Montreal Canadies 5 - Toronto Maple Leafs 2
The second instalment of Leafs Habs Pre-Season hockey ended with a 5-2 Habs victory at home in front of their faithful. A rather even affair, dominated by special teams. The Leafs won the 5v5 battle but lost due to a parade to the penalty box. We saw the new cross-checking rule-calling play a role in the game. A solid game for Marner, Mikheyev, Rielly, Ritchie, Kampf and Kase. Despite the score solid showing from both Campbell and Mrazek.
Leafs Vs. Habs Pre-Season Game 2 notes:
Ø Mikheyev getting good looks. Finish? Shot looks better.
Ø Kampf takes a penalty.
Ø Campbell with an excellent poke-check to stop a Habs rush opportunity.
Ø Leafs PK looks great.
Ø New crosscheck rule hits Rielly, Habs to the PP.
Ø Habs goal: MTL beauty rush goal from Josh Anderson. Lack of hustle from Leafs PK's. After leafs shorthanded rush. Bit of puck luck on "pass" from Dvorak to Anderson.
Ø Leafs with emphasis on shooting from point.
Ø Simmonds buzzing
Ø Kampf with an absent minded high sticking penalty.
Ø Habs goal: Beautiful Tic-Tac-Toe Goal from Dvorak. Great PP from Habs. Leafs looked tired from taking 3 in a row.
Ø Semyonov, very dumb penalty. Went to cross-check, got him high.
Ø Mitch excels on PK, tons of shorthanded goals this year for the Leafs. A ton of water-bug like players swatting denying zone exits and creating turn overs.
Ø Evans roughing penalty
Ø Evans then hits Holl in the numbers and pick up a Boarding penalty on top of the roughing.
Ø Nick Ritchie Vs Ben Charot, Donny-brook! Result from boarding on Holl. Ritchie wins it, no massive blows. Ritchie looks like a BIG BOY.
Ø End 1st period 2-0 Habs
Uninspired period from the Leafs, road pre season game. Balance of play was pretty even, penalty parade for Leafs. Habs showed finish. Leafs did not.
Ø Leafs with almost 4 minutes of PP time to start 2nd.
Ø SDA buzzing, Simmonds and Kase also look good. Rest seem a tad lost. Marner rings it off top of bar coming off bench. Solid Montreal PK.
Ø Holl looks good. Steady.
Ø More Soups! Mikheyev tries a wrap around, buzzing.
Ø Gusev takeaway creates Kase chance.
Ø Marner hard on the puck, Ritchie -Marner get some chances together.
Ø Soups is the best Leafs forward. Deserves one.
Ø Habs goal: shot from side wall. Pezetta untouched and tips it in. Nothing play, but weak net-front presence. Dahlstrom had his guy but clearly did not notice the threat.
Ø Good D from Kristians Rubins on Anderson rush.
Ø Ritchie drives net on the rush, solid chance.
Ø Leafs goal? Marner enters the zone, good net front presence from Marner, collects rebound and passes it to Brooks who buries it.
Ø Montreal challenges for offside. In a pre season game. They are winning 3-0....
Ø Brooks offside on entry by inches. No goal. Okay. Big game for Montreal I guess.
Ø Semyonov Illegal Faceoff Penalty. Used hand on faceoff. He may be unaware of this rule as it may not be a rule in the KHL. Lesson learned hopefully.
Ø Leafs goal: Holl throws puck down ice off the boards, Poulin who just came into the net miss handles it and Kampf who is flying in pokes it into the net. Shorthanded... Ooof. That’s the hockey gods.
Ø Habs goal: Anderson breaks in on PP, snipes it low on Mrazek who also just came in.
Ø Penalty Montreal, Armia trips up Dahlstrom.
Ø Leafs definitely have a focus on shooting from the point. Gusev looked good on the side wall. But pretty meh PP.
Ø Leafs goal: Leafs control Puck in Montreal’s zone, several line changes. Rielly takes it deep and feeds Kase in front who buries. Kampf putting in work infront of the net.
Ø Pezetta rings it off the bar on the rush.
Ø Rielly skating really well, carrying the puck. Marners line buzzing but no high danger chances.
Ø Kase-Kampf-Gusev line looking good
Ø Pezetta gets in alone, Mrazek flashes leather.
Ø Marner gets a 2-1 with brooks.
Ø Anderson alone on Mrazek. AGAIN the leather!
Ø Keefe pulls goalie with 3:20 left. Keefe goes 5F 1 D (Rielly/Marner, Mikheyev, Simmonds, Ritchie, Kase)
Ø Habs goal: Pezetta buries it from the blue line into the empty net, he wanted it! Toronto native pots 2 against home town team. Good to get this one out of the way pre-season!
Game Habs 5 – Leafs2
Habs tie the series with game three going Tuesday October 5th in Toronto. The Leafs head to Ottawa for two games against the Senators in the meantime.
Overall meh game for the Leafs with some great showings from Mikheyev and a decent game from Marner. Not a ton to take away, Keefe got in a bunch of good looks.
The big-name new comers all had decent games, Ritchie looked good with Marner. I want to see more of Kampf and Kase. Gusev had a couple moments but wasn’t too noticeable.
Wednesday night Leafs will be in Ottawa taking on the Senators. With most likely a similar line-up to game 1, but I will have a pre-game up with the projected line-ups tomorrow.