MUST READ: Some stats regarding Kadri and Gardiner should give you some faith.

Numbers don't lie.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 6 years ago
MUST READ: Some stats regarding Kadri and Gardiner should give you some faith.
Keystone Press

Heading into game 1 of their opening round playoff series against the Washington Capitals, the concern for the Toronto Maple Leafs was how they’d go about shutting down the Caps’ offensive stars like Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. Well, despite the overtime loss, the Leafs, led by center Nazem Kadri and defenseman Jake Gardiner, actually did a good job of shutting down the Capitals in game 1.

It’s of little consolation to the Leafs now given that they’re down 1-0 in the series, but Kadri’s line with wingers Leo Komarov and Connor Brown limited the Capitals line of Backstrom, Ovechkin and TJ Oshie to just 3 shots on the night.


If the Leafs are to have an success in the series moving forward, they’ll need the trend to continue. They’ll also need another contribution from Gardiner like they received on Thursday night. The fleet footed blue liner led all Leafs in ice time with 26:27 on the evening, and has in fact led the Leafs in time-on-ice for the past 25 games. With his regular partner Nikita Zaitsev sidelined with an injury, head coach Mike Babcock paired Gardiner mostly with unsteady veteran Roman Polak. Gardiner didn’t miss a beat, elevating Polak’s game along the way as the pair played most of their minutes up against the Backstrom, Ovechkin and Oshie trio.


When the puck drops on game 2 from Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. tomorrow, the Leafs will need both Kadri and Gardiner to be at the top of their games once again. With the margin for error so thin for the Leafs, keeping the Caps' snipers in check should be priority number one. 

Source: X