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Puck Drops & Rink Drama

Puck Drops & Rink Drama

Toronto Maple Leafs’ Season so Far: Puck Drops & Rink Drama 

We are not even a full week into the 19/20 season and there’s already a mouth-watering amount of action to slide into after the Toronto Maple Leafs have put to bed their first four games. With a 2-1-1 record to start the long season ahead, the Leafs’ season is in full-swing and there is a handful of talking points despite the scarcity of games so far.

Solid Start to Opener in Toronto

Regardless of how you slice it, netting five out of six points to the start of the season is a win in any teams’ books. It was an electric night at the Scotiabank Arena, with the Leafs firing on all cylinders in their curtain-raiser — after dispatching rivals — the Ottawa Senators 5-3 with a solid opening victory.

It wasn’t the prettiest of wins but a win nonetheless to give the fans of Toronto a glimpse of their team’s emerging potential. The Leafs found themselves a goal down after the Senators scored 25 seconds into the game, but the Buds maintained their composure after this disappointing start and closed out a victory at the end of the evening to secure those crucial two points.

Any ice hockey outfit stepping on the ice in their opener of the season is never going to showcase a perfect game and Toronto certainly revealed some chinks in their armour. Even though some sloppy plays manifested, there was plenty of positives to take away from this game, however, with Auston Matthews getting off to a red-hot start once again, Rasmus Sandin and IIya Mikheyev getting their first NHL points and a feel-good win for the team.

Under the Nationwide Lights

Next up, it was a trip on the road to the Nationwide Arena to go toe-to-toe against a slightly more menial side, the Columbus Blue Jackets. Toronto made sure they took care of business by closing out a 1-4 win, with Mitch Marner and John Tavares assigned to do the heavy lifting, with the pair finding perfect synchrony and Marner finding the back of the net twice.

Auston Matthews and defencemen Cody Ceci also got their names on the scoresheet with some silky puck movement to sink the Blue Jackets. Back-to-back wins are a pillar to any hockey team and the Leafs raised some eyebrows, firmly hitting their stride early on.

Another Familiar Foe

On the whole, Toronto was brimming with confidence heading into their game against fellow countrymen, the Montreal Canadiens, but it was not to be when the team came apart after surrendering a comfortable lead.

The evening unfolded with the Leafs crumbling, conceding an early goal, but Toronto yet again provided that they were made of stronger things by firing ahead netting the next four goals in succession. The Leafs were looking down the barrel of a perfect 3-0-0 record, but they seemed to come apart at the seam by surrendering their insurmountable 4-1 lead.

It was a slow start for the Canadians, but the Habs finished in emphatic fashion by storming back from a three-goal deficit to brush aside their oldest rivals. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadians have played various thrilling games over the last century, but after Sunday’s showdown, I’m not sure you will find any to top it.

Leafs go Home with the Blues

Next on the docket for the Buds was hosting the defending Stanley Cup Champions, St Louis Blues. The Leafs demonstrated how potent attack they possess by taking an early lead with a silky Nylander finish. This was a promising for Toronto but the Blues exhibited why they were the defending champions by snapping back a 2:2 deadlock before Alex Pietrangelo put Toronto to the sword by scoring the winner in the third period.

The season is underway, but things only get tougher from here. Shaky starts are more than customary for teams, but it is the improvement that most teams build on as the season moves along. The Maple Leafs will need to ensure they are not one of the teams that get left behind.

NHL Week Two Results in Full:

Chicago Blackhawks 3 – 4 Philadelphia Flyers

Winnipeg Jets 5 – 4 New Jersey Devils

New York Islanders 1 – 2 Washington Capitals

Toronto Maple Leafs 4 – 1 Columbus Blue Jackets

Las Vegas Golden Knights 5 – 1 San Jose Sharks

Toronto Maple Leafs 5 – 6 Montreal Canadiens

Ottawa Senators 1 – 4 New York Rangers

Washington Capitals 2 – 3 Carolina Hurricanes

Buffalo Sabres 7 – 2 New Jersey Devils

Pittsburgh Penguins 7 – 2 Columbus Blue Jackets

Florida Panthers 4 – 3 Tampa Bay Lightning

St Louis Blues 3 – 2 Dallas Stars

Nashville Predators 3 – 5 Detroit Red Wings

Colorado Avalanche 4 – 2 Minnesota Wild

Arizona Coyotes 0 – 1 Boston Bruins

Anaheim Ducks 3 – 1 San Jose Sharks

Edmonton Oilers 6 – 5 LA Kings

Calgary Flames 3 – 0 Vancouver Canucks

Carolina Hurricanes 4 – 3 Tampa Bay Lightning

Detroit Red Wings 4 – 3 Dallas Stars

New York Islanders 4 – 1 Winnipeg Jets

Columbus Blue Jackets 4 – 3 Buffalo Sabres

Toronto Maple Leafs 2 – 3 St Louis Blues

Florida Panthers 3 – 6 Carolina Hurricanes

Washington Capitals 3 – 4 Dallas Stars

New York Islanders 2 – 5 Edmonton Oilers

Pittsburgh Penguins 1 – 4 Winnipeg Jets

Detroit Red Wings 1 – 3 Anaheim Ducks

Nashville Predators 5 – 2 San Jose Sharks

Calgary Flames 3 – 4 LA Kings

Las Vegas Golden Knights 3 – 4 Boston Bruins

Latest NHL Division Betting Odds

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