Maple Leafs vs. Lightning observations: Joseph Woll steps in to lead comeback win

TAMPA, FL - OCTOBER 21: Brandon Hagel #38 of the Tampa Bay Lightning has his shot saved by goalie Joseph Woll #60 and John Klingberg #3 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during the first period at Amalie Arena on October 21, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mark LoMoglio/NHLI via Getty Images)
By Omar White
Oct 22, 2023

Who knew it would take the first-round rematch of 2022 and 2023 to give the Toronto Maple Leafs the starts they needed? Although they outshot the Tampa Bay Lightning 55-34, it didn’t look as if the game would end in a 4-3 victory for the Leafs. Before Matthew Knies and Max Domi got to work, it looked as if the Leafs were on their way to their first three-game losing skid, five games into the season.

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Regardless of the end, we can’t ignore the first 48 minutes of the game. The shots were in the Leafs’ favour though the chances were relatively even. The big difference was Tampa converted on its chances while the Leafs were stopped by Jonas Johansson and the Lightning’s zone coverage. They couldn’t stack any shifts together, and when it looked as if the momentum was turning in their favour, a quick turnover or missed pass ended things. The power play was the main area where they got any sustained O-zone time, and even that had some issues.

Then, the final 16 minutes of the game began, and the Leafs won.

Three stars

1. Joseph Woll

The Lightning scored three goals, but none on Woll. He stopped all 29 shots faced and was a difference-maker in the game. Goals win you the game, but there is no overtime to freak out over or victory to celebrate without Woll’s steady performance.

2. Matthew Knies 

Knies would’ve made it in this category even if he didn’t score. He played purposeful hockey throughout the game, whether it was in the top six with William Nylander and John Tavares or the bottom six with Domi and David Kämpf. His work with his stick was excellent defensively breaking up small passes on the forecheck and, one of those plays in the third stopped a goal from developing. Knies also had an unrelated role on the first goal of the game as he preoccupied the two Tampa Bay players in front of Johansson while Nylander had all the time and space in the world to score.

The two goals are what we’ve come to expect from Knies’ offensive skills: A great shot and steady engine.

3. William Nylander

Nylander had the opening goal and the primary on the Tavares’ game-winner. With these two points, Nylander has nine in five. Not a bad start to the season.

Domi ignites

Of all the new names on the team, Domi seemed to be having the most difficulty finding his footing this season. Although Knies’ goals will be important for his growth and confidence, they will also do wonders for Domi. His skating out of the D-zone got the play going, and his pass landed right on Knies’ tape. The same can be said for the follow-up, as Domi and Kämpf forced the turnover in the neutral zone, leaving the former to find Knies for the game-tying goal.

go-deeper

GO DEEPER

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The rise of the Woll

Sheldon Keefe has tried to preach positivity this season regarding Ilya Samsonov’s play, holding the team defence partly responsible for his poor start. Though that is true, and we saw several examples of it Saturday, Samsonov allowed three goals on four shots for a grand total of 14 goals against in four games. That’s not good.

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The advanced stats don’t do Samsonov any favours either. His -2.62 Goals Saved Above Expected not only show his poor performance in comparison with Johansson but also his poor performance in comparison with league goaltending.

Woll entered the game after Nikita Kucherov’s 3-1 goal and gave the Leafs a few calming and steady saves. He tracked the puck well and was consistently in place to make the shot, even if the pass to the shooter didn’t connect. Additionally, Woll made a number of key stops to keep the Lightning off the scoresheet. Take the Kucherov save in the final minute of regulation. The Leafs were not getting those kinds of stops from Samsonov.

The Leafs went into the season clearly having Samsonov in mind to be their 1A guy. The ship has sailed on that front after Saturday’s performance.

Fraser Minten out, Pontus Holmberg in

Pontus Homberg made his regular-season debut much earlier than last year, and speed was a good way to describe his impact on the fourth line. Holmberg’s quickness was an effective boost in place of Kämpf, and it benefitted Noah Gregor, giving the trio more opportunities to work with the puck in the offensive zone.

The brain matched the feet at opportune times, especially in the middle frame. Holmberg came off the bench trying to build from a strong third-line shift earlier and created a scoring chance for Domi — who, by all accounts, needs the boost given his start — shooting off Johansson’s pad.

The veteran leads the way on the back end

When they needed a goal, the blue line’s skill came out in folds. This included back-to-back runs with Jake McCabe and John Klingberg joining the rush and Morgan Rielly driving the net off zone entries and faceoff wins. No goals came from it, but it helped build pressure in the third.

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The defensive aspect of the blue line wasn’t great. Mark Giordano stood out among the six, especially on the penalty kill. Timothy Liljegren, although not having a perfect game either, had some nice plays as well, including the keep at the point that led to Nylander’s opening goal and good coverage on a Steven Stamkos rush.

The rest of the defence corps needs to be better. A TJ Brodie-Rielly shift saw Victor Hedman left wide open off the bench to start the game. McCabe’s timing on his pinches led to a few odd-man rushes. And then there’s Klingberg. Yes, he is what he is at this point of his career, but his handling of Brandon Hagel on his short-handed rush isn’t good enough. It doesn’t help that Hagel went on to kill 20 seconds of penalty time on his own, with Klingberg virtually standing there.

Tampa made it difficult for the Leafs to get those high-danger chances on consecutive shifts, and their blue line did a good job controlling the house in front of Johansson. The Leafs’ defenders have to get to that level. They can’t bank on comeback wins like this all the time.

Game Score

Final grade: B-

Keefe can and should applaud the bounceback and the will to push forward when the game was within reach. However, you can’t forget the porous play that was responsible for how they got there. This game can be a start in a different direction for this team from the net out. Woll should be the guy. Knies and Domi’s quick chemistry is something that should be explored further. And most importantly, all five players on the ice need to be in sync in all areas.

What’s next for the Leafs?

The trip continues Tuesday against the Washington Capitals. All eyes will be on Alex Ovechkin; my eyes will be on Rasmus Sandin.

(Photo: Mark LoMoglio / NHLI via Getty Images)

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Omar White is a hockey contributor for The Athletic whose main focus is game coverage of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He has regularly contributed Leafs coverage to SB Nation and Yahoo Sports.