Later,Marner shared embraces with fellow relocated superstars,Eichel adn Mark stone,a couple of guys who know what it’s like to face the team you left.
“They knew it was a special one for me tonight.They knew it meant a little more than a usual hockey game,” Marner said. “Pretty fired up.”
Everyone was, especially the vocal contingent of fans decked out in Blue and White.
Leafs Nation invaded the Fortress and mercilessly booed Marner every time his blade touched the puck. Marner blocked a deadline trade (a per his right) and turned down what woudl’ve been the richest contract extension in franchise history before moving to the desert.
Marner wasn’t quite sure what to expect, facing his former team twice in nine nights. Now, after getting booed in his own barn, he knows to brace for vitriol at Scotiabank Arena next week.
“They always travel well,especially to Vegas,” Marner said. “I think the great question was what my expectations were (for Jan. 23), but now I think I kinda know going in.They got a passionate fan base. They got a lot of love for their team.”
eichel was a fan target in his return to Buffalo in 2022.He gets it.
“We know how much it means to him,” Eichel said of Thursday’s win. “And because it means that much to him, it means that much to us too.”
The Golden Knights needed to flex their resilience to win for Marner – who chipped in a pair of assists and ran point on a man-advantage that struck twice at 5-on-4 and tied the game at 6-on-5 with just seven seconds left in regulation.
The rested Maple Leafs had jumped to 2-0 lead by the five-minute mark and held leads of 3-1 and 4-2 before the home side rallied with vengeance in Period 3.
“Kept letting them hang around,” John Tavares said.”A very high-potent offensive team, and maybe we could’ve checked a little bit better, little tighter.”
“I thought we played a good game,” auston Matthews added. “Just ki
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