The Toronto Maple Leafs bounced back from Wednesday’s loss with a 3-2 win over the Washington Capitals Thursday night.

Tone felt the passion! 🏟️🔋 pic.twitter.com/0MHf9JYS8a

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) October 14, 2022

Even though it was only the second game of the season, Leafs Nation was unsettled after the opening night loss to the Montreal Canadiens. As ridiculous as it sounds, Thursday’s game was a must-win for Toronto. Luckily they did. 

If The Leafs Had Reliable Goaltending, They Would Be An Almost Perfect Team   

like this. more of this. pic.twitter.com/4pdySu0TEx

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 14, 2022

The Toronto Maple Leafs could be the most talented team in the NHL. However, I’m concerned about the goaltending two games into the season. Matt Murray can’t stop a high shot. Ilya Samsonov let in two soft goals in the first period. If the Leafs had reliable goaltending, they would be an almost perfect team. I was willing to let the Capitals’ first goal go. It was soft, but it was a nice pass and a one-timer. Washington’s second goal was atrocious. The puck went right through Samsonov, and all I could do was groan. I talked about it all off-season. Kyle Dubas built what could be the best team to ever wear blue and white. But his goaltending decisions will be a stain on his legacy. 

When You’re A Good Team, You Find A Way To Win

CORRECTION: TONE TIME! pic.twitter.com/z2K1wEiEjE

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) October 14, 2022

It doesn’t matter what sport you’re playing; when you’re a good team, you’ll find a way to win. The Leafs dominated the Capitals. Unfortunately, they ran into Charlie Lindgren, who stopped 39 shots for the Capitals. I would say Toronto had some quality shots against Lindgren. Sometimes the shot stat is misleading, and teams choose quantity over quality after missing out on some great opportunities, like when Michael Bunting couldn’t connect with a bouncing puck in front of a wide-open net. Auston Matthews’ game-winner was a bit of a fluke. Mark Giordano flicked a weak shot from the blue line Matthews tipped in the air. The shot crossed Lindgren up enough to trickle in.

At the end of the day, a win is a win, and the Leafs take a lot of positives away from the game. They need to clean up turnovers. There were times they got caught flat-footed in their defensive zone. But, all in all, it was a good team win. I’m just really concerned about their goaltenders.

⭐️ AUSTAR ⭐️@Molson_Canadian | #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/nw4KPy6kGu

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) October 14, 2022