The Leafs Rebound Against the Lightning

 

Photo From Brandon Sun

Last night, the Leafs completed their four-game homestand by hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning. Toronto looked poised to rebound after a frustrating loss to the New York Rangers over the weekend. From the opening faceoff, the Leafs were ready to play, which has been a consistent theme in the first few games. Under Sheldon Keefe, Toronto often took time to find its footing, which sometimes proved costly. However, with Craig Berube now behind the bench, the Maple Leafs seem to start games on their toes, a clear sign that Berube’s message is resonating with the players.

Toronto opened the scoring as William Nylander continued his hot start to the season. Throughout the opening frame, there were moments when Toronto kept Tampa Bay pinned in their own end. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: while it's still early in the season, I love the way Berube has this team playing. He wants them to excel on both ends of the ice. Scoring goals is fun and excites the fans, but a coach wants to see if his team can make things difficult for their opponents, and so far, Toronto has done that. Just as it seemed Toronto would head into the intermission with the lead, Tampa got a bit of puck luck. Nick Paul’s breakaway was stopped, but Simon Benoit inadvertently knocked the puck into his own net.

The second period saw Toronto take complete control of the game, as their strong play carried over from the first. The Leafs regained the lead with a power-play goal from Auston Matthews. After a slow start, Toronto's power play has shown steady improvement over the last few games. William Nylander scored his second goal of the night, giving Toronto a 3-1 lead, and they didn’t stop there. Max Pacioretty, returning to the lineup, scored his second goal as a Leaf. With the Leafs now up 4-1, we witnessed something as rare as Halley’s Comet: Andrei Vasilevskiy was chased from the net.

I want to address a concern many Leafs fans have expressed: the play of John Tavares. We are only six games into the season, and already, some fans are writing off the former captain. Yes, Tavares has just three points in six games so far, and no, he hasn’t played like an eleven-million-dollar player. But we knew that, as the years went on, his production would decline. However, Tavares is coming off a season where he scored 29 goals and registered 65 points. He’s still a very productive player for both the league and the team. I have no doubt that John will have another strong season, and soon, the fans criticizing him will fall silent as his points pile up.

Toronto began the third period on the penalty kill but successfully defended it. Soon after, Matthew Knies put the game out of reach for Toronto, increasing their lead to 5-1. Unlike their previous game against the Kings, where they sat back and tried to coast to victory, this time Toronto kept their foot on the gas and secured a well-deserved 5-2 win.

Toronto’s penalty kill has been fantastic this season. Last night, they faced a full two-minute 5-on-3 but managed to kill it off. I love how this team isn’t afraid to block shots to help their teammates succeed. Look no further than Chris Tanev. A friend of mine, whose brother coached both Chris and his brother Brandon in Junior A, told me that Chris is a "warrior" and that I would love him. He was right. Tanev focuses on keeping his game simple and is willing to do anything to help the team. Last night, he registered seven blocked shots, bringing his total to twenty-two through the first six games. Players like Tanev inspire their teammates to give that extra effort because they see him sacrificing for the win, and they want to do the same.

Toronto now has a quick turnaround as they travel to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets. It's believed that Joseph Woll will make his first start of the season after recovering from a minor groin injury.

Thanks, as always, for reading.