Bobrovsky Stonewalls Celebrini and the Sharks
Toronto beat San Jose 3-1 on a night when both teams got plenty of good looks. The difference was who finished them and who stopped them.
The shot clock was even at 31 apiece, but the Leafs had the slightly better chances. By expected goals, a measure of how many goals a team's chances were worth, Toronto came in at 5.03 to San Jose's 4.12. Both totals are well above what either team actually scored, which puts the spotlight on the goalies.
Sergei Bobrovsky was the reason the lead held. He stopped 30 of 31, including 11 of 12 shots from the most dangerous areas. Mason Marchment was the only Shark to beat him, with Tyler Toffoli assisting.
Macklin Celebrini had the best chances of any Shark on five shots and also rang a post, but came away with nothing.
At the other end, Yaroslav Askarov made 28 saves on 30 shots. Morgan Rielly also hit iron for Toronto.
The special teams told the rest:
* Toronto scored two power-play goals on five chances.
* San Jose went 0 for 4 with the man advantage.
Auston Matthews led the Leafs with a goal and two assists. Nick Paul scored on his only shot, and Gavin McKenna added a goal in 11:30 of ice time.