It doesn’t matter until it does. Could you imagine the discourse if the Maple Leafs had dropped another critical regular season game?
In the whirlwind that is living in Toronto, we’ve seen the Leafs drop a game to the Coyotes, followed by the coach sending a message to his star players through the media, only to then realize the mistake he made all within the span of 48 hours.
Sheldon Keefe is smart enough to know that giving the media any additional ammo is a bad decision and I doubt you see it happen again. Sending a message through the media might work in Sunrise, Florida, but it’s an unnecessary distraction here in the “mecca of the hockey universe”.
Fortunately, the Maple Leafs responded well with a home victory vs. the Stars which should take the pressure off for approximately 12 hours.
Shining brightest was Nick Robertson, who was arguably the best player at training camp and throughout the pre-season, but a casualty to the current economics and the fact that every Maple Leafs player placed on waivers gets claimed (yes, even Michael Amadio). That clearly was not worth the risk with Denis Malgin, who also had a strong pre-season, and started Game 1 with William Nylander and John Tavares.
GAME 5 - Stars 2 @ Maple Leafs 3 (OT)
It was a strong start for Toronto, who were absolutely buzzing for the first 2:30 of the game, capped off by a high danger Victor Mete scoring chance set up by Pierre Engvall.
Dallas then settled into its game plan on the road, which was clearly throw the puck on net from everywhere and hope for some fortunate luck, which is exactly how the opening goal of the game by Luke Glendenning was generated late in the first.
Toronto evened the score early in the 2nd when Alex Kerfoot jumped on a rebound caused by a Rasmus Sandin point shot for his first power play goal in 3 years, and the only one on the night for the Leafs who finished 1 for 8 with the man advantage.
It’s evident so far in this young season that Toronto’s loaded top power play unit is out of sync, and more specifically, looking to score on the set play of finding a one-timer in the low slot. When the group was at its’ best last season, they were firing from all over the zone causing chaos, retrieving loose pucks and generating multiple high danger chances. If I’m assistant coach Spencer Carbery, this would be my focal point at practice.
WHO STOOD OUT?
Nick Robertson
The aforementioned Robertson was the best player on the ice for both sides last night.
He was moving his feet, relentless on the forecheck, and added a dimension to the Nylander-Tavares line that makes the group significantly more dangerous moving forward. He ain’t going anywhere now.
His first goal of the night came on an excellent sequence that saw him finish his check, head to the net to find space and release his patented snap shot that lead the OHL in scoring with 55 goals in 2019-20.
His second, the OT winner, was the result of a good back-checking effort, with assistance from Matthews, that forced a 3v1 the other way, and a one-timer finish to send the crowd into a frenzy.
On a night against his older brother Jason, and his mother in the crowd, it was nice to see him shine under the spotlight.
QUICK HITTERS
While Auston Matthews’ underlying numbers would suggest he’s doing just fine, there’s something off so far this season. With the exception of a late spin chance that generated a high danger look, he hasn’t looked like last season’s puck-is-a-magnet force that we know he’s capable of
Victor Mete had a quiet night, which for a fringe defenceman is a good thing.
Speaking of defenceman, Rasmus Sandin looked much more comfortable on his natural left side, and Justin Holl was noticeably better without Jake Muzzin as his partner…
If you’re not following and reading Cam Charron’s (@camcharronyvr) work you’re missing out. The former Leafs staffer has returned to the media, tracking his own Maple Leafs microstats every night and summarizing the following morning. As he so eloquently wrote this morning, Leafs fans should “Demand better. Stay out of the muck. Try and be critical about tweets that make an entire franchise look derailed and disorganized. Focus on the game. That’s why we watch. It’s a great sport if you just watch.”
STADT OF THE DAY
The line combination of William Nylander (#88), John Tavares (#91) and Nick Robertson (#89) total to a combined jersey number of 268, the highest in Maple Leafs history.
NEXT UP
The Leafs head to Winnipeg to take on the 2-2 Jets led by high-scoring defenceman Neal Pionk (3 G, 1A) and Mark Scheifele (3G) for a 7 o’clock eastern puck drop that surely does not upset the locals.
AND FINALLY…
Shoutout to loyal reader David Berdock. The fearless captain of Purple Reign was handed a 2-game suspension this morning after defending his teammates from the bench. Thanks for always having our back!