The Toronto Maple Leafs secured a 3-1 victory over the New York Islanders on Thursday night, with goals from Kampf, Lorentz, and Tavares leading the way.
The game started off with a strong showing from the Islanders, who dominated possession and outshot the Maple Leafs in the first period. However, Toronto’s goaltender Jack Campbell stood tall and kept the Islanders off the scoreboard.
In the second period, the Maple Leafs found their footing and took control of the game. David Kampf opened the scoring with his first goal as a Maple Leaf, deflecting a shot from Travis Dermott past Islanders’ goaltender Semyon Varlamov.
Just minutes later, rookie forward Alex Lorentz extended the Maple Leafs’ lead with his first NHL goal, a wrist shot that beat Varlamov glove side. The 22-year-old Lorentz was called up from the Toronto Marlies earlier in the day and made an immediate impact in his NHL debut.
The Islanders responded with a goal from Brock Nelson, but the Maple Leafs’ captain John Tavares sealed the win with an empty-net goal in the final minutes of the game.
The victory marks the Maple Leafs’ fourth straight win and improves their record to 9-2-1, placing them at the top of the NHL standings. The Islanders, on the other hand, have now lost three games in a row and sit at 3-4-2.
The Maple Leafs’ head coach Sheldon Keefe praised his team’s resilience and ability to bounce back after a slow start. “We knew the Islanders were going to come out strong, but we weathered the storm and found our game,” Keefe said in a post-game interview.
The Maple Leafs will look to continue their winning streak as they face the Islanders again on Saturday night. With the team firing on all cylinders and contributions from both veteran players and rookies, the Maple Leafs are proving to be a formidable force in the NHL this season.
