The Leafs Did Something Last Night They Have Struggled to Do For a Long Time
The Toronto Maple Leafs won last night against the Calvary Flames in an impressive 2-1 OT victory that had the entire fan base on their feet. Auston Matthews puts one through the five-hole on Daniel Vladar to seal the deal at 2:32 in overtime.
This win over Calgary was similar to the 2-1 OT win by the Maple Leafs just days before.
We all know it’s true, the Leafs have struggled to win close, tight games in the past. If it wasn’t a 7-1 blowout, they would always find a way to lose the game. Even with a lead, the Toronto Maple Leafs struggled to protect that lead and come out with a win.
This is what I have really liked about the Leafs over the last few games. They are grinding out wins, and this is a step in the right direction.
We all know that in the playoffs, it’s about finding a way to win those tight games that are going to make the difference in the end. Over the last few seasons, the mindset of the Leafs was to overlook defense and just score a whole bunch of goals and hope that it’s more than their opponent in the end. You can win hockey games this way, but it only leads to bad habits and eventually will catch up to you.
The game against Calgary wasn’t a perfect game, but it proved to Leafs Nation that the Leafs can win those 2-1 type games and grind out a win.
What do you think? Are the Leafs better this season at winning tight games? What did you like about their performance against Calgary?
