The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Colorado Avalanche and it was all thanks to the refs. Typical!
No, seriously. Maybe it wasn’t ALL thanks to the refs, but before we address anything else that happened in this game, we need to discuss the primary assist of the year coming from none other than 25-year veteran referee, Kelly Sutherland.
STEVEN LORENTZ 🚨
Shorthanded goal! Oh my! pic.twitter.com/CeqxbmVYU1
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) March 20, 2025
Watch that as many times as you need to. If you still don’t believe your eyes, that is indeed Kelly Sutherland catching an edge and falling at the exact moment Simon Benoit cleared the puck on the penalty kill, and happening to fall directly into the path of said clearing attempt. The puck then sat there for what felt like five business days before Steven Lorentz picked it up and scored what would be the game-winning goal while shorthanded.
From that goal on, the Leafs played some of their most excellent shutdown hockey of the year thus far, and gave the fans a glimpse into why Brad Treliving has made the defensive corps a top priority of his. Having both Chris Tanev and Brandon Carlo in the top-4 is a luxury most fans didn’t expect this season, but if there’s one thing you can give Treliving credit for, it’s his ability to put together a defensive corps.
Joseph Woll earned his second start in a row after Craig Berube spoke fondly of his previous two games, and he made Berube look like a genius. He stopped 38 of 39 shots and battled through some physical net front play and buzzing stardom on the other side to make a number of crucial saves and keep his team in it until the very end. Coming out of the 4 Nations break it seemed increasingly apparent that Anthony Stolarz would be the Game 1 starter, and he likely still will be, but Woll has been making an excellent last minute push lately.
The Leafs looked like the team that they’ve battled against, and lost to, so many times in previous playoffs. The shot clock won’t reflect it, with Colorado outshooting them by a margin of 39-26, but they buckled down defensively better than they have all season. They used physicality and active sticks to disrupt the Avalanche of getting anything going, especially near the end of the game. If their 7-4 loss to the same team a little over a week ago was an indication of what will keep them from advancing in the playoffs, tonight’s effort was a reflection of what they need to do if they want to go on a run.
The Leafs are right back at it on Thursday night when they visit the New York Rangers. Hockey, the beautiful game.
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