But does he have a goal? I mean does he? Does he?

That was the silver lining in the early part of a game the Leafs got behind 3-0 by playing like they thought they were there to score goals and do nothing else. Their PK, which had been allowing the sixth most xGA before this game, was so awful it's hard to describe. The even-strength game wasn't all that hot either.

But they came back. The above goal exists because of a great play at the line by Jack Roslovic, and he's the guy who tied the game at four-all in the third:

William Nylander scored, but it was just so very slightly offside.

OT featured an, er, interesting coaching choice to start with Roslovic, Matthews and Raddysh, and they got stuck in the zone so hard, it should have been over then.

Or maybe when they allowed a three-on-Matthews that Easton Cowan broke up miraculously. Or maybe it really should have ended with the three-on-nothing that Cowan again, well... he had help not scoring:

Anti-assists. We should count those up and make a new stat.

But all was well in the end when Auston Matthews, at the end of one of those really long shifts he used to do all the time, did this:

This is a mega-assist from Willian Nylander.

Last year, the Leafs were disjointed because nothing worked. This game was all over the place because only some parts were working. And that is the thing they need to build on.

A lot of line juggling happened in the later stages with Easton Cowan swapping spots with Gavin McKenna, and William Nylander doing some time on the top line while Kirill Marchenko dropped down to the Tavares line. It worked well, and Hiller shouldn't be afraid to try some more of that and not to "fix" the second line, but to make the whole better.

You know, the game felt like the Preds dominated in the first period, but it really was all on their one power play. Goals, and the order they come in, make you feel things watching that aren't always all that true.

That was one hell of a Leafs push at the end though, wow. That was fun to watch. Play it like you mean to win it, and if you fuck up, just keep going.

Also:

Other news:

Barkov out 6-8 weeks for Panthers with lower-body injury | NHL.com
Captain injured in second game after missing all of last season, won’t need surgery
NHL logoNHLMedia
Insider Trading: Panthers breathe sigh of relief on Barkov
James Duthie is joined by TSN Hockey Insiders Chris Johnston, Pierre LeBrun, and Darren Dreger to talk about Aleksander Barkov’s injury, the situation with Simon Edvinsson and the Red Wings, Alex Ovechkin’s path to the Hall of Fame, and more on Insider Trading.
TSNTSN.ca Staff

That's about it. All the Leafs news was about McKenna and how he had no points. It's a little stale now.

Have a great day, and get ready for a late game tomorrow.

From The Branches