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Toronto tops Islanders on an evening of firsts; Leafs vs. Rangers |
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The Toronto Maple Leafs turned concerns about an injury and illness-riddled blueline into a feel good story and one of their best efforts of the season, as rookie defensemen Travis Dermott and Justin Holl scored their first NHL goals in a 5-0 victory over the New York Islanders at Air Canada Centre on Wednesday.
Dermott, who has impressed with his skating ability, confidence and skill set during his nine-game stint with the big club, played nearly 20 minutes, had two points and led the Leafs with five shots on goal, but the highlight of the night was the 21-year-old scoring his first NHL goal with father Jim in the stands and getting a standing ovation from the crowd at Air Canada Centre.
“You can't even put it into words. This and even the start of the Fathers' Trip, you can't write it up any more perfect than how this happened. Having (Holl) as my (defense) partner. With this all coming together like this, you can't really put words to it. It's just a feeling you'll remember forever.” Dermott said after the game. “I kind of made a bad play coming in, I turned the puck over, but lucky enough I got the puck back, gave it to Willie (Nylander)and he gave me a perfect pass right on the slate. I just put my head down and went to the far post and started swinging.”
The club was left with a rather inexperienced blueline in their first meeting with John Tavares, as both Roman Polak and Ron Hainsey fell ill on Wednesday, which had the Leafs scrambling to find a replacement and putting in a call to Holl, who scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game after 265 games in the ECHL and AHL.
“It was funny, I was actually coming back from the [AHL] All-Star (Game) and then I got a call from Kyle Dubas saying that two guys were sick, Hainsey and Polak,” Holl said. “They didn't know if I was going to play or not, but they wanted me to come and be ready or whatever. I got another call from Kyle at 4:30 saying I was playing. At that point, you dial in and get ready.”
The Leafs took advantage of an Islanders club playing the second of back-to-back nights and struggling to find themselves and built on the success they achieved prior to the All-Star break with wins over Ottawa, Chicago and Dallas.
Kasperi Kapanen, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner gave Toronto a 3-0 lead by the middle of the second period, at which point the Leafs were outshooting the discombobulated Isles 20-3.
What offense New York generated was thwarted by goalie Frederik Andersen, who made 28 saves for his 25th win and fourth shutout of the season.
The Leafs departed immediately following the game for New York, where they take on the Rangers at Madison Square Garden with questions of who will be available on the second of back-to-back games.
“(Polak and Hainsey) both (had) upset stomachs and (were) throwing up all day.” Leafs head coach Mike Babcock said after the game. “We thought they were getting regrouped (Wednesday) morning, but they weren't getting regrouped at all.”
Polak was placed on injured reserve to open up a spot for Holl and it is uncertain whether Hainsey will be well enough to join the team in New York on Thursday and have a chance to get back into the lineup.
With just six active defensemen, the Leafs may have to make another emergency recall from the Toronto Marlies to give them a seventh blueliner (most likely Martin Marincin) in case of sudden illness or injury.
Curtis McElhinney, who made 39 saves in a 4-1 win over Dallas last Thursday, will likely get the start against the Rangers, while Henrik Lundqvist, who was pulled after allowing three goals on seven shots against Anaheim on January 23rd, will get the start for the Rangers.
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