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Maple Leafs vs. Penguins observation: Auston Matthews scores No. 65 goal in overtime to win

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At the Blue Jays' home opener, hockey fans from Washington, Long Island, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Buffalo decided to become die-hard Leafs fans that night. There was no shortage of support.

The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Leafs 10-5 in the first inning, and Ilya Lyubushkin struggled mightily. The physical defender took an early boarding penalty and although Ilya Samsonov was able to bail him out, he was unable to cover him when Lyubushkin gave him the puck with less than two minutes left in the opening frame. I couldn't do it.

The Leafs responded, tying the score five minutes into the game. Pontus Holmberg won a faceoff in the offensive zone and TJ Brodie made a great pass to set up Matthew Knies' tap-in. Toronto committed three more penalties during the period, but found a way to keep the score at 40 points with Samsonov and the penalty kill.

Both teams traded goals in the third, giving the Penguins the point they desperately needed, but Jake McCabe stopped the Penguins with the winning goal in overtime, much to the delight of many other fans. Kyle Dubas made a great decision to trade McCabe at last year's deadline, but he regretted it on Monday night.

3 stars

1. Ilya Samsonov

Samsonov stopped 24 of 26 shots against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night, making his second consecutive start. He went into Monday night's performance confident, but didn't have many chances on Raquel's goal late in the first.

The Penguins had five power plays in the first two periods and probably deserved the lead, but Samsonov made some big stops to keep the score even going into the third period.

Samsonov got off to a quiet start in the third game, but Drew O'Connor scored a tap-in after the puck hit the skates in front of him.

He wasn't perfect, but he was one of the main reasons this game went to overtime.

2. Auston Matthews

Matthews was taken off the scoresheet in the first two periods, even though his line was arguably Toronto's best. However, he came on as a substitute in the third and fired a one-time shot past Alex Nedeljković to give the Leafs the lead and score his 65th goal of the season.

Matthews has scored in five consecutive games and scored in 11 consecutive games. He plays his best hockey and finds a way to dominate night in and night out.

3. TJ Brody

Brody is certainly not known for his aggressive play, but he set up Knies with a perfect pass on his second attempt.

McCabe deserves all the credit for being the overtime winner, but kudos to Brodie who also excelled defensively.

Strong night for Toronto's special teams

In recent Leafs games, neither team has scored many goals on special teams. Toronto was shorthanded and had a five-game shutout streak until Nick Suzuki ended that streak on Saturday. But the Leafs didn't enjoy much of a special teams advantage either, as Toronto's power play yielded just one point in the first seven games.

Toronto's penalty kill was a perfect 2-on-2 in the first game, but it wasn't always pretty as the puck was moving well on Pittsburgh's power play. In the second, the penalty kill went 3-for-3, and the result looked much more deserving. Toronto's power play added to Toronto's strong special teams output as Matthews exploded for a one-time goal off a faceoff win against John Tavares to start the third.

The power play, which features Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Tavares and Morgan Rielly, feels like it could heat up at any time, but it has gone cold in the playoffs many times in the past. Their main concern this season is undoubtedly the penalty kill, but Samsonov has been able to cover teammates when called upon recently, and with the addition of the trade deadline, at least Sheldon Keefe given more choices. There's still some work to be done before Leafs fans can have confidence in Toronto's special teams heading into the playoffs, but Monday night was certainly a step in the right direction.

Keefe's playoff lineup is still undetermined.

Keefe's lineup once again featured a three-way attack with Matthews, Marner and Nylander on different lines. Matthews didn't miss a beat when Marner was out of the lineup, so experimenting with this before the playoffs makes plenty of sense. Here's a quick look at his recent appearances.

Tyler Bertuzzi has fit well on both lines of the top six all season, but it's been difficult to see where Max Domi would fit best. Domi spent most of the season at center, but given that Matthews and Tavares were required to get a lot of starts in the offensive zone, Domi was not at all suited for the third-line center role. I also didn't think he would be a good match with Matthews. This is because it is difficult to place a player who struggles defensively on a line that constantly faces the opponent's top line.

It is difficult to argue with the results so far. Domi has now gone five games in a row without scoring against an even opponent. The fourth line also served its purpose for the most part, as the proceedings were very boring. It was an off night for Tavares and Nylander, so it was the middle six that left Keefe with more questions than answers. Toronto's defenders seemed to be competing to see who could take the most penalties, but special teams found a way to step up. Both of Toronto's goals in regulation came immediately after winning faceoffs.

game score

Final grade: B-

Monday night's result meant everything to the Penguins but little to the Leafs. Pittsburgh outscored the Leafs early on, but that was largely due to more power play opportunities than their dominant 5-on-5 play. But discipline is key, and Pittsburgh's 5-1 advantage in power-play chances through the second period seemed justified, not the result of unfavorable officiating. Matthews' line had some strong shifts, but the middle six was outclassed.

The Leafs started the third on a power play of their own and tried to protect the lead for most of the period. There are a lot of positives, especially on special teams, but the Leafs were far too undisciplined to deserve an 'A'. Rather than being dominant, they were evenly matched and just right.

What's next for the Leafs?

They head to New Jersey to take on the Devils on TSN on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

(Photo of Auston Matthews and Morgan Rielly: Kevin Sousa / NHLI via Getty Images)





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