vs Nashville

Nashville jumped out to a 3-0 lead because of course they did. Morgan Rielly went to the box for tripping early and Steven Stamkos reminded everyone why he usually torches this team by burying a power play goal. Nils Hoglander added a pair of backhanders to make things look appropriately miserable. Anthony Stolarz was sitting at an 84 percent save percentage, which is basically the requirement for being a Leafs goalie in a high-scoring cardiac event. It felt like another long walk into the abyss until John Tavares finally broke the ice with his first goal of the season off an assist from the goalie himself.

The middle of the game was a blur of defensive lapses and offensive outbursts. William Nylander notched a power play goal and Gavin McKenna got his first while Auston Matthews decided to play like the guy with the captaincy on his sweater. Matthews finished with four points and carried the team through a third period where they outshot Nashville 11 to 6. Jack Roslovic tied it up late to ensure we all suffered through an extra five minutes of overtime. Ross Colton tried to help the cause with a cross-checking penalty on Jake McCabe, but the Leafs usually prefer to do things the hard way.

In the extra frame, Auston Matthews ended the drama with a wrist shot after nearly 26 minutes of ice time. It was a classic 5-4 win that proved the defense is still a work in progress and our heart rates are never safe. William Nylander picked up three points and John Tavares won a staggering 94 percent of his faceoffs, but let us all remember it is still early in the schedule. We won a game we tried our best to lose for the first thirty minutes. Everyone stay calm and do not start looking for hotel rooms in June just yet.