Leafs’ start is practically a perfect 10
TORONTO — The National
Hockey League-leading Toronto Maple Leafs reached the 10-game mark of the season with their win over the Jets in Winnipeg on Wednesday night.
Here are 10 observations from what has been a very solid start to the season for the 7-3-0 Leafs:
1. Road warriors
Toronto has won all five of its games on the road, a very strong mark that ensures a small but welcome measure of comfort in the standings as the season moves forward. By taking all 10 available points so far, Toronto has established a cushion that puts the team well ahead of the points pace it will need to make the playoffs. For the most part, the Leafs seem to stick to structure and game plans much more readily than they do on home ice. 2. Tavares leads by example
John Tavares has, so far, delivered since his celebrated arrival with the Leafs back in July. He’s in the top 15 in scoring, tied for third in goals (7) and, most importantly, is one of the great lead-by-example players in the league. Tavares, after the Leafs lost two games in a row, spoke with reporters, saying the team had to work harder, starting with himself. When he was further questioned, Tavares showed the true measure of leadership: He said he wouldn’t speak up to teammates about performance until he had ensured his personal level for work ethic, commitment and accountability had been established in full view of his teammates. If there is a definition of true leadership, that could be a good example of it.
3. No third-period letdowns
Toronto has been able to not only protect third-period leads, but build on them, especially when opposing teams mount furious pushes to tie the score. That was no more evident than in the third period of the win against the Jets, when Winnipeg scored a pair of goals over a 90-second span to bring the score to 3-2. Toronto fought back and scored a goal to win the game, 4-2. 4. Kapanen the real deal
Kasperi Kapanen opened the scoring in Winnipeg, marking his fifth goal of the season, and underlining the fact he has stepped in nicely to fill the void in the forward corps left by William Nylander’s contract impasse.
Leafs coach Mike Babcock wanted to see Kapanen find the kind of puck retrieval and cycling game that has been standardized on the team by Zach Hyman. Kapanen had eight goals in his first 57 NHL games — he now has five in 10 this season. A 20-goal campaign is a reasonable expectation.
5. No Nylander, no problem — yet
The Leafs would surely be a stronger and more offensively dangerous club with Nylander in the fold. But they are certainly managing their offence, their power play, and their expectations, while their talented winger remains in a contract stalemate with management. This is the sign of a solid forward core, one that has seen Kapanen step into the top six and perform very well, and the likes of Tyler Ennis, Josh Leivo and Par Lindholm seize the playing opportunities provided with Nylander off the roster for now.
Nylander’s absence will definitely test the team’s depth, especially if it extends to Dec. 1, the deadline to sign him or lose him for the season. It’s important to note that, while the Leafs have stepped up to cover off Nylander’s absence to date, they will be pushed to the limit should one of their key players suffer an injury, even for a short-term layoff. The Nylander story is far from over just yet. 6. Freddie vs. October
With just two games left in October, it appears goalie Freddie Andersen has somewhat shaken the subpar stats he’s seen in the past two seasons through the opening month of the campaign. Andersen’s basic numbers are now 5-3 (NHL lead in wins), 2.66 and .916. The save percentage shows a marked improvement over the past two seasons, when he was a combined .874 through the month of October.
7. Power play cooling?
The Leafs’ power play, which was rolling along through the first five games of the season, has failed to record a goal in the past three games.
That leaves the power play at a 36 per cent clip (9-for-25) — still good numbers, but second overall in the NHL to Washington. Mitch Marner still drives a lot of the chances, coming off the right half boards.
It may be a situation where other teams, having watched video of the Leafs on the power play, are playing more aggressively against it, cutting down time with the puck and narrowing the usual shooting lanes the Leafs like to open when they have the man advantage. Still, with five supertalented players on the unit, the Leafs should continue to rank in at least the top five in the league.
8. Helping Freddie
Toronto, for the past two seasons, either owned the highest shots-against totals in the league, or were within a whisper of that dubious distinction. Andersen, as a result, was the most overworked goalie in the league. He was seeing an average of just under 34 shots per game, but that figure has dropped off by about three shots so far this season.
9. Auston’s expectations?
It’s clear Matthews is above the scoring pace he set through the first two years of his NHL career. That reflects not only an impressive off-season of training and refining his game, but a mental readiness to become the best player in the game.
The whole “best player in the NHL” narrative that swallowed up Matthews, Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby (where was Alex Ovechkin in that conversation?), was fun, but entirely premature.
Matthews, though, is one to watch in terms of the Hart Trophy as the season progresses. 10. Rielly, meet Norris
Defenceman Morgan Rielly’s name has popped up in Norris Trophy conversations of late. Again, it’s probably too early to begin that evaluation, but Rielly is — right now — the most dangerous defenceman in the league. He registers sixth in NHL scoring (14 points), tops among defenceman, and is second in the NHL in total goals on ice for (23). The attention coming Rielly’s way now is deserved.