With their goaltending at the top of its game on their recent run, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been one of the toughest teams to beat in the NHL over the past several weeks. Even with the return of Auston Matthews to the lineup and the shifting of lines, the chemistry hasn’t changed all that much and their duo in net has continued to be one of the best duos in the game right now.
sWhile it took a flukey bounce to open the scoring for the Nashville Predators on Wednesday night against the Maple Leafs — bouncing off the glass in behind Joseph Woll and then his stick before going into the back of the net — the Maple Leafs were able to overcome the early deficit and take home another two points atop the NHL’s Atlantic Division.
Jospeh Woll Remains Tough to Beat
It was just over five minutes into the game when Jonathan Marchessault opened the scoring with his fifth goal of the season. It was just his second goal in the last 11 games and it took the bounce off the back boards and off Woll’s stick to garner the opportunity on the Maple Leafs’ netminder.
The goal gave the Predators an early 1-0 lead and they wouldn’t scored again until nearly 17 minutes into the third period — a moot point after the Maple Leafs scored three straight to take the lead.
As for Woll, he stopped 22 of 24 shots for a .917 save percentage (SV%) and to improve his overall season numbers. Over his past six games, including Wednesday night, Woll is 6-0-0 with a 1.82 goals against average (GAA) and .935 SV% along with one shutout.
Leafs Joseph Woll: Last 6 starts
Record 6-0-0
GAA 1.82
Save Percentage .935
Shutouts 1 pic.twitter.com/Z5HE0yXJHP— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) December 5, 2024
As for the first goal, Woll wasn’t about to let it get under his skin: “I was kind of laughing… at that point, just bad bounces happen and I’d rather laugh it off than be sour about it. It was good, got past it.”
Predators’ Penalties Hurt Momentum
fWhile it wasn’t an overly penalized game, the penalties the Predators took were against some of the players the needed to remain on the ice. In fact, the three minors that were handed out were to Steven Stamkos who finished with four minutes in penalties and Marchessault who put the Predators in the lead in the first period.
The Predators were able to kill off two of the three penalties, but the Maple Leafs’ eventual game-winner was scored on the powerplay five minutes into the third period by William Nylander.
It wasn’t so much the goal, but the fact that two of their supposed top offensive players were taken off of the ice totalling six minutes when they needed to push the envelope on a strong offensive team like the Maple Leafs.
If there was a positive to take from it, it was that they were able to kill two of the three penalties and keep it a close game overall.
Matthews, Marner Continue to Produce
As for the Maple Leafs’ goals, Matthews and Mitch Marner connected for two of them — one came just 31 seconds into the third frame before he added his eighth of the season just under two minutes later.
OH MY AUSTON MATTHEWS 🤯 pic.twitter.com/3U2ag94SfR
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 5, 2024
Since returning from injury, Matthews has three goals and five points in three games and has now scored in back-to-back games. The two-point performance on Wednesday brought his season totals to eight goals and 16 points in 16 games this season.
As for Marner, he assisted on all three goals for his team against the Predators giving him 27 assists on the season. It brings his totals to nine goals and 36 points in 25 games for the Maple Leafs. He’s currently fifth in NHL scoring and third in assists in what is a contract year for the star forward.
For the Maple Leafs, it was their third win in a row increasing their lead in the Atlantic Division while it was the fifth straight loss for the lowly Predators. The Maple Leafs are back on the ice on Friday against the Washington Capitals as they hope to continue their winning streak, while the Predators will ready themselves for Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night in Montreal.
