@ Vancouver

The Leafs actually decided to win a game on the road and managed to beat Vancouver 4-2. William Nylander started things off with a backhand goal just over a minute into the game because he occasionally likes to remind us why he gets the big checks. Things looked predictably grim when Troy Stecher and Brandon Duhaime both took tripping penalties against Elias Pettersson in the first period. Brock Boeser capitalized on the power play and for a moment it felt like the typical script was being written. Vancouver outshot the boys in the first period but Anthony Stolarz stood tall with 27 saves to keep the dream of a regular season victory alive.

Auston Matthews finally woke up in the second period with a snap shot to regain the lead. Then we saw something truly rare as Zack MacEwen hammered home a slap shot for his second of the season. MacEwen even went perfect in the faceoff circle which is more than we can say for Nick Paul. The third period was the usual stress test for the fan base. Max Sasson cut the lead to one and Morgan Rielly took a late penalty to make sure everyone stayed miserable. Teddy Blueger eventually iced it with an empty net goal to secure the two points. We out-hit them and won more faceoffs but please do not start thinking this team has changed. It is still the early part of the schedule and we all know how this story ends.