Jan. 24: Leafs 4 at Islanders 3 (OT)
(Leafs centre had both good and bad luck)
Leafs scorers: MacArthur 2 (14) Gardiner (1), Grabovski (16)
Islanders scorers: Tavares (20), Bailey (5), Parenteau (10)
Links: Box Score | Discussion boards
Forward lines:Lupul-Bozak-Kessel, Lombardi-Connolly-Kadri, Kulemin-Grabovski-MacArthur, Crabb-Steckel-Brown
Defence pairings: Phaneuf-Schenn, Gardiner-Franson, Gunnarsson-Komisarek
Goaltenders: Gustavsson (Win 62:06 minutes played, 29 saves, 3 GA), Reimer (0:00)
Recap
It was anything but a conventional win for the Maple Leafs.
But with the team expected to be in the thick of a heated playoff race between now and the end of the season, Toronto will be happy with any result – no matter how inelegant – that ends in two points, such as the 4-3 overtime win over the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.
In a game in which the officials appeared to give their whistles an early All-Star break, peculiar bounces seemed to go both ways. No player epitomized the extreme ends of the misfortune scale than Mikahil Grabovski, who was both a beneficiary and a victim of fate.
Grabovski gave the Leafs a 3-2 lead late in the third period when his otherwise harmless shot bounced off the stick of Islanders defenceman Milan Jurcina. The puck traveled a high lofty arc before landing in the New York goal behind a stunned netminder, Al Montoya.
It appeared that the fluke goal would hold up as the game-winner. But with the Islanders pressing in the dying seconds of regulation and Montoya on the bench, Grabovski’s clearing attempt hit the edge of a gate along the boards, ricocheting right into the middle of the ice. An unguarded PA Parenteau found the puck on his stick, having no problem firing a shot past Leafs goalie Jonas Gustavsson to tie the game.
Toronto got the last laugh in overtime. With the referees in ‘let ‘em play’ mode, an uncalled cross-check by Grabovski to the back of Isles forward Matt Moulson created an odd-man rush for the Leafs. The play culminated with a shot by Clarke MacArthur that Montoya appeared to have miraculously saved.
The problem for the Islanders was that Montoya’s glove hand catch was actually behind the goal line.
A replay upheld MacArthur’s game-winner – hise second goal of the game – silencing the crowd of just under 11,000 at Nassau Coliseum. (okay, quieting the building even MORE!)
While MacArthur and Grabovski were listed as game stars by both teams’ media, the Leafs chose a different option over the Islanders’ selection of Parenteau on their list. Rookie defenceman Jake Gardiner played arguably his best game as a Leaf, controlling the rush whenever he had the puck and logging 26:12 of ice time. For good measure, he registered his first career NHL goal.
The Leafs head into the All-Star break tied with two teams they’ll be chasing down for a playoff spot – Florida and New Jersey – with 55 points each. By virtue of having one extra game played than both clubs, Toronto officially sits in 9th place in the Eastern Conference.
A home-and-home sweep for the Islanders is hardly a reason for Leafs fans to start celebrating, or for Air Canada Centre staff to book their shifts for mid-April.
However, points in the standings aren’t awarded on style. So the team will gladly use them.
