Maple Leafs’ O’Reilly and Acciari shine in debut against the Canadiens
February 19, 2023
The Toronto Maple Leafs’ Saturday night game against the Montreal Canadiens was one that a good portion of the fan base anticipated more than any other game this season. After general manager Kyle Dubas shocked the world with a trade for St. Louis Blues forwards Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari on Friday night, there was a buzz around the team that he hadn’t been there for a while, maybe from opening night. And the Maple Leafs rose to the occasion, outscoring their rival Canadiens by a score of 5-1.
It was the Maple Leafs’ first win in their three games against Montreal so far this season, losing the season opener 4-3 and a mid-January game 3-2. And, riding the rush of adrenaline that came with the trade, the team looked energized all night, a refreshing change from the usual habit of downplaying lesser opponents.
While the Maple Leafs had scoring contributions from Michael Bunting (x2), Pierre Engvall, William Nylander and David Kampf, O’Reilly and Acciari all made an impact in their own way and gave fans a glimpse of what to expect from each other. from them. them down the stretch and into the postseason.
Ryan O’Reilly: the new addition to the Top 6?
In all seriousness, the Maple Leafs are probably more likely to use O’Reilly as their third-string center eventually. But, with the Clinton native struggling to get to Toronto in time for his first game with his hometown team, head coach Sheldon Keefe opted to place him between John Tavares, who moved to left flank, and Mitch Marner. He wasted no time making noise, winning the first frame and hitting his first shot into the net. He finished the game with an assist on Bunting’s second goal of the game, two hits, and went 12-for-14 at the faceoff.
It’s been a bit of a forgettable season by O’Reilly’s standards, with that assist taking him to 20 points in 41 games on the year, but history suggests his poor play largely had to do with the struggles of the teams. Blues. Throughout his career, he has averaged a pace of about 60 points per season, and as Keefe noted in his availability to the media Saturday morning, it’s a rare case that he has a better point percentage in the playoffs than he did in the playoffs. the regular season. a quality I’m sure the Maple Leafs are grateful to have.
While I wouldn’t get used to seeing Tavares used regularly on the wing, O’Reilly showed just how valuable he can be to the team if used in his natural position. His matchup ability will be another layer on a team that is already strong on point, and his defensive play is arguably one of the best, if not the best, among Maple Leafs forwards. You can’t get a sample size smaller than a game, but it certainly made me feel encouraged by the type of player the Maple Leafs acquired.
Acciari lights the fourth line of Maple Leafs
O’Reilly, being the Stanley Cup winner and Conn Smythe, received the most attention in the last 24 hours. But Acciari certainly was more than a throw-in for this trade and cannot be overlooked. Like his former Blues teammate, he can play both center and wing, and made his Maple Leafs debut centering Alex Kerfoot and Zach Aston-Reese on the fourth line. While the role of the fourth line has already focused on a strong front, Acciari took it to another level last night.
He didn’t finish on the scoresheet, but he had five hits, made four net shots and made several key plays on the other side of the puck. This type of game fits perfectly with the Acciari brand. the native
