Five Curious Facts About Maple Leafs’ 6-5 OT Win Over Penguins

On Sunday afternoon, the Toronto Maple Leafs won a thrilling 6-5 overtime victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. William Nylander scored the game-winner just one minute into the extra frame. It was a high-energy game full of surprises, with plenty of intriguing statistics to note.

Here are five curious facts that stood out from the back-and-forth affair.

Curious Fact One: With 11 Points, There Was Balanced Scoring

A total of 11 different players on both teams contributed to the scoring in the game. This showed the Maple Leafs’ depth. Specifically, three players—Matthew Knies, Auston Matthews, and William Nylander—each recorded a goal and an assist. All three helped by making key contributions in both the scoring and playmaking departments.

Curious Fact Two: There Were Unusual +/- Numbers for the Maple Leafs

Despite the back-and-forth nature of the game and the fact that six goals were scored, no forward on either the Maple Leafs had a +/- rating greater than +1 or lower than -1. On the defensive side, however, there was more variation. While Simon Benoit has not put up a point in a while, he finished with a solid +3. On the other hand, Morgan Rielly ended up with a -2 rating in the win.

Curious Fact Three: The Penguins’ Also Had Unusual +/- Stats

Interestingly, only one Penguins player strayed outside the +1 to -1 range. That was Evgeni Malkin, who finished the game with a -2 rating. It was a rare off-night for the veteran Penguins forward in a game that saw a lot of offensive action.

Curious Fact Four: The Game Was a Goalie Battle that Neither Should Have Won

In a game full of goals, Joseph Woll was the better of the two goaltenders. He stopped 29 of 34 shots for a .853 save percentage. On the other side of the ice, the Penguins’ Joel Blomqvist stopped 27 of 33 shots for a .818 SV%. Despite both goalies giving up five goals, Woll’s performance edged out Blomqvist’s.

Curious Fact Five: Matthews’ Point Streak Continues

What an odd season for former Rocket Richard winner Auston Matthews. The potent scorer has only scored two goals in his last 11 games. Yet, he’s been incredibly productive in other areas. He extended his point streak to nine games, registering two goals and 11 assists for 13 points during that stretch. Despite his recent goal-scoring drought, Matthews continues to lead the team in scoring over the past few games.

The Bottom Line: The Maple Leafs Keep Winning!

Toronto has now won five straight games, including all four on their current road trip and eight of their last nine. Their offensive game continues to shine, even though they’ve given up three or more goals in their victories. Their game hasn’t been pretty, but it’s been pretty effective.

With strong individual and excellent team play, the Maple Leafs are gearing up for a strong playoff push. While fans have been watching the Atlantic Division, the Maple Leafs have been creeping up in the Eastern Conference standings. They now sit in second place, just six points behind the leading Washington Capitals.

[Note: I’d like to thank Stan Smith for his insights into this game.]