Recap: Maple Leafs beat the Utahs in a shootout

It's the Leafs first ever visit to Utah! Well maybe some of them have been there before. Good skiing. Not much beer though.

Here are the lines for the night, Joseph Woll is in net for the Leafs. Karel Vejmelka is in net for Utah HC.

First Period

And we have puck drop at 10:09. They definitely know how to get the game started on time here unlike some other teams (glaring in the direction of Vegas).

Brandon Carlo shows that the Leafs also know how to start taking penalties on time. So we have an early penalty kill, but it's killed off and they are visibly more effective at getting the puck and clearing it than in recent games.

There's some close shots traded by both teams, also Knies briefly forgets what team he's on and gives up an easy turnover to make his line change. Thankfully that yikes moment doesn't lead to a goal.

The fourth line comes out and they get hemmed in for a bit but then get an offensive rush going. A pretty effective time-killing shift. Now we are half-way through the first without a goal, but that is about to change.

The Leafs get a power play and we've got Tavares getting another great look at Vejmelka, but it's Willy Nylander that finally gets the first goal of the game.

The fourth line has a good shift again with Pontus Holmberg getting a shot out. Looks like Berube is giving a little more ice time in this game.

The Leafs get another power play and, hey, first goal of the year time!

First period ends with the Leafs up 2-0 and SOG are 13-4 in favour of the Leafs. It's 10:44 here in Toronto. The Mormons are certainly efficient and punctual compared to those heathens in Vegas who had barely started their "10:00 p.m." game at this point!

Second Period

The period starts and oh, hey, the rack of Bodyarmor drink bottles are prominently displayed on the bench again. What is this drink that is now apparently on every bench in every NHL game? I guess Gatorade lost out on the sponsorship deal?

The broadcast also has someone talking about golf in the background? Apparently Mike Weir is being interviewed on the regional broadcaster and we are hearing it in the background.

Meanwhile in the game, Simon Benoit scores for the first time in 90 games! Or did he? (Law and Order dun dun sound).

An official review begins to see if Lorentz actually deflected the puck into the net with his stick which was up above the crossbar, which would mean the goal is invalid. They are of course taking an eternity eternity to figure this out, even calling the review office in Toronto to ask for assistance. Finally, with the worst delivery ever, the referee let's us know "it's a... goal."

This is all bizarre, especially as the goal is actually credited to Lorentz which would mean he did deflect it with his stick but his stick appears to obviously be in the illegal position. What even is high-sticking anymore? UPDATE 12:30 a.m: two periods later the league has now revised this goal to be scored by Benoit.

Utah does not like this and seconds later we have Simon Benoit fighting Michael Kesselring.

Benoit apparently dislocated his thumb and he popped it back in himself while in the penalty box.

In any case, we now get a Utah goal when our old friend from the Marlies, Michael Carcone, puts one in the net, and then there's the obligatory second goal, seconds later, to put Utah right back in the game. It's now 3-2 for the Leafs at the half way point of the second period.

Oh and lovely, now Benoit takes a penalty. This is gonna be a fun penalty kill for the Leafs.

And, yes, there it is. The game tying goal.

(this is where you would see it if the embeds were working properly tonight)

Logan Cooley shoves Oliver Ekman-Larsson into the Utah net and somehow OEL gets the interference penalty. It's a really weird call given how it plays out, especially as OEL leaves the game injured.

Oh and now Laughton takes a penalty too. You know, Leafs, you are better at five-on-five than three-on-five, but the Leafs kill it off anyway, but...

In the final minutes both teams seem desperate to get one more, and the Leafs get a chance when Rielly takes a high stick from our old friend Alex Kerfoot. They PP1 unit is out but they are not successful at scoring, however there's a minute of power play time left which will start the third period

"It's 12:00 a.m.. Do you know where your kittens are?"

Third Period

OK It's 12:10 a.m. here in Toronto and we've got plenty of time left for a shootou.... no please just score on this power play.

And they didn't.

Then the Leafs take a Too Many Men penalty and, is it just me or is this been a thing this whole season? It's a stupid mix up.

With some luck, for everyone except Mitch Marner, the Leafs draw a penalty of their own when Mitch Marner is hit in the face with a stick. So it's now four-on four. No goals though. I guess we are in "plenty of time for a shootout" territory here.

OMG clear the puck out, Leafs! And they finally do after Utah gets about two minutes on the attack and then they are right there again. The Leafs are playing exhausted hockey.

And, of course for a late night Eastern Time game it is going to overtime.

Overtime

Plenty of time for a shootout!

Narrator: It went to a shootout.

Shootout

MITCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Remember when Commander Riker killed Yuta? That's what what Marner did to Utah, except, well, it wasn't cold blooded murder because couldn't Riker have simply ordered her to beamed into the brig, instead of going there himself and literally vapourising her with a hand-phaser?

Anyway, LEAFS WIN!

Post-Game

Here is the 5-5 heat map and, wow. Leafs, WYD?

Anyway, the Leafs get two points and the Leafs next game is Thursday against the now Marchand-infested though Ekbladless Panthers.

Game over at 1:00 a.m.! Good night!