
The best part of this time of year is looking back at all of the incredible goals scored — by the Maple Leafs and every other team in the NHL.
Today, though, brings an all-Maple Leafs highlight reel, and 2022 had some of the best goals that I’ve seen from Toronto in a long time. We were able to see vintage John Tavares, Auston Matthews’ dazzling hockey IQ, and even a special goal from Pierre Engvall.
There were a lot of amazing goals to go through for this top five and it was very difficult figuring out where to place them. But I tried my best, and that’s all that matters, right?
Here are my picks for top five Maple Leafs goals of 2022. Enjoy!
5 – Morgan Rielly vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (February 17th, 2022)
An end-to-end masterpiece.
Rielly has scored a goal like this before, back in 2015, and I’d say that goal was even better than this one. Either way, though, it’s always fun when the 28-year-old can go end-to-end like this.
It’s an incredible individual effort.
4 – Pierre Engvall vs. New York Islanders (January 22nd, 2022)
We don’t often get Engvall goals, let alone highlight-reel ones.
This buzzer-beating dangle was far from what a lot of us expected to happen on this play. The 26-year-old is usually using his deceptive speed and strength to find the back of the net, and when he scored this, a lot of people were shocked.
I, personally, didn’t think Engvall had it in him to do this the NHL level. And it makes it even better that the goal was a buzzer-beater.
One of the goals of his career for sure.
3 – Mitch Marner vs. Florida Panthers (April 5th, 2022)
This goal might’ve been number one if not for Matthews and Tavares.
We usually see Marner as a magician with the puck, but as the years go by, he’s slowly solidifying himself as a goal-scorer too. The 25-year-old has three Panthers players on him, yet he somehow still finds a way to get by them all.
Marner even lifts the stick of MacKenzie Weegar just in time to go al …
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Author: Nick Barden / The Leafs Nation