Maple Leafs make a lead stand up in Long Island

ELMONT, N.Y.—This time the Maple Leafs got a 3-1 lead and it was safe.

A game after the New York Rangers’ physicality empowered the Blueshirts to a 6-3 win over Toronto, the Islanders tried the same heavy checking approach. But the Leafs had a little more vim and vinegar to their game. They didn’t back down, they often took the hit to make the play, and they did a better job of blocking shots and protecting the net.

Starter Jack Campbell has struggled lately. He was arguably the best goalie in the NHL until Jan. 1, leading the league in save percentage while posting a 16-5-2 record and a paltry 1.86 goals against average. He was rightly named to the all-star game. Since then, despite being 3-1-1, Campbell has an .878 save percentage and a 3.96 goals-against average, 59th of the 81 goalies who played at least one game this month. He may have hit a wall.

Mrazek played his fifth game of the season Saturday. Between two groin injuries and a COVID break, it has been hard for him to find a rhythm. But he was able to stop 27 of 28 shots in a generally impressive performance, especially when the Islanders had power plays and were pressing hard in the third period.

Matt Martin got the fans at the UBS Arena going with a big hit on Tavares, prompting chants of “J.T. sucks.” And Mrazek’s best early save came right after that hit, stopping Anders Lee from in close and preventing the amped-up crowd from enjoying an even bigger moment.

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