It wasn’t the type of game that any head coach would necessarily take satisfaction in, but Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube looked to a few positives after his team escaped with a 2-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils.
Anthony Stolarz was dominant for the Maple Leafs, making 37 saves, while Auston Matthews registered the overtime winner during a game where he had several partial breakaways, as one of the lone forwards making a positive impact. The game arguably turned in Toronto’s favour when Pontus Holmberg beat an unsuspecting Jacob Markstrom short-handed to tie the game.
“The third period was better,” Berube said post-game. “We went to work, started to do some things, and controlled the play more. It is one of those games. I am not really going to read into it too much. I am not going to talk about it too much. Our goalie was excellent, and we found a way to get two points. That is all that matters.”
Toronto was outshot 16-1 during the first period and trailed 27-6 on shots, while facing a 1-0 deficit at the second intermission. Stolarz was the lone reason why the Maple Leafs were able to remain in the contest and fend off the Devils’ elite team speed and valiant attack.
“Our goalie kept us in it, so it was only 1-0,” Berube said. “For sure, it is a big part of it. In the third period, we started to play better and more aggressive. We controlled the play a little bit more. In the first two periods, they had the puck. We didn’t get it from them.”
Berube’s assessment is indeed correct. Toronto woke up for the third period and controlled 74 percent of the expected goals at 5-on-5, Holmberg’s unexpected goal provided the Maple Leafs with a massive boost — and Connor Dewar deserves a ton of credit for flipping the puck down the ice, then fending off the Devils’ defence to create a shooting lane for his teammate — then Matthews did what elite players do on a night where he previously failed to capitalize some great looks.
It was a night to remember and it may be worth burning the tape all in the same, as Toronto prepares to host the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday.
