Maple Leafs blue line steps up with rare offensive outing in Battle of Ontario
The Toronto Maple Leafs have always craved scoring from their defence and they got that at crucial points in Game 1 against the Ottawa Senators.
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In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, offence comes at a premium with teams taking the goals whenever they can.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have always craved scoring from their defence and they got that at crucial points in Game 1 against the Ottawa Senators.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson got Toronto on the board in the first period, beating Linus Ullmark with a wrist shot.
After the Senators cut the Leafs’ lead to 4-2 in the third period, Morgan Rielly would respond with his first goal of the post-season.
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With two goals from defencemen, Toronto surpassed their total from last season’s playoff series against the Boston Bruins.
The Leafs also hadn’t gotten goals from multiple defencemen in a single playoff game since the 2001 East semifinal against the New Jersey Devils, a span of 106 post-season games.
Scoring from the blue line was one area the Leafs struggled with this season, as the team ranked last in the NHL with 21 goals from defencemen.
