Jan 4, 2018
Kadri bout with Thornton sparks Leafs
Toronto centreman rips out a fistful of the veteran forward's beard, then snaps his scoring drought to ignite the Maple Leafs to their best start in several games, Kristen Shilton writes.
TORONTO — For the first time in 2018, the Toronto Maple Leafs are in the win column. Tyler Bozak's goal in the sixth round of the shootout pushed the Leafs past the visiting San Jose Sharks 3-2 on Thursday night, snapping the club’s three-game losing streak. With the victory, the Leafs move to 24-16-2 on the season.
TAKEAWAYS
Big-time bout
Neither Nazem Kadri nor Joe Thornton can be accused of being a wallflower. So when the two forwards started jawing in the opening faceoff circle on Thursday, it seemed like harmless gamesmanship. And then, two seconds later, the gloves were off and the two were dancing all over the ice in a short but spirited tilt. At 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, Thornton had the size advantage over the 6-foot, 190 pound Kadri but the Leafs centreman held his own right to the end, and even deposited a fistful of Thornton’s beard on the ice when the bout was over. Kadri remarked after that he didn’t mean to grab any of Thornton’s famous facial hair, quipping, “I thought I was a hockey player, not a barber.” The tilt marked Kadri’s first fight since Nov. 5, 2016, against Vancouver’s Jannik Hansen, while Thornton last tangled with Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson on Dec. 4. And that wasn’t Thornton’s first fight off an opening faceoff either. He took on Ryan Getzlaf immediately in Game 6 of a first round playoff series in 2009 between the Sharks and Anaheim Ducks. The fight ignited the Leafs to their best start in several games, stirring a dormant spark that they’d been searching for. After being released from the box after his five-minute penalty, which Kadri called “the worst part” of the extracurricular activity, he just kept rolling. Going into Thursday’s game, it had been over a month since Kadri last tallied a point. Over that 12-game stretch, Kadri had preached patience for himself and denied he was frustrated while also admitting he was baffled by his own lack of puck luck. Whatever emotion stirred in Kadri prior to the tilt against San Jose, it was evident before the puck even dropped. And when a power play opportunity in the second period rolled around, it finally got him back on the board. Breaking through the Sharks’ vaunted penalty kill – second best in the league behind the Los Angeles Kings – with a score was everything Kadri had been hoping for since earning his last point on Nov. 30 in Edmonton. Kadri finished the night with three shots on goal.
Looking for a lead to hold onto
Since defeating the Arizona Coyotes 7-4 on Dec. 28, the Leafs wouldn’t hold a single lead in their next three games, all losses. But for the first time since that Arizona game, Toronto opened the scoring when Auston Matthews tipped a Connor Carrick point blast past Martin Jones late in the first period to give the Leafs a 1-0 lead. His 18th of the season restored Matthews’ mantle as the Leafs’ leading goal scorer and he finished the night with a team-high five shots on goal. But just 31 seconds after that marker, the game was tied once more when defenceman Brenden Dillon capitalized on the Leafs’ defence leaving Frederik Andersen out to dry and out of position when he buried his first of the season. It fact it was Dillon’s first goal in 56 games; his last came on Feb. 28, 2017 – against the Leafs. After Kadri took back the Leafs’ lead in the middle frame, just 5:38 elapsed before Chris Tierney had tied the game once again, sending the teams into the third period knotted 2-2. The 6:09 Toronto spent with an edge through the 65-minute game wasn’t near enough to give anyone a sense of comfort. In the end, securing the victory was the only statistic that mattered. But the ability to not just earn a lead but hold onto it has been a struggle for the Leafs over the last calendar year, and a particularly unpleasant one at that.
Goalie gaffe
The Leafs were locked in a tie game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday when Andersen went to play the puck behind the net only to have a miscommunication gaffe with his teammates lead to a turnover and go-ahead goal. On Thursday, Andersen had no one to blame but himself for the Sharks’ game-tying goal in the middle period. Playing the puck from his crease, Andersen looked like he was trying to send a stretch pass out of the zone but instead whiffed on the puck entirely and put it two feet ahead to Tierney, who fired it right back into his net. There was little Andersen could do but look up to the scoreboard and watch the play again, wondering how he managed to make such a mistake. It was a glaring blemish on what was otherwise an excellent performance from Andersen, especially in the overtime frame and 1:50 of the penalty kill time he endured. The ability to put his error behind him and shut the door the rest of the way was a turning point for the Leafs, and secured their first win of 2018. His stop on Joe Pavelski, who had gotten behind the Leafs defence with Thornton for a 2-on-1 chance, was particularly strong. The contest marked Andersen’s 100th as a Maple Leaf, and was his 54th win wearing blue and white. Andersen turned aside 33 of 35 shots on Thursday for a .943 save percentage.
Bad boys, bad boys
Penalties kill momentum. The Leafs have said it time and again over the last two weeks yet on Thursday they were repeatedly back in the box. From the outset it was clear the game was going to be called tight, and the Leafs were just a step too careless with their sticks, giving the Sharks five power-play chances to work with, including a critical one in overtime. But while San Jose came into the game boasting the league’s No. 2 penalty kill, the Leafs’ own kill was even sharper. Their work erasing the high-sticking infraction to Mitch Marner for the final 1:50 of the extra frame was by far their finest showing of the game. While Marner sat for what likely felt like an eternity, Ron Hainsey, Leo Komarov and Roman Polak held the Sharks at bay with quick sticks and smart plays with the puck, which hadn’t been plentiful earlier in the night from the penalty kill. San Jose sent only six shots on Andersen in their five opportunities. Matthews acknowledged after the game that wasn’t a position the Leafs could afford to put themselves in with the number of penalties they took against San Jose, but that the kill undeniably saved the game for them. Toronto has now gone three straight games without allowing a power-play score (11-for-11).
Next game
The Leafs continue their homestand against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday at 7 p.m.