@ Vancouver

The Leafs managed to escape Vancouver with a 3-2 victory in a shootout because apparently they decided to make things as stressful as possible for the fan base. Joseph Woll was the only reason the team stayed afloat by stopping 28 of 30 shots and looking like the calmest person in a building full of anxious Toronto fans. William Nylander decided to take the entire game off by finishing with zero points and a minus-1 rating during regulation only to show up for the shootout and score on a backhand. It is a very on-brand move for a guy who knows exactly how to make everyone love and hate him at the same time.

Nicolas Roy actually gave people a reason to pay attention in the second period with his fifth goal of the campaign while Max Domi notched his ninth in the third to force overtime. Auston Matthews fired seven shots on goal but could not buy a goal if his life depended on it although he did pick up a primary assist on the Domi tally. Morgan Rielly finished the game as a minus-2 which is a truly remarkable feat considering the team only allowed two goals. It takes a special kind of defensive talent to be on the ice for every single goal against in a win.

Despite outshooting the opposition 41 to 30 the game still felt like a coin flip especially when a penalty shot was called in overtime. The team survived the drama and the shootout but nobody should be planning any parade routes down Bay Street quite yet. This is just enough success to give everyone hope before the universe inevitably finds a way to crush our spirits again. We will take the two points and pretend this was a masterclass in resilience rather than another lucky escape that shaved three years off my life expectancy.