TORONTO — By the very nature of its design, there are few opportunities for statement games through an 82-game regular season. With the All-Star break on the horizon, the Toronto Maple Leafs were presented with a golden opportunity to make an imprint on the rest of the league, a chance to neatly cap off what’s been an excellent regular season to date against the league-leading Boston Bruins.
After a first period where Toronto’s Ilya Samsonov kept his club in the contest, Boston’s Linus Ullmark shut the door on the Maple Leafs, proving why he’s the leading candidate for the Vezina Trophy.