The Toronto Post A Consolidated News Source
Brandon Shader will be the referees tonight. Travis Tumi and Ryan Daisy will work the lines and we are underway. Niik Heer wins the draw, the captain of the Devils. The Devils, the visiting whites, the Maple Leafs in their traditional home blues. As McCab sends it back for his partner Timothy Lilligren and McCab will look to move it up ahead. And William Neander right away roars into Baris, gets the shot away, and right away no Morgan Riley. Got a touch of the flu, we were told he was hour to hour as opposed to day to day, and so he’s not in the lineup tonight. Well, you got Edmonton out too.
NHL Highlights Marc, 26 2024
He’s head passed Tyler Verto. He breaks in, he shoots, and scores 64 seconds in. Tyler Berui on the break beats Jake Allen, one nothing Leafs. Berzi playing on that top line with Auston Matthews. This is the second shift of the game. Great stretch pass throughout the neutral zone, then what a good move there by Berui, a little fake and comes to his forehand, makes it look easy.
“You got the Devils though, they’re very passive, just what they’re not, oh just over a minute in. Very passive in the neutral zone, finds Noah Gregor, and they’ll shoot in. Nick D. Simone for New Jersey, turned over. Shot from the point is stopped by Jake Allen. Allen does a good job to stop it there, rolls up the boards. Team O. Myers. Brat got it across and with speed, there’s Luke Hughes and he scores.
Luke Hughes somehow beats Joseph Wall, and so the first shot of the game by New Jersey goes in and it’s 1-1. That’s exactly what they needed and you know what? It’s a great start. It started actually with Jake Allen and you mentioned it quickly. It’s a pretty creative breakout because the passes weren’t crisp, they weren’t clean. So you can see it was just a little spin around and Luke Hughes, great recognition by that guy. Rookie defenseman, he has been so good for them all season long, but good recognition that the forwards were getting sucked off to fancy footwork at center and across the line on his back, centers that shot from Alexander Holtz. Dead on. Mera still working on it, taken away, turned over. Noah to the front of the net, stopped and Mera got another shot away.”
Feel like Toronto’s locked in but maybe not. Wrap-around chance, side of the net for Heer, got a second whack at it. Jake Gunn makes a stop. Here’s Auston Matthews, he lets it go, great club save by Jake Allen. First couple of minutes he didn’t like them and then after that TV timeout we get the Devils push and then now look at this, look at these opportunities and how sharp does Jake Allen look and how sharp does he have to be right now? When he gets that breakaway early in the first, just after the first minute, gives up a goal to Berui and he’s made some phenomenal saves.
“I’m cool with that, hope you are too,”
That chance, homeberg right on, stick save Jake Allen. Side of the net, Allen the fun, the funny, in the trials and tribulations. When you win, that helps stay a tight-knit group. Two on one now for New Jersey. Here’s Jess for Brett, got it across to the score, it’s Nico Heer. And with everything that’s been said and done in this first period, the Devils lead two to one. Incredible in favor of the Leafs, you would never know it’s going to be two-on-one. How about this play from the neutral from the defensive zone? A beautiful breakout pass, stick to stick.
“It’s just a quick transition and you know what’s interesting? What Neander usually does really well, he shoots while he’s moving his feet. But here he lifts. That’s called the fire hydrant shot or I call the fire hydrant shot. His left foot goes up, sneaks it right under his pad there. Jake C looked like it’s maybe going to glove side. Well, cons two players have had consecutive seasons of 40 goals more, that’s never happened before in Leaf’s history and now Neander and Matthews have done it back to back seasons.”
Here’s a chance, Matthews on K, he breaks it and scores! 5-9 for Auston Matthews and a 3-2 Toronto lead. Well, that’s here it is, a good pass up and to me it looked like that deal is tough to see. Under pressure, Auston Matthews, we talked about Matt and Neander in the open about what good goal scorers they are. There’s Ball, now see how the Devils recovered, winning 2-1 all of a sudden they find themselves trailing 3 to 2.
“Well, we talked about those two goal scorers, if shot to score right back, Team O. Myers has tied the game for New Jersey. Early on the pressure that they, the Berzi goal, how they respond. Give up two goals and they go right back to work and what it was is that’s what hard work winning the battles along the wall. Yes, Per Bra gets his the F set up for Luke Hughes.”
Leafs come out three on two. Here’s Max Doby, the for Robertson and Holberg gets the shot away that Jake Allen comes up the big save right there and talk about all the work he did in the first period, how about that between the legs pass there to Tierne, able to get it free.
Here’s John Marino, the defenseman, finds himself in deep. He is crunched behind the goal, Tye that shot through traffic and they score! Max Wilman gets the goal for New Jersey and the Devils take a 4-3 lead. Back and forth we go, grinding it out here and you know you watch some of the defenseman here for New Jersey, they come down a lot so what happens? It’s Tye number 11, he’s out on the right point. He’s the one that recovers back there and he gets to, he just lofts a puck in there. It’s not a dangerous shot, he sees all the traffic, smart play by him, bang his stick to the ice.
“Here’s Heer’s one on three and he’ll spin away, look for some help. It’s coming in the former Brat. It centers off of Myers, SK no idea, that’s the fun part
