Heading into last night’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Toronto Maple Leafs continued to be in a three-way fight for first place in the Atlantic Division. The Florida Panthers were just two points ahead of the Maple Leafs with one more game played.
However, the Maple Leafs also needed the two points as the Tampa Bay Lightning were in the rearview mirror, being two points behind the Maple Leafs for second. Fortunately, the Maple Leafs walked away with a much-needed two points, pounding the Flyers 7–2. Tampa also dominated the Pittsburgh Penguins 7–1.
Let’s take a look at some of the key storylines out of the Maple Leafs’ dominant performance last night.
Power play continues to shine
The Maple Leafs’ power play continues to flip the usual March script. Normally around this time, the power play falls off the cliff along with the Maple Leafs play. However, heading into last night’s game, the Maple Leafs’ power play was first in the NHL in March at 40.7%
And last night the top unit continued to feast. Auston Matthews with a shot from the slot, and then Matthew Knies, who continues to be a goalie’s worst nightmare as a net-front presence this season, gets the rebound and dishes the puck to William Nylander. Nylander banks the puck off of Nick Seeler for his 39th goal of the season:
The Maple Leafs now have 12 power play goals in their last 11 games. If they want to be successful in the postseason, Toronto’s power play needs to continue to produce.
The second line is clicking
If you asked any Maple Leafs’ fan how John Tavares would perform in his seventh year of this contract, most fans would probably have said, “Who cares, they would have won a Stanley Cup or had a deep run or two.”
While the Maple Leafs still need to have a deep playoff run, Tavares has exceeded expectations this year by far at the age of 34. Heading into last night, Tavares had eight goals and four assists for 12 points in 11 games in March. On the season, he had 30 goals and 31 assists for 61 points. And last night, added two more goals and an assist.
Tavares tied the game 1–1 in the first period after great work by Bobby McMann and Nylander. Then Tavares added to the 3–1 lead in the second period by coming off the bench, finding the open ice, and accepting a pass from Nylander:
To cap off an outstanding night, Tavares perhaps showed why the Maple Leafs should re-sign him. He wins the draw, and the puck makes its way into the corner with Tavares in pursuit to dig it out. Tavares then feeds the puck to a streaking Nylander, who scores his 40th of the season:
The second line of McMann–Tavares–Nylander continues to dominate, finishing the night collectively with nine points: Nylander with two goals, two assists; McMann with one goal, one assist; and Tavares with two goals, one assist.
It makes sense why this line is working so well. The line has a good combination of speed, grit, and goal-scoring ability, which was on full demonstration last night. Hopefully, this line can stay hot going into the playoffs, as with the power play, scoring goals has plagued the Maple Leafs come postseason time.
The Maple Leafs lock it down
The Maple Leafs, like many teams, have their flaws. However, one criticism against this Maple Leafs team for the last near-decade is that they play down to opponents they should beat. Perhaps a good example of this was the last game against the Nashville Predators, where the Maple Leafs blew a 2–0 lead, losing 5–2.
The Flyers are 15th in the Eastern Conference, and barring a miracle, are going to be eliminated from playoff contention in the coming weeks. This was a game that the Maple Leafs should have won decisively, and they were clearly the better team last night.
The Maple Leafs outscored the Flyers 7–2, outshot the Flyers 30–19, and were 60% in the face-off dot. However, it’s how the Maple Leafs played that was important. Anthony Stolarz did not have a busy night, with the defence getting the puck out and the forwards providing support.
The Maple Leafs were also closing gaps quickly on the Flyers, and pressuring the puck carrier immediately. These are all good habits that the Maple Leafs need to desperately internalize come playoffs. The Max Domi goal is a good example of the tenacity the Maple Leafs have played with in recent games:
Onto the next
It’s crunch time, with first place on the line. With the Lightning winning last night, the Maple Leafs don’t gain any separation on them. However, the Maple Leafs do gain on the Panthers and are momentarily in first place in the Atlantic Division.
Many fans have been disappointed with Scott Laughton through his first few games. Hoping he would come alive against his former team, Laughton is still without a point in a Maple Leafs’ uniform. However, Leafs’ Nation should be patient with Laughton. He played his whole career with the Flyers and was a key leader in the locker room. Now, he’s with a new team with new leadership and needs time to adjust to his role.
The Maple Leafs play next on Thursday against the San Jose Sharks, where another crucial two points are up for grabs against a team that they should beat.
