Sometimes, you can't win no matter how hard you try. When you outshoot your opponents, 31-26, you expect goals to go through frequently. However, that wasn't the case on Wednesday as Joseph Woll stopped all 31 shots. The result? The Toronto Maple Leafs shut out the Vegas Golden Knights, 3-0.
It's not to say that everyone on the team was bad. Adin Hill had another great outing, stopping 23 of 25 shots. It's a matter of scoring and doing something with 31 shots on goal. The Golden Knights didn't do that and were left without any goals.
As a result, the Toronto Maple Leafs moved to first place in the Atlantic Division (12-6-2), pushing their points total to 26. After the game, the Golden Knights remained in first place in the Pacific Division (11-6-2) with 24 points. However, the Los Angeles Kings had a home game against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday that was underway after Vegas's game concluded.
William Nylander contributed a third-period power play goal while Fraser Minten blasted a first-period goal to kick off the scoring. Mitch Marner and John Tavares each chipped in two assists for the Maple Leafs as they moved to 6-1-0 without Auston Matthews.
The Maple Leafs also lose Matthew Knies on a controversial hit from Zach Whitecloud
With the Maple Leafs already ravaged by injuries, they lost Matthew Knies to a mid-ice hit from Zach Whitecloud in the second period. Although the Vegas Golden Knights defenseman wasn't punished for the hit, he was eventually called for a minor roughing penalty against Simon Benoit. Knies (upper-body injury) didn't return afterward.
The team's lack of offense frustrated them throughout the night. They missed Mark Stone and his leadership, who missed his sixth-straight game with a lower-body injury. When nobody on your team scores, whether it's William Karlsson or Jack Eichel, that's a concerning problem for the game.
As mentioned, Adin Hill turned in another solid performance. He kept the Golden Knights in the game until the third period, making key saves when needed. The goaltender was let down by no offense, but still showed he's turning the corner with his consistent play. Can the Golden Knights get goals with Hill improving? Stay tuned.
The Golden Knights will face the Ottawa Senators on Thursday in what could be a noteworthy game. Ilya Samsonov chirped at Linus Ullmark after his remarks about the playoff series between the Maple Leafs and Bruins. Now? There's a strong possibility those two will face off against each other in Canada's capital.
Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs will wait until Sunday, facing the Utah Hockey Club at Scotiabank Arena. But for Las Vegas's hockey team, it seems they're off to a rocky start on their five-game road trip. Now would be a great time for some key players to return and bolster their lineup.