Have a return, Scott Laughton.
After we hyped it up all day, the 31-year-old delivered emphatically in his return to Philadelphia. Not only did Laughton pot a shorthanded game-tying tally with just over five minutes left in regulation, but for good measure, he went a ridiculous 19-1 in the face-off circle on the night. Then, Easton Cowan finished things off with the OT winner as the Leafs edged the Flyers 2-1 to push their point streak to eight games (6-0-2).
Obviously, we were quite jacked to kick off the Friday edition of Leafs Morning Take. That said, it’s important to stress how important that victory was. As per usual, a lot of teams around Toronto in the standings – like Buffalo, Montreal, Detroit, and Pittsburgh – were also victorious on Thursday night.
Meantime, a storm is brewing in Canada’s capital. We discussed the chaos surrounding Sens goalie Linus Ullmark, the rumours, and how Ottawa’s organization is handling this whole thing. The cherry on top to this whole thing: Ottawa got stomped 8-2 in Colorado, Mads Sogaard couldn’t finish the game, which forced the Senators to sign James Reimer to a AHL PTO mid-game. Reminder: Toronto’s victory over Ottawa in the first game back from the holiday break seemed to kick-start this avalanche.
Getting back to the Leafs, they deserve a lot of credit for the way they stuck with the program against Philadelphia. It wasn’t a pretty game, but bottom line, they got the job done. Everyone did their part, including Dennis Hildeby, who made 22 stops —several of which on the Flyers’ third period 5-on-3. Speaking of which, the Leafs went 3-for-3 on the penalty kill. Since December 1st, they’re 34-for-37. They’ve been tremendous. With the victory, the Leafs ended a dismal five game winless skid on the road. They’re 4-0-2 since William Nylander went down with a lower-body injury.
After that, we caught up with one of our faves as All Elite Wrestling star Adam Copeland made his first appearance of the season on the show. Unsurprisingly, just like us, COPE was all kinds of fired up about the win and Toronto’s recent play. He talked a lot about the DNA change and how he felt this season would be more of a grind for the Leafs as they found their footing. Copeland’s been impressed by Scott Laughton, Dennis Hildeby, and overall buy-in of the group the last little while. He even went as far to say in the interview that he thinks, yes, the Leafs will make the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Lastly, we previewed Saturday night’s tilt with Vancouver. Simply put, it’s a must-win. They need it badly, especially with Colorado coming up on Monday night at Ball Arena. For what it’s worth, the Leafs have had their struggles with the Canucks in recent memory. Of note, David Kampf will make his return to Scotiabank Arena.
At any rate, be sure to join us on Monday for another jam-packed edition of the podcast. We’ll recap Leafs/Canucks as well as preview Monday night’s tilt in Denver with the NHL leading Colorado Avalanche. Also, we’re going to catch up with former Maple Leaf Kyle Wellwood.
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