Even though they lost in OT, there’s a ton of positives to grab from the way the Maple Leafs played on Thursday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Obviously, we’re not ones for moral victories, but considering how bad this team has looked this season, it really feels like they’re starting to take a step in the right direction. For a team ravaged by injury, they put a good fight, and ultimately, overtime could’ve gone either way.
After that, we got into a full recap of the game. Adam Fantilli, who’s from nearby Nobleton, potted the OT winner. In fact, he notched two goals and an assist. He owns the Leafs. Joseph Woll turned in a third consecutive solid outing. Meantime, John Tavares is now fifth in league scoring after his two-point outing (1 G, 1 A). Easton Cowan, who grabbed an apple on Tavares’ goal, was fantastic, too. He played a career high 20:06. After missing five games with a concussion, Scott Laughton looked very, very good in his return to the line up —especially on the penalty kill. Having said all that, the Leafs have now dropped six of their past seven (1-4-2). On top of that, they fell to 3-3 in OT this season. They’ve yet to partake in the shootout. And, yes, we did discuss Max Domi’s rough giveaway in the fourth period that led to Fantilli’s winner. Also, it was good to see Dakota Mermis bury his first as a Leaf.
Maple Leafs alumnus Gary Leeman then dropped by the podcast for the first time. He weighed in on the loss to Columbus, and if he thinks the Leafs are finally headed in the right direction. On top of that, he dished on what the Leafs seem to play better when they’re depleted. Furthermore, Leeman broke down the blue line. He thinks they’re capable of much more, and in the long run, he thinks they will start to bring it a bit more. Leeman also talked about Joseph Woll’s brilliance and how much they can help a fragile team. To wrap, we got his thoughts on Leafs/Habs. Tough game not to get up for!
Lastly, we just gave our quick thoughts on Saturday night’s tilt. Both teams have been struggling mightily lately. The Leafs need to find a way to get the job done. At this point, it doesn’t seem like anyone will be returning to the lineup, but ultimately, we’ll see. For what it’s worth, it doesn’t sound like Anthony Stolarz is close, which kind of sucks. Hopefully he can be back on the ice next week!
That’s it, that’s all for another week of Leafs Morning Take. Coming up on Monday at 11 AM ET, we’ll offer up a full recap of Leafs/Habs. Also, TSN Hockey Analyst Mike Johnson will drop by the show once again to weigh in on the weekend and Toronto’s first 22 games.
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