First Period

Early returns on the Lagesson - Klingberg pair are mostly that one practice likely wasn't enough for a seamless transition.

The Leafs, meanwhile are using a lot of hard point shots to get the play into the slot. Brodie gets a post.

William Nylander with a fantastic break, but Saros wins the contest.

Not gonna lie, it's weird to hear the official house organ of the NHL in Canada gushing over William Nylander like some weird blogger in 2018.

Klingberg with another bad pass leads to whooooa–okay moment from Samsonov.

Saros stones Auston Matthews on a great chance, but the Leafs end up with a power play.

Speaking of Nylander...

1-0 Leafs

Preds get it right back with Brodie in the box for a post-whistle scrum. The goal is courtesy of the guy who bumped Nylander off of PP1. Brodie in the box means Rielly and Giordano as the PK pair.

Tie Game

Klingberg takes the ubiquitous late period penalty. But fortune and the "power kill" wins the day for the Leafs.

Thoughts

  • William Lagesson is barely playing as Klingberg takes some shifts with Rielly
  • Matt Knies is making as many ill-conceived passes as Klingberg and Domi
  • Leafs dominating on the shot quality and quantity

Second Period

Lagesson makes a little noise with a shot on goal.

Noah Gregor gets a post, and he had the goalie beat there.

You know who is way worse than Klingberg tonight? Ryan McDonough:

So, uh, it's giveaway night at Bridgestone – all teams are involved.

Liljegren takes a hit into his shoulder, and he's not playing at the moment.

GIO!

2-1 Leafs

Klingberg was excellent, nice smooth passes dead on target, perfect use of the open space. More of this please. Domi still looks confused, though. Gio is just Gio.

Leafs take a penalty but get the TV timeout to rest up before the PK.

Nashville takes a while to get setup, but in it goes. Off of guess who?

Tie Game

Nashville takes their turn in the box. I never think the power play is good when the cycle puts Matthews at the blueline doing nothing, so this was un-good even if it had good moments.

Thoughts

  • That period was sloppier than a hot dog eating contest where condiments are required – Nashville uses mustard
  • Lagesson is still barely playing, and Liljegren never came back after the hit, so how about some defender ice time at 5on5:
    • Mo – 15:15
    • TJ – 13:58
    • Klingberg – 10:36
    • Liljegren – 10:24
    • Gio – 9:40
    • Lagesson – 6:39
  • Conor Timmins was listed as week-to-week at the end of training camp with no real timeline given for his return

Third Period

The sloppiness continues, as do the giveaways.

Leafs take a penalty when Reaves does a thing. Always good to keep from having zeroes across the scoresheet.

Samsonov gets lucky on a shot from Tyson Barrie.

The Preds take a puck over glass penalty, which might be the only kind you can get now without drawing blood. Oh, whoops, the Leafs found another one – they take a too many men penalty right after their power play fizzles out.

Meanwhile, the Leafs announce what we've all figured out.

Looked like upper body to me, though.

Good time to be good, Sammy. Just saying.

Oh, Matthews on a break on the PK draws a penalty on Barrie.

Domi gets a crossbar to make it three pings tonight on a hot Leafs 4on4 segment.

Nylander with a series of sloppy plays and Samsonov is making the first save on the Leafs PP portion of this interlude – and Garry Galley actually mentions Klingberg seems off playing the point on the PP. Sometimes, Garry, sometimes he is very off.

The "playing for the tie" portion of a game like this is a thing the NHL should fix, but won't fix. The boredom is palpable and you never see the attacking team's defenders.

Leafs ostentatiously kill 17 seconds to boos from the crowd.

Thoughts

  • No one will claim Samsonov was great tonight, but he was at least not four goals against dreadful and might have achieved average
  • Juuse Saros was very good, and the xG likely undersells how good
  • Corsi says they played for a tie all period

Overtime

Samsonov comes waaaaay out beyond the post, and gets away with it because there's no one on the other wing to pick up the puck.

Leafs never really get control and Roman Josi scores from distance. Leafs never had the puck in OT to speak of.

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