a .917 save percentage (SV%). If he keeps having games like this, his numbers will only keep improving.
Maple Leafs Escape Potential Loss
As noted above, the Kraken had far more momentum as the game went on, and they could easily have stolen this contest away if Woll had been off his game. They had only eight shots in the third period but, more importantly, just two shots after Tolvanen’s goal at the 6:15 mark in the third. With that, the Kraken had full control in overtime, as they had four shots, while the Maple Leafs did not record one. However, Woll kept them in the game and forced the shootout.
Not playing a full 60 minutes has been a trend for the Maple Leafs this season, and it is fair to say that this was the case in this matchup.
With this win, the Maple Leafs now have a 12-6-3 record. They will look to build on their winning streak against the Atlantic Division-leading Boston Bruins on Dec. 2 in what should be a highly entertaining Original Six battle.