Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Questions For The Toronto Maple Leafs And Vegas Golden Knights

09/15/2021 at 8:59am EDT

from Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com,

Has the goaltending been upgraded?

Jack Campbell and Petr Mrazek will be tasked with helping the Maple Leafs go on a deep run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs after Frederik Andersen signed a two-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes on July 29. Andersen won 149 games over five seasons with Toronto, but the Maple Leafs did not win a playoff series. Campbell was 17-3-2 with a 2.15 goals-against average and .921 save percentage for the Maple Leafs last season and set an NHL record with 11 wins to start the season. Mrazek signed a three-year contract as an unrestricted free agent July 28 after being limited to 12 starts with the Hurricanes last season because of a thumb injury. The 29-year-old was 6-2-3 with a 2.06 GAA, a .923 save percentage and three shutouts.

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from Nicholas J. Cotsonika of NHL.com,

Can they continue to evolve their game for the playoffs?

The Dallas Stars defeated the Golden Knights in the 2020 Western Conference Final by taking away the middle of the ice and getting great goaltending. Afterward, Vegas coach Peter DeBoer said players needed to add layers to their games.

The Golden Knights faced two teams in the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs that used the same formula the Stars did: the Minnesota Wild and Montreal Canadiens. They defeated the Wild in seven games in the Stanley Cup First Round, and DeBoer said, "We found a way this year where a year ago I'm not confident we would have."

But after defeating the Colorado Avalanche in the second round, they lost to the Canadiens in six games in the Stanley Cup Semifinals. Too often, they got frustrated by Montreal's defensive structure, turned over the puck and fed its quick-strike offense. Vegas' top scorers struggled to produce at even strength and on the power play, which went 0-for-15 in the series.

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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