The Toronto Maple Leafs and visiting New York Islanders will each strive to bounce back from early-season fumbles when they meet Saturday night.
The Maple Leafs are coming off a 5-4 overtime collapse against their Atlantic Division rival Buffalo Sabres. Dennis Gilbert and Mattias Samuelsson scored in the third period to overcome a 4-2 deficit, setting up another defenseman, Owen Power, to deliver the final blow. Toronto surrendered three separate leads over the course of the game.
Offseason signing Sergei Bobrovsky is sitting with a .896 save percentage after five games and is still looking for his first win at home.
“They just started coming and we didn’t have an answer,” head coach Jim Hiller said after the game. “In those moments, I know it’s hard when you’re on your heels, but you just have to be able to have a little poise and somebody to make a play.”
Toronto has mustered nearly enough firepower to compensate for its early struggles in goal. Kirill Marchenko, acquired in a blockbuster trade just before the start of the season, seemed to find his scoring touch, recording his fifth career hat trick — even if he wasn’t allowed to enjoy it.
“I will remember this night for sure, but a win is more important and I’m kind of frustrated because it was my mistake in overtime,” said Marchenko, who dominated on a new-look second line. “I want to win games more and more and I just learn from that.”
All five of Toronto’s losses have been by just a single goal. The defeat marked the Maple Leafs’ first losing streak of the campaign.
The Islanders head to Toronto for the second time this season after a humdrum 2-1 shootout loss to the Ottawa Senators. The teams combined for just 40 shots before Shane Pinto scored the lone goal in the shootout. Matias Maccelli scored the Islanders’ only goal.
“I think we got away from our game a little bit at times. I think when we were forechecking, we were, you know, a lot more successful. We got away from it, turning over a little too many pucks,” defenseman Ryan Pulock said after the game.
Lingering in the bottom third of the league in shots per game (25.57), the Islanders will have their hands full if they have any ambition to bust out of the low-event style that has defined the team in recent years. New York scored the seventh-fewest goals last season, but also allowed the fifth-fewest.
“We gotta regroup here, you know, find a way to win a game on the road … simplify a little bit, look at some things that we’re doing well and try to be consistent with that through 60,” Pulock said.
In the ongoing absence of Mathew Barzal (knee), New York will count on Maccelli to continue his early-season form. The former Maple Leaf is on a five-game point streak.
After losing stalwart defenseman Chris Tanev (upper-body injury) last weekend, the Maple Leafs might also be without alternate captain and former Islander John Tavares, who left the Buffalo game in the third period after a collision with Josh Norris.
New York has won three of the last four meetings between the two teams, though Toronto won 2-1 on Sept. 30 in the Islanders’ season opener.