The Devils played a fantastic final 40 minutes, but 2 turnovers in the 1st and 3 overturned goals led to their defeat
With 11:38 left in the first the 4th line was out. Bastian got tied up. They got the puck who Hamilton who blasted one and it went off Bastian and in. The goal was waved off for goaltender interference as Bastian was in the blue paint at the time. The Devils challenged the call. The ref had an interesting way of doing it, but he finally got around to saying the call stands, no goal. Penalty to the Devils.
The Devils killed the penalty. A pane of glass was replaced near the Devils bench. After they power play they had some cycling in the Leafs zone but it ended on an errant pass.
Mercer flipped a backhander on net and Tatar tipped it off the post
Marner caused a turnover and centered it to Tavares who scored.
Tatar tried to make a pass through Kerfoot’s skates but it hit one and deflected to Pontus Holmberg who doubled Toronto’s lead
2 d zone turnovers, 2 goals.
With 2:45 left Hamilton took a slashing penalty. The Leafs were patient and kept passing. Bastian blocked a pass to Matthew. Haula cleared a minute in.
2nd Period
Hughes made Tavares fall down and passed to Graves who walked in and wristed a shot on net. Haula tried to get the rebound but it was covered up.
Smith nailed Kerfoot. Hughes set up Bratt for a great chance after a takeaway and he shot it wide. Siegenthaler knocked Nylander down and the Devils went back into Toronto’s zone. Siegenthaler took a wrister from way out that Murray only saw at the last second and just barely got a glove on. The Devils have the momentum early in the second, they want to get back in the game.
The Devils scored, Severson putting it into an empty net, but again the goal was waved off. Tatar made incidental contact with Murray outside the blue paint, and Spaulding says that according to rule 69b, if a goal is scored on a play with incidental contact with the goaltender outside the crease, the goal should be allowed. So the Devils second goal with no clear goaltender interference, and their second goal called of for goaltending interference.
Kerfoot tied of Bastian, so power play Devils. The power play moved quickly, with a couple chances, one for Hughes and one for Zetterlund. Hughes’ shot went wide and Zetterlund’s was blocked, and the Leafs had several clears.
The Devils got another chance on the power play, with Tavares going to the box for hooking Severson behind the Leafs net.
Hamilton got it on net and the puck bounced around with the Devils poking, but Murray covered it up. Bastian had a wrist shot from the left dot and Murray got it with the blocker.
The Devils had 7 shots on the power play. After the power play they messed up their defensive positioning and the Leafs almost scored. The next shift saw the Devils continue their momentum, but at the end the Leafs went the other way and Bunting was in alone, but fortunately he skied the shot over the crossbar.
Hughes and Sharangovich almost had a 2 on 1 but Sharangovich was called for hooking Holl.
Siegenthaler made 2 great plays, one forcing a guy to the boards and stealing the puck and another blocking a pass on a partial 2 on 1.
Bastian fought hard to clear the puck
Tavares got called for tripping Marino
3rd Period
Severson flubbed a pass and Matthews stole it. Severson blocked his pass attempt to Nylander, but Matthews tried again and Vanecek made a great pad save on Nylander.
Bastian, McLeod, and Boqvist had the Leafs hemmed in their zone for almost 2 minutes but nothing to show for it
Sharangovich, Mercer, and Hughes had a couple chances in the Leafs zone, but Hamilton got called for high-sticking Marner.
The Devils had a shorthanded 2 on 1. Bastian passed to Haula and he was robbed by Murray, but he kicked the puck and it went off of Robertson’s skate and in. Since it went off Robertson’s skate, it should be a good goal, right? Nope. Overturned for a kick. It should arguably be 3-2 Devils, but instead it’s 2-0 Leafs.
Severson broke up a 2 on 1 and the Devils had one the other way but Bratt was forced to the outside
Sharangovich passed the puck to Hamilton breaking towards the net and he tipped it in. This one counts. Devils on the board, finally.
Let’s Go Devils chants broke out and the Devils continued their momentum. Murray made a save, and off to commercial break. The Leafs iced the puck off the faceoff. Graves took a shot and the rebond bounced to Hischier but Murray stopped him.
The Leafs had a partial 2 on 1 and Vanecek made a great pad save on Tavares. Bratt went the other way 1 on 2 and got past 1 defender. He got the puck to Hischier but it rolled off his stick.
There was a faceoff in the Leafs zone and the Devils called their timeout. Vanecek to the bench.
The Devils played furiously in the final 2 minutes but the Leafs did a good job of keeping them to the outside with 11 skaters on the ice. A Leaf cleared the puck down and it went off the post, across the crease, and out. There was a battle for the loose puck and the Leafs got it and Hughes blocked the shot. The Devils got back into the Leafs zone and again furiously tried to score but the Leafs kept the middle of the ice clear. There was a faceoff with 7 seconds left and the Devils won but the Leafs got it and cleared with 2 seconds left, and the clock hit 0, ending the winning streak at 13 games. This was still a remarkable effort from the Devils and the deserve to win o’meter says they win a game like this 80% of the time.
Final Thoughts
The first period wasn’t the best Devils hockey I’ve seen and it ended up sinking them, with the 2 Leafs goals scoring in the opening frame.
The next 40 minutes was amazing. The Leafs are a great team and the Devils dominated them for 2 periods straight. They scored 4 total goals against a team averaged 2.7 against, although unfortunately 3 of them were overturned.
The way they played tonight, the Devils will probably murder Buffalo in the next game, I hope. The Devils had gotten lucky with some bad first periods before, but tonight two turnovers in the first cost them 2 goals, and 3 of the pucks in the Leafs net came back. Still a great game from the Devils with 35 shots on goal to the Leafs 20. Back at it on friday.