The Toronto Maple Leafs are coming off a hard-fought win over the St. Louis Blues, highlighted by the strong performance of forward Bobby McMann, who netted a hat trick. Coming into their matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Maple Leafs were reloaded with Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares returning after missing one game with an illness.
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They were hoping to pick up a victory and continue their climb up the Atlantic Division standings, which is exactly what they did picking up a 4-3 overtime win, highlighted by the strong offensive showing from Auston Matthews.
The Maple Leafs picked up the win even after being outshot by the Flyers 32-28. Both teams went 1-for-3 on the man advantage, while the Maple Leafs won 56.1% of the faceoffs and had 50 hits to the Flyers’ 49. Goaltender Ilya Samosnov finished the night with a .906 save percentage (SV%) while Flyers’ goaltender Samuel Ersson finished the night with a .857 SV%.
Matthews Reaches 45-Goal Mark
With one of his strongest performances of the season, Matthews snapped into action after the Maple Leafs went down 1-0 heading into the second period.
In the second period, Matthews scored his 43rd, 44th, and 45th goals of the season netting a natural hat trick in just under eight minutes. It’s insane to note that he is only 51 games into the season, and is on pace for 71 goals after his performance Thursday (Feb. 15) night.
Matthews’ career-high in goals came in the 2021-22 season where he scored 60, but it seems like he may be able to surpass that this season. This is the Maple Leafs’ second game in a row with one of their players netting a natural hat trick and both players, McMann and Matthews, were huge parts of the respective wins.
Maple Leafs Have Now Won 3 of Their Last 4 Games
Coming out of the All-Star Break, the Maple Leafs were in a bit of a panic as they weren’t dominating in the way they had expected entering the 2023-24 season. While they still find themselves fighting for their playoff lives, they have won three of their last four games. They lost 5-3 to the Ottawa Senators, which was highlighted by the Morgan Rielly and Ridly Greig incident, but have defeated the Dallas Stars, Blues, and now the Flyers.
With the win last night, the Maple Leafs’ record improves to 28-16-8 as they currently have 64 points and sit fourth in the Atlantic Division, one point behind the Tampa Bay Lightning.
It’s fair to assume the Maple Leafs will be buyers heading into the 2024 Trade Deadline as they look to bolster their roster and hope to make a push for a Stanley Cup. While they haven’t won one since 1967, nice little streaks like the one they’re on now will boost their morale as they look to build a strong team for the postseason.
What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?
The Maple Leafs are back in action on Saturday (Dec. 17) in a matchup against the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks currently sit seventh in the Pacific Division with a 19-32-2 record and just 40 points. The two teams met back on Jan. 3 when the Maple Leafs picked up a 2-1 win.
Hopefully, the Maple Leafs can continue their strong stretch of games and get themselves in a groove heading toward the postseason. They have been playing well as of late and playing consistently well all season, so there’s real hope that they can find success in the playoffs this season. For now, it’s nice to have picked up a win over a strong Flyers team.