The Mitch Marner reunion game didn’t go according to plan.
What a crazy night in Vegas.
We kicked off the Friday edition of Leafs Morning Take by giving a vibe check following Toronto’s 6-5 overtime loss at T-Mobile Arena. Incredibly, the Leafs possessed three different two-goal leads on the night, and somehow, still found a way to lose the game. As a whole, it wasn’t the type of game we expected. Honestly, it felt more like an All-Star game. There were no hits and no post-whistle antics. It was just goal after goal after goal. Despite getting booed in his home arena, Mitch Marner tallied two assists. Jack Eichel was out of this world. The former Sabres captain potted the OT winner and added three assists.
And so, through three of four on this road trip, the Leafs are 1-1-1. They’re off to Winnipeg for an important Saturday night showdown on Hockey Day in Canada. Ironically, on a night filled offence, the turning point in the game was a big save. With the Leafs up 3-1 in the second period, Adin Hill robbed Bobby McMann. Hill was not great, but it was the timeliness of the save. It’s tough to place blame on Joseph Woll, who surrendered six goals on 33 shots, for the loss. That said, dissimilar to his counterpart, he was unable to make a timely save. You’re going to have those nights. Woll’s been tremendous lately. It was a rare rough night for the penalty kill, too, who surrendered two Vegas power play goals. Also, we felt like the Leafs are still struggling to get calls. They went 1-for-1 on the power play, but again, they were only granted one opportunity. That’s a joke. It was tough to see William Nylander go down. Despite playing just over two minutes, the winger notched a goal and an assist before exiting the game. Weirdly, it looked like he re-aggravated his lower-body injury celebrating his goal. All in all, it was that kind of night for the Maple Leafs, who will get another crack at Marner and the Golden Knights next Friday night in Toronto.
After that, Luke Schenn stopped by the show. He was great. We hit on everything from Marner to this Leafs/Jets game to his future. Schenn’s 36, he’s won two Stanley Cups, and once again, he’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent following the season. Winnipeg’s won four in a row, but still, there way behind in the Western Conference standings, so ultimately, Schenn could be in play by the trade deadline. Furthermore, before wrapping the show, we gave our quick preview thoughts on Saturday night. Bottom line: The Leafs need to nip this mini skid in the bud and get the job done to finish off the road trip.
At any rate, we’ll be back on Monday at 11 AM ET to break it all down. On top of that, we’re going to preview Monday night’s home date with Quinn Hughes’ Minnesota Wild.