We’d hate to miss another Saturday night premiere at the Scotiabank Arena.
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So we won’t.
As new Maple Leafs forwards Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari made their debuts against the Montreal Canadiens, goaltender Joseph Woll put on a solid performance, making 29 saves in the Leafs’ 5-1 win.
The win was Woll’s fourth in the National Hockey League and first on home ice. He won three times on the road in 2021-22.
“Pretty great, especially against Montreal,” Woll said. “Saturday night is very special. I try my best to do my job when called upon and be ready.
A crucial stop came from Canadiens forward Mike Hoffman, who had a clear chance midway through the second period. Woll didn’t flinch and a little later Pierre Engvall scored the winning goal. Montreal had nine high-scoring chances in the game.
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The Canadiens’ only goal gave the visitors a 1-0 lead 42 seconds into the second period when Josh Anderson tapped a Mike Matheson spot shot.
Woll provided the kind of netminding the Leafs need from backup while Matt Murray is out. Keefe said Ilya Samsonov, who was undressed due to illness, will travel to Chicago and prepare to face the Blackhawks on Sunday night.
“It’s going to be a story that might stay under the radar, but I thought he was really solid for us,” Keefe said of Woll’s performance. “We gave up some looks at times that we wish we hadn’t, some clean looks and he would stand tall and make stops. He was very good.”
Woll admitted he had a bit of a jolt when he arrived at the rink on Saturday morning. He doesn’t have social media (smart guy) and wasn’t aware that the Leafs had acquired O’Reilly and Acciari from the St. Louis Blues late Friday night.
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“It was pretty funny,” Woll said. “I was looking at the line-up table and I was like, ‘What happened to our lines?’ The fact that they came in and played their first game at home and the welcome the audience gave O’Reilly when it was announced was pretty cool too. I literally had no idea (about trading).”
CONTINUE TO PLAY
Michael Bunting scored twice in one game for the fourth time this season… The trade gave the Leafs five players in the NHL’s top 43 in faceoff winning percentage, including John Tavares (10th, 57.6%), O’ Reilly (26th, 54.2%), Acciari (30th, 53.5%), Auston Matthews (35th, 53%) and David Kampf (43rd, 51.6%)… If it’s general manager Kyle Dubas manages to land an effective defender before the close of trading on March 3rd, a legitimate prospect would have to go the other way, wouldn’t they? Dubas certainly doesn’t want to trade another first-round pick and he got away with selling a player of little potential importance (Mikhail Abramov and Adam Gaudette) to the Blues. That would leave Matthew Knies or Topi Niemela or Fraser Minten or Roni Hirvonen as maybe a chip to get a defender that could make a difference whether it’s Jake McCabe, Vladislav Gavrikov, Luke Schenn or another D-Man… The Leafs aren’t scheduled to practice Monday because they’re never on the ice after a back-to-back set, meaning O’Reilly and Acciari will be out before their first practice session in three games (Montreal, Chicago and Buffalo on Tuesday ) could play with their new team. It’s unheard of in the NHL… After Matthews shook his hand in pain after a couple of smacks from David Savard in the second half, referee TJ Luxmore’s arm lifted to signal a penalty kick. If Matthews hadn’t been demonstrative we wouldn’t be sure a justified penalty would have been awarded… Engvall’s goal fell during a “Go Leafs go!” chant from the crowd. We can’t recall the chant receiving such an immediate response.
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“It was an area of his game that was always highlighted in terms of how good he was defensively. This is important for our group. It’s a big part of what makes him a great player. Whatever he brings, he will make our team better and that’s a good feeling.”
— Morgan Rielly on O’Reilly’s mutual acumen
“He’s always been very difficult to play against, the consistency he plays with, the physical nature of the game… Hard against walls, hard against pucks. He made that competitive element and his physical nature a real cornerstone of his game.”
– Tavares on Acciari, who was 10th in the NHL with 168 hits before the trade
“I think you want to see how the player fits your position, if he likes it here. The term I use is that I like it when people live together for a bit before getting married instead of going that step without. That’s just my opinion. That doesn’t mean it’s right.”
– Dubas on why he hasn’t spoken to O’Reilly about an extension
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