Ranking the Five Leafs games I saw in person in 2017-18
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| Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images |
The 2017-18 regular season came to an end on Saturday night with the Toronto Maple Leafs defeating the Montreal Canadiens 4-2. It clinched the best regular season in franchise history both in wins (49) and points (105). Winning the game also gave goaltender Frederik Andersen the most wins in a season by any Leaf goalie (38) and put the team on the right track with the playoffs fast approaching.
A lot of the games themselves were special to watch as the core of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander among others dominated other teams at times with their deadly offence, speedy defence, and solid goaltending. Luckily for me, I was able to see a few of these games in person.
To make a long story short, my uncle has season tickets that he shares with my family every season since he can't see all the home games. This season I got to see five games at the Air Canada Centre, each of them a Leaf win!
Since the regular season has finally concluded, I decided to reflect on these five games and rank them in terms of their memorability and significance to me. Without any further delay, let's kick off the list.
5. November 6th, 2017 vs. Vegas Golden Knights (4-3 SOW)
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| Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images |
This was the first game I saw in person this season and I wanted to see this game since it would be the first time ever the Leafs would play the expansion Golden Knights. When I selected this game, I thought this would be a cool experience to watch an historic game.
Considering that Vegas was going through its injury plague with their goalies at that time (Maxime Lagace was the starting goalie that night), I figured the Leafs would embarrass the Golden Knights. What I ended up watching was a game that was much closer than I originally anticipated.
It was a back-and-forth affair with both teams trading blows and getting great scoring chances. The highlight for me was Matthews spinning past a defender to find open space and setting up a James van Riemsdyk goal.
That night, my dad and I saw a surprisingly decent number of Vegas fans in attendance cheering on the first-year club, and watching the recap that night really put into perspective just how significant it was.
The overtime period was quite intense as Vegas had so many chances to score that I was very nervous throughout the whole five minutes. Luckily for me, Marner gave the fans in attendance a sigh of relief by scoring the only goal in the shootout to seal the victory.
4. January 6th, 2018 vs. Vancouver Canucks (3-2 SOW)
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| Photo by Dave Abel/Toronto Sun |
Every season I try to pick a game as close to my birthday as I can, which is part of a tradition that has been going on since we started getting Leaf tickets. For this year’s edition, I saw a close game vs. the Canucks that went the distance.
After arriving back from family vacation the previous night, my younger brother and I made the trip to the ACC as a welcome-back gift to the freezing cold temperatures of Canada. The game was great in the sense that the Leafs were down 2-0 at one point and were able to tie the game with two great plays.
As seen in the above photo, Zach Hyman sent a nice cross-ice pass to Matthews who tapped it past the Canucks netminder and getting Toronto on the scoreboard. Minutes later, Morgan Rielly sent a long pass to a streaking Tyler Bozak who got a breakaway and scored on his own rebound to even the game.
In overtime, the Canucks had a premature celebration where Brock Boeser's shot hit the post and Vancouver thought they won the game. Thanks to video review, the game continued and ultimately, Bozak would go on to score the winner in the shootout.
The birthday games I go to see live are always a treat to watch and this year's game was definitely one to remember. Looking back now that Henrik and Daniel Sedin have officially retired from the NHL, I can proudly say I got to see both of them play their last game in Toronto.
3. April 2nd, 2018 vs. Buffalo Sabres (5-2 W)
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| Photo by Steve Russell/Toronto Star |
This was the most recent game I saw and despite it falling so late in the season with a playoff spot already clinched, it was a fun match nonetheless.
After a long day of finishing assignments and attending classes, my girlfriend and I went together to watch a Leaf team looking to exact some revenge after the Sabres defeated them 3-2 the week before. This time around, Toronto came out flying through the offensive zone and quickly took control of the game.
Similar to the Vancouver game, two goals stood out to me for this contest. The first was Matthews sending a great cross-ice pass to a streaking Nylander who scored on the breakaway. The other was a powerplay goal from Matthews that came from a few crisp passes from Nylander and Jake Gardiner. Both are highlight reel worthy moments in a season full of so many great ones, especially involving Matthews and Nylander.
The win was significant because it tied the franchise record for points in a season with 103 and cemented the campaign as one of the best in club history. Knowing that had occurred and we got to see it live put the cherry on top of a solid game overall.
Since this was very likely the last game I got to see before next season, with Leaf playoff tickets in this city a pipe dream, I hoped the Leafs would make it a fun one to watch. Thankfully, that was the case on this night.
2. March 24th, 2018 vs. Detroit Red Wings (4-3 W)
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| Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images |
Going to see a rivalry game is always a treat no matter how both teams are faring in their respective seasons. Witnessing such a match with my girlfriend made it even more memorable and fun to watch. Combine all that with a close game and a victory, you can see why this contest ranks high for me.
Despite arriving late to the ACC, we were able to see a tightly contested match that had everything you could hope for in a hockey game. Many quality scoring chances at both ends, solid saves by the two goalies, and great goals that shifted momentum.
My personal favourite moment was the fantastic give-and-go that Matthews and Nylander had that resulted in the latter scoring the game-tying goal. I remember laughing with excitement by the play and seeing my girlfriend get really into the game.
What made the win extra special was that in defeating the Red Wings, Toronto was able to extend its win streak on home ice to 13 games, a franchise best. Although it would later be snapped two nights later by those pesky Sabres, just being able to see one of the victories during that stretch was a treat for me.
It was both a back-and-forth affair and a come-from-behind win for the Leafs that was as good a hockey game as you'll ever see. Hopefully, both teams are competitive in the near future cause a playoff series between them would be fun to watch.
1. December 19th, 2017 vs. Carolina Hurricanes (8-1 W)
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| Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images |
The number one selection is such an obvious choice for me for a number of reasons.
For starters, the game was special in that it was the Next Century Game in celebrating the 100th anniversary of the first-ever NHL game played back in 1917. Because of this, it started at an odd time of 2 p.m., which meant that game would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Most importantly, it was the first Leaf game that my girlfriend ever attended, which added to the memorability for me personally.
Before the game, there was a ceremony honouring the past, present, and future of the team with legends and kids alike being on the ice. They gave us towels and bracelets that lit up at various points throughout the game. This resulted in an atmosphere unlike any other I had seen at the ACC before or since, so this is one game I will never forget.
The blowout win itself was just the icing on the cake of this unforgettable day. Goals galore were scored, my favourite being the two scored by Patrick Marleau and Kasperi Kapanen six seconds apart. Seeing a rout such as this doesn't happen very often, so we both soaked in every second we could.
It was a game beyond my wildest dreams, but it was most importantly the best introduction to Leaf hockey that my girlfriend could have ever imagined seeing. Having to experience such a game is one we will both never forget for as long as we live.
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