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Sheldon Keefe was right.
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Bang on, in fact.
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The Maple Leafs coach was asked on Wednesday morning what he expected in the way of challenges from the Winnipeg Jets once the clubs hooked up at Scotiabank Arena hours later.
“Just getting to their net, getting access to the net, getting access to the zone,” Keefe said. “They’re good with the puck and put pressure on you in your own zone.
“It’s two teams that are going to be fighting for possession and territory through the game and looking to gain access to the net. Special teams will be a big factor.”
The Leafs won out in the end when Auston Matthews, on a pass from Morgan Rielly, redirected the puck past Jets goalie Laurent Brossoit with 46.2 seconds remaining in overtime.
Matthews’ 39th goal gave Toronto a 1-0 victory and put it back in third place in the Atlantic Division.
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Ilya Samsonov, carrying over his play from the win in Seattle on Sunday, again was excellent in a 32-save performance. And after some jittery moments in the first period, the Leafs were better defensively as the game progressed.
The Leafs had little in the way of space throughout the evening, and they’re going to be in tough to make the proper adjustments before the teams meet again in Winnipeg on Saturday in the final game for both sides before the National Hockey League all-star break.
Oh, and the Leafs were 0-for-5 on the power play.
The Leafs killed a Calle Jarnkrok minor that came late in the third. One minute, 25 seconds of the kill came in overtime via Samsonov, David Kampf, Jake McCabe and TJ Brodie.
Winnipeg went into the match allowing an NHL-low 2.29 goals a game. When the Jets lost 4-1 in Boston against the Bruins on Monday, it ended a run of 34 games during which Winnipeg didn’t allow more than three goals.
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The tight-checking Jets, who came at the Leafs with a level of intensity that Toronto hadn’t seen in any of its previous games this season, gave up nothing in the first period. And when the Leafs did have an odd chance, Brossoit was just as sharp as Samsonov was at the other end.
The result of the Jets’ smothering attack from the opening faceoff was a series of turnovers by the Leafs. Rielly had tough time in the early going, and by the time the game was done, had a team-high four giveaways.
The Leafs were 1-for-15 on the power play in their previous seven games and playing with the man advantage in the second period didn’t get any prettier. After neither team had a power play in the first period, the Leafs had three in the second and didn’t apply much pressure on any of them. It’s not a good look for assistant coach Guy Boucher that he has not been able to come up with a fix for a group that has more than enough talent, in theory, to be a lot more successful when they’re up a man.
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Two Leafs power plays in the third also produced nothing.
Samsonov’s best saves of the season — we’re safe in saying that — were early in the second period.
The Jets’ Adam Lowry and Morgan Barron managed to get a 2-on-0 during a Leafs power play, and with no Leafs in sight.
Samsonov initially stopped Lowry, got his stick on Lowry’s pass across the crease to Barron and then flicked his right pad to deny Barron. A loud ovation grew to a standing ovation before chants of “Sam-my, Sam-my” filled the arena.
The reward for Samsonov should be a start on Saturday, but we suppose that goes without saying the way he has performed in the past two games.
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Considering the way he played in the first couple of months of the season, the turnaround on the part of Samsonov has been remarkable. While recognizing that it remains a small sample size, that doesn’t take away from the encouragement the coaching staff has to be getting from Samsonov.
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The confidence that clearly was missing from Samsonov’s game is just as evident now, and the Leafs should be able to breathe a little easier knowing that Joseph Woll still is not close to returning.
Woll was a participant in the team’s optional morning skate as he continues to make his way back from a high ankle sprain, suffered on Dec. 7 against Ottawa.
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“He’s progressing very well,” Keefe said. “He’s going to remain here and work through our bye week and all-star break.
“The plan or the hope is that once we return he’ll be closer to, or ready to, join our practices. I would say him coming back to play after the all-star break would not be imminent, it would be more progressing with practices. Still quite a ways away from games.”
Already without leading scorer Mark Scheifele and forward Gabriel Vilardi, the Jets didn’t have Josh Morrissey after the first period as the defenceman suffered a lower-body injury.
tkoshan@postmedia.com
X: @koshtorontosun
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