On Wednesday night against the Winnipeg Jets, the Toronto Maple Leafs had a number of opportunities to pull away in the game, thanks to 5 powerplay opportunities awarded by the officials. The problem was that the Leafs didn't convert on any of them.
Ultimately, the team came away with the victory, though it was Ilya Samsonov who was to thank for the 2 points, after a 32-save shutout performance that had everyone in Leafs Nation celebrating - not only because of the win, but because Samsonov, by all appearances, is back.
The Leafs are now just 1-for-20 with the man advantage over their last 8 games. Ahead of their rematch tonight in Winnipeg, Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe issued a stark warning to his group that if his top powerplay unit doesn't begin to produce results, there may be a major shakeup coming.
Keefe's comments follow a benching of the top unit in Wednesday's game after they gave up a 2-on-0 break to a shorthanded Jets team. Fortunately, Samsonov was able to stand tall and make two of his best saves of the season.
Should the Leafs struggle to connect on a powerplay early in the game tonight, it would not come as a surprise to see Keefe shuffle both units and split up the top dogs to try to generate some success at 5-on-4.
