It wasn’t hard for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets game to take honors for “game of the night” seeing how theirs’ was the only game to be played Wednesday evening. To no one’s surprise, neither team disappointed in a thrilling down to the wire hockey game. The Leafs hosted the Jets in each respective team’s fifth game of the season. The game would have many talking points, as the two Canadian clubs played hard and heavy from start to finish. The two teams matched in total hits with 27 a piece in the physical bout, tie in penalty minutes in a rather low eight minutes each, and match on powerplay goals as well on an equally amount of chances going 2-4 on the powerplay.
The goaltending was also quite evenly matched, as both Toronto’s James Reimer and Winnipeg’s Ondrej Pavelec stood on their heads to make game saving stops again and again – especially through the third period.
James Reimer is 4-0-1 to start the year, with a .913 save percentage and 2.55 goals against average with one shutout. Reimer impressed the Maple Leafs’ brass heavily in his 37 games last season. He went 20-10-5 with a .921 save percentage and 2.60 GAA and three shutouts. The 23 year-old has picked up the reigns in Toronto, and looks to be headed for another fantastic year in the crease. Reimer stopped 26 of 29 shots in regulation, followed by two stops for the win in the shootout.
The impending showdown between the young netminders resulted in a shootout, where each one made precision stops. Toronto forward Joffery Lupul, however, would play the hero for the home team as he got the better of Pavelec for the third time on the night. Young forward Matt Frattin buried his shot in turn, which clinched the victory for the Maple Leafs 4-3 in the shootout.
Although Frattin’s game-winning shootout goal didn’t count, he did put the puck in the net to win the game. Mark Scheifele, however, did officially score his first goal in the National Hockey League.
Scheifele, who was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets 7th overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft has been ever closer to his club’s decision that must be made within the next week or so. Scheifele, like Jake Gardiner and Matt Frattin, has nine games to show what he’s got to the organization, and try to stick with the club for the rest of the year - or be sent back to Juniors for further development. He has four of those games remaining.
"I don't want to think about that too much," Scheifele said Tuesday morning in regards to the looming decision. "I think I'm able to take that pressure and kind of turn it into motivation and turn it into that determination to work even harder."
The 18 year-old has one goal in his first five NHL games after an impressive pre-season in which he posted four goals and four assists through five games. He netted his first NHL goal at 7:53 of the second period on the powerplay to give the Jets a 3-1 lead. As defenseman Dustin Byufiglien powered his way to the net and put a shot on goal, Scheifele picked up the rebound far-side as he skated in and buried it past James Reimer.
"It was definitely special to get it here in front of a bunch of people that came to the game," Scheifele said. "But it would've been nicer to get the win."
Scheifele’s immediate future is unknown generally, as his pre-season and regular season stats haven’t matched. The 18 year-old is in fact a huge addition to the Winnipeg Jets in what he can provide for the here and now, but head coach Claude Noel isn’t giving any feelers out just yet for a decision.
"We've got some time to make assessments on him," Noel said Tuesday. "We'll do what's best for him in the long run. Where we're at, management's got to kind of sort through that stuff there. He's playing, he's been in all the games."
"So we'll see how he goes."
Scheifele wasn’t the only youngster trying to prove he should stick last night, as two of Toronto’s own young talents also impressed greatly on the game and all who enjoyed it. Jake Gardiner and Matt Frattin are also signed on entry-level contracts, and are working hard to stick with the Leafs.
Jake Gardiner was a beast in the game. He started just his third game of the year and wound up leading all Maple Leafs players in time on ice with 22:58. He had one shot on net in the contest and finished a +1. He also increased his totals on defense as he now has seven blocked shots on the season. The 17th overall draft pick of the Maple Leafs in 2007 made it clear that he is ready to compete at the NHL level.
Matt Frattin also chipped in. His numbers thus far don’t match his ethic. Frattin has played a part in the Maple Leafs’ start this season, and his shootout goal, although not an official ‘first goal’, did put the game away in front of the home team.
The goaltenders and the youngsters were splendid tonight, but Joffery Lupul sneaks in as the arguable player of the game. Lupul first got the Maple Leafs on the board late in the first period. He made the game 2-1 on a perfect pass by the streaking-in Phil Kessel, for Lupul’s third goal of the year. His fourth goal came at 7:28 of the third period as he shot far-side, somehow beating Pavelec. Once again, Kessel assisted on the goal.
"Things are really going our way right now -- we are getting some bounces, and we are playing well too," Lupul said. "But some of the goals we are getting now I don't expect to be getting throughout the entire season. It's nice when things are rolling like this but there are still some things we can do better." "Things are really going our way right now -- we are getting some bounces, and we are playing well too," Lupul said. "But some of the goals we are getting now I don't expect to be getting throughout the entire season. It's nice when things are rolling like this but there are still some things we can do better."
Phil Kessel registered his fourth and fifth assists in the game – on both of Lupul’s goals, and tallied his league leading seventh goal to tie the game at 7:55 of the third period on the powerplay, less than a minute behind Lupul’s second tally. Captain Dion Phaneuf’s one-time pass to Kessel was labeled for the back of the net and found it quicker than Pavelec could have dreamed it up. Kessel would be denied in the shootout, but was just as much of the Leafs’ victory as anyone else. He entered and exited the ice leading the NHL in goals (7) and points (12). Kessel is and has been for some time the glue that has kept the Maple Leafs together.“He's backchecking, forechecking, making good decisions with the puck and staying on top of things.” Head coach Ron Wilson said of Kessel."
"He wants the puck all the time, he's demanding it and he's getting it. That's the big thing."
"The fact of the matter is that line got the job done with different centremen at different times," he added. "Those two guys (Kessel and Lupul) are hot. We've got to find a way to get the Grabovski line going a little bit more here."
The Toronto Maple Leafs move to an impressive 4-0-1 start with the victory, and are set to take on the (Stanley Cup) hung-over Boston Bruins, followed by the Montreal Candiens, Philadelphia Flyers, and New York Rangers all within the next week on their four-game road trip.
The Jets came up short-handed against their first Canadian opponent of the year, falling to a 1-3-1 overall record – a sluggish start for the excited city of Winnipeg. The Jets finish up the short road trip tonight against the equally struggling Ottawa Senators before going home for their third and fourth home games of the year as they take on the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers inside of the next week.
- Kendall Grubbs
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