All those good vibes aside after a rough start to the season, the Maple Leafs showed on Tuesday that there’s still a long way to go. Riley Smith scored his second goal of the night 23 seconds into overtime as the Vegas Golden Knights came back from a goal down in the third period to extend their winning streak to eight games with a 4-3 victory over Toronto. The Leafs struggled after an ugly four-game stretch that began with a 3-1 loss at Sin City on Oct. 24, but responded with a win over Philadelphia last Wednesday before beating Boston — which had won seven straight — at home and Carolina on the road during an impressive 22-hour run on Saturday and Sunday. “Tough stretch,” said Keefe, the Toronto head coach, after Tuesday’s setback. “Three games in four nights against three elite teams. Five out of six points is nice. “But tonight is a sign that we still have a way to go in terms of game management because it should be six points.” The Leafs went on the power play 3-2 with less than 10 minutes to go in regulation and had a chance to seal it, but the No. 1 unit was out for 1:21 before a foul on the offensive blue line led to a 2-on-1 that Smith buried for his sixth of the season. “I’ve got to do a better job looking up there and keeping fresher players on the ice,” said Toronto winger Mitch Marner, who had a goal and an assist but was on the ice for the equalizer and game-winner. “Especially at that time of the game.” Stopped by Erik Kallgren on one of three Vegas breakaways in the second, Reilly took a pass from Shea Theodore in three-on-three overtime and made no mistake with an upstairs backhand deck. “Definitely not the easiest game,” said Kallgren, who faced five shutouts on 20 shots against. “These opportunities come out of nowhere. “They made us pay.” Jack Eichel and Nicolas Roy had the other goals for first-place Vegas (12-2-0), while Logan Thompson made 28 saves. William Karlsson added two assists as the Knights picked up their first win in Toronto, giving them at least one win in every NHL city. “I’m enjoying every minute of it,” Smith said of a winning streak that started at home against the Leafs. “We roll with the punches and find ways to win.” Timothy Liljegren added his first two goals of the season for Toronto (7-4-3). “The structure was not good enough,” said the defender. “We didn’t play hard enough.” Down 2-1 after 20 minutes, Kallgren kept his team within one in the second with three stops to set up Marner to level the score at 2-2 with his third goal of the season on a superb individual effort at 13:50 . Marner, who extended his point streak to seven games, then played the role of creator to give Toronto its first lead with a nifty no-look pass to Liljegren for his second of the night at 16:56. “What do you expect from Mitchie,” said Lilygren. “Extraordinary passage.” Vegas opened the scoring 45 seconds into the first after Leafs defenseman Rasmus Sandin tipped the box. William Carrier stopped his ensuing breakaway from Kahlgren, pushed into action with Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov both injured, but the puck slipped past the Toronto keeper and Roy was there for his fourth of the game. The Leafs answered at 5:05 when Liljegren scored his first in his third game since missing the opener following hernia surgery. However, he gave the puck away late in the period to set the stage for Eichel’s sixth at 17:55 before Toronto grabbed the proceedings in the second, only to give it away late. “You want to be an elite team,” Keefe said. “You have to be elite at game management. You have to close this game.” MURRAY CLOSE Murray is scheduled to practice Wednesday – his first goalie since injuring his groin/abductor on Oct. 15. The 28-year-old was added in the summer along with Samsonov after Toronto parted ways with Jack Campbell and Petr Mrazek. Samsonov carried most of the load with Murray out but suffered a knee injury on Saturday. Keefe said the netminder is considered week-to-week. EICHELLE RETURNS AGAIN The 26-year-old center will make his second trip to Buffalo on Thursday since last season’s trade. Eichel was selected second overall by the Sabers – one spot behind Connor McDavid – in the 2015 draft, but never came close to a playoff spot. “I wish all these guys the best,” Eichel said after the morning skate in Toronto. “I was part of this organization for many years and made many great connections.” NEXT Leafs: Host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday. Knights: Visit the Buffalo Sabers on Thursday. This report by The Canadian Press was first published on November 8, 2022.
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