"A first period that saw a rare instance of no commercial breaks was also one that the Leafs needed to hang on and survive, since the majority of it was spent in their own end. That's not to say they didn't get their looks, but Joseph Woll was clearly the only reason they were able to get out of it with a lead."
"That trend of having spent far too much time defending followed suit in the second frame, with the added challenge of having to kill off two penalties. The Leafs were not only able to get through them unscathed, but they even got some looks while shorthanded. At the tail end of the first infraction, Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies sprang free on a breakaway and got a scoring chance out of it."
"But in the third, things fell apart for the Leafs as they broke after bending for much of the night and saw their lead disintegrate in brutal fashion. Goals from Anthony Beauvillier, Jakob Chychrun, and a Tom Wilson empty-netter flipped the game on its head, even though it was obvious off the jump that Toronto didn't really deserve to be leading for much of the night."
The Leafs spent much of the first period defending and relied on Joseph Woll to preserve an early lead after Morgan Rielly scored on the team's first shot. The second period continued with extended defensive time and two penalties, but Toronto successfully killed both and even generated shorthanded chances, including a Matthews–Knies sequence that produced a goal. The Capitals gained momentum and cut the lead before the third period, when Toronto collapsed: Beauvillier, Chychrun, and an empty-net Tom Wilson turned the game. Woll’s performance limited the damage, but the team must provide stronger defensive support. The Leafs travel to Pittsburgh next.
Read at TheLeafsNation
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