In an afternoon game on Monday, the Toronto Maple Leafs took home a 4-2 win over the St. Louis Blues. Auston Matthews again led the charge, scoring his NHL-leading 49th goal of the season. He also contributed an assist. William Nylander scored a short-handed goal, and Bobby McMann added an empty-netter. Mitch Marner put up two assists, and goalie Ilya Samsonov made 19 saves for the victory.
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For the Blues, goals came from Brandon Saad and Pavel Buchnevich, with Joel Hofer stopping 25 shots. Despite a late push from St. Louis, the Maple Leafs held onto their lead and secured the win.
Item One: Three Reasons Why the Maple Leafs Won the Game
There were three key reasons why the Maple Leafs won the game. First, as noted, Matthews dominated. He’s on a scalding hot goal-scoring streak and is just a single goal short of the 50-goal mark. He continues to showcase his offensive on-ice leadership.
Second, the Maple Leafs’ special teams have been coming through consistently. While it took the power play some time to get on track before Matthews scored a goal, the penalty kill took care of business and even added a goal. Nylander scored an important short-handed goal that pushed the team ahead.
Third, again, this cobbled-together lineup showed defensive resilience. Despite everything, the Maple Leafs limited St. Louis’ scoring opportunities and allowed goaltender Samsonov to make key saves to preserve the lead.
Item Two: Ilya Samsonov Was Key to the Maple Leafs Victory
Samsonov played a critical role in the victory, stopping 19 of 21 shots. Although he saw limited action, he was sharp in the crease. With the win, he pushed his winning streak to four straight games. It was also his seventh win in eight starts.
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Getting his numbers back to normal will be a season-long project; right now, Samsonov’s stats are far below what he’d like. If .900 is par, he has a subpar .882 save percentage and 3.19 goals-against average (GAA) in 24 games. Although he’s shown steady improvement with a .921 save percentage over the past eight games, he’s still far from looking good on paper. With Joseph Woll still on the shelf with an ankle injury, Samsonov will continue to get the majority of starts for the Maple Leafs.
Item Three: Mitch Marner Was on His Game Again
Marner continued his impressive play with three assists. His first assist came on Matthew Knies’ goal early in the second, and then he added two more in the third period. No surprise, he set up Matthews’ power-play goal on a beautifully executed patient play as he held the puck behind the net until his scoring buddied circles around a then headed to the net. The pass was perfectly timed.
Marner also had a hand in McMann’s empty-netter to put the game away. With his solid game, Marner extended his point streak to seven games. He has also recorded multiple assists in his last four games. On the season, the 26-year-old winger has 65 points (on 22 goals and 43 assists) in 53 games. He’s almost sure to pass the 90-point mark for the third consecutive year. Can he reach the 100-point milestone?
Item Four: Has Morgan Rielly’s Anger Fueled the Team?
It’s apparent that Morgan Rielly, who just sat out the fourth game of his five-game suspension, has had an impact on his teammates. After Rielly was recently suspended for cross-checking Ottawa Senators forward Ridly Greig in retaliation for Greig’s slapshot into an empty net, the team has won all four games in his absence. Perhaps the Maple Leafs are using it as a rallying point.
In an interview after the game, Knies shared his belief that Rielly’s act of defending his team’s honour has inspired his teammates to step up their game.
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Knies noted, “He (Rielly) kind of defended the respect of our team, and I think we’re playing really hard now. He’s a valuable piece for us, and we’re excited he’s going to come back here soon. But we’re playing good hockey, and it’s given us a jump.”
Nylander also added, “We’ve answered the bell. I think Mo lit the fire in the team. We’re battling for Mo.” Now, the trick will be to not let up when Rielly returns.
What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?
The Maple Leafs have a busy schedule, with five games before next weekend. On Wednesday, Feb. 21, they face the Arizona Coyotes. There’s no doubt that Knies will have family there. The next day, they move up the highway to take on the Vegas Golden Knights in a back-to-back. Then, on Saturday, Feb. 24, they head to Colorado to play the Avalanche.
Returning home, they have a few days off before a rematch with the Golden Knights (on Feb. 27) and the Coyotes on Leap Day (Feb. 29) at 7:00 pm.
Can the team move up in the standings? The Tampa Bay Lightning lost again on Monday (4-2 to the Senators) and might be falling off pace while the other Atlantic Division teams continue their winning ways.