In a showdown against the undefeated Dallas Stars on Thursday night (Oct. 26), the Toronto Maple Leafs did something that fans had hoped they would do since the start of this season. They played good team defense. The result? A solid 4-1 win.
That’s not to say the team’s young goalie, Joseph Woll, didn’t step up to the plate, but the Maple Leafs might not have needed him to pull out this win – it helps when the entire team is playing in synch.
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Entering the game, Woll had made two starts in a row. Last night, he made the coaches look wise for giving him the net a third time. He turned away 30 shots, including some outstanding saves, like a great, point-blank, acrobatic move to deny Nick Robertson’s big brother Jason. Once again, Woll was composed under pressure. He seems to be the real deal.
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The Stars brought a six-game win streak into the game and left with their first regulation loss of the season. Former Maple Leaf Mason Marchment scored the Stars’ only goal on the night. The Maple Leafs got goals from Morgan Rielly, Mitch Marner, Tyler Bertuzzi, and John Tavares. With the win, they extended their winning streak to three games.
Item One: Once Joesph Woll Put on a Show
Woll has had a huge impact on the team’s success. He came into the game riding a two-game winning streak in which he had given up just one goal on 65 shots. That’s a remarkable .985 save percentage. Once again, he showed his exceptional skills by stopping 31 of 32 shots.
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It seems like a no-brainer for the coaching staff to shift their thinking about their number one goalie. Woll is the starter. In four games, he has given up just five goals on 128 shots.
However, while he has clearly outperformed Ilya Samsonov, he’s not even close to the best goalie stats in the NHL. That honor goes to the rejuvenated Jonathan Quick of the New York Rangers. He’s been playing out of this world in the net. He has an impressive .982 save percentage and a goals-against average of just 0.41. Both rank first in the NHL.
However, Woll ranks second with a .961 save percentage and a 1.33 goals-against-average. How can the Maple Leafs coaching staff not push him out there against the Nashville Predators on Saturday (Oct. 28)?
Item Two: Morgan Rielly’s Second Sneaky Goal
Morgan Rielly had another strong performance in Thursday’s 4-1 victory, contributing at both ends of the ice. However, his sneaky good offensive move that created the team’s first goal showed how much he trusted his teammate. He had to believe that William Nylander would see him because, as Nylander took one of his patented skate-around trips with the puck, Rielly sneaked in low beside the goalie for an easy tap-in. It was an amazing play all around.
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Playing with the second unit power play, Rielly also registered the primary assist on Tyler Bertuzzi’s third-period redirect. That power-play goal was the first the Stars had given up this season. Because defenseman Jake McCabe was injured so early in the first period, Rielly also had to step up and logged a season-high 26:13 of ice time. No problem.
Rielly’s recent games should have diminished any concerns about his reduced power-play time costing him offensive production. He has put up two straight multi-point games and is a point-a-game player with two goals and five assists in seven games on the season. Rielly’s well-rounded play is a significant boost to the team’s success.
Item Three: Jake McCabe Hurt in First Period
Speaking of McCabe’s early exit from Thursday’s game, he seems to have suffered some sort of a lower-body injury. After leaving the game following his first shift, the 30-year-old defenseman might or might not be available for future games.
Last night, the Maple Leafs took care of business with only five defensemen. If he’s unable to play in Saturday’s game against Nashville, Toronto might need to call up a blueliner from the American Hockey League (AHL) Toronto Marlies to fill the void.
Item Four: Mitch Marner Finally Makes an Impact
Mitch Marner’s second-period goal against the Stars stood as the game-winner. Over his last four games, he has two goals and added an assist. It isn’t his usual productive pace, but it’s a pick-up from earlier in the season.
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Marner has six points in seven games. I’m surprised that, given that he could sign a contract extension next offseason, he isn’t producing at a higher level. He has passed the 90-point mark three times in his career, and you would think he’d push to break the 100-point milestone for the sake of a bigger payday.
Item Five: John Tavares Scores in the Last Seconds
Although it was a bit of a nail-biter, John Tavares continued his impressive season-opening point streak. With his last-second, empty-net goal, he extended his scoring streak to seven games. He’s been in excellent form, scoring in four of his past five games, and is tied lead with Nylander for the team lead with 11 points on the season.
Tavares and Nylander have the second line humming. They might even be better than the first line of Auston Matthews, Marner, and Friend (whomever the twosome might be partnered with). Age aside, Tavares has been one of the team’s most consistent forwards early in the season.
Item Five: William Nylander Dishes Beautiful Feed
Nylander continued his impressive point streak, extending it to seven games with a gorgeous assist to set up Rielly for the opening goal. (If I said that already, it’s worth repeating. It was special playmaking on the Swede’s part.)
Nylander has been the Maple Leafs’ best skater. He’s playing with a new level of confidence, and he’s been a key contributor in almost every aspect of the game. He has five goals and six assists, with a plus-2 rating. He’s also giving the team good minutes on the penalty kill and power play.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Maple Leafs fans start chanting “Pay the Guy!” at their team’s next home series.
Item Six: Auston Matthews Gives Marner a Great Set-Up
The two plays that stood out for me last night were Nylander’s play-making assist on Rielly’s goal and Matthews’ assist on Marner’s goal. When Matthews found himself with the puck with his back to the goalie, you could almost see his brain synapses firing. He saw Marner facing the goalie right in front of him and knew immediately there was a chance. He gave his linemate a short little pass that Marner quickly fired home. The whole play happened so fast that Stars’ goalie Scott Wedgewood had no chance.
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Matthews has been his regular superstar self this season, scoring seven goals and assisting on two in seven games. After a three-game scoring drought, he’s bounced back with a goal and two assists in his last two games.
What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?
Wasn’t it just a couple of games ago that we were all worried about the overall team defense? While Woll was great in goal again, he didn’t win this game by himself. The team played well defensively. In fact, in an 11-minute span in the first period, Dallas struggled to put a shot on net.
Woll helped and, together with his team, stopped any momentum the Stars might have mounted. Next, the Maple Leafs meet the Predators. If the team can win on Saturday, they will end their longest road trip of the season with a 4-1 record.
Things are starting to look good for the team.