Leafs’ team game leads to ‘a lot of belief’
TORONTO FINDING WAYS TO WIN DESPITE BATTERED DEFENCE CORPS
Mitch Marner keeps producing and the Toronto Maple Leafs keep winning hockey games. It’s not a coincidence.
Marner extended his point streak to 16 games and the Leafs won for the ninth time in 13 games, beating the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1 on Saturday night at PPG Paints Arena.
The Leafs, who conclude the fourgame trip in Detroit against the Red Wings on Monday, are humming.
In bringing an end to the Penguins’ five-game winning streak, the Leafs improved to 5-0 on the road in November and are 4-0-1 in the second game of back-to-back sets on the season.
Never mind a decimated blue line with Morgan Rielly, TJ Brodie and Jake Muzzin on the sideline, the team has come together through a tough stretch of adversity.
“Guys are staying with it and there’s a lot of belief in the room,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. “We’ve been trying to foster that here for quite some time and I think we have that happening. That gives you a chance to win every night.
“We took it up a notch in terms of foot races and winning puck battles. We broke out of our zone really well, which was a real key to the game. We did that maybe as good as we have (all season).”
The defence pair of Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren had a strong outing, with each hitting a career-high in ice time for one game.
“What to say ... I’m just excited about the win,” Sandin said. “It’s always tough to come in and play against a good Pittsburgh team. The defence got a lot of help from the forwards.”
Marner required all of 40 seconds after the opening faceoff to match his streak to his sweater number.
A bad Penguins line change coupled with the Leafs’ quickness in transition gave Marner a chance to break in alone on goalie Casey Desmith after taking a pass from Auston Matthews.
Marner deked to his forehand to score, becoming the sixth Leaf in franchise history to record at least one point in 16 consecutive games. Darryl Sittler set the record of 18 in 1977-78 and Ed Olczyk tied it in 1989-90. Babe Dye, playing for the St. Patricks in 1921-22, hit 16 games; so did John Anderson in 1983-84 and Dave Andreychuk in 1993-94.
Marner’s streak started on Oct. 27 in San Jose. He has five goals and 17 assists during the run.
“I guess it’s cool,” Marner said of being within two games of tying the record, “but we’re trying to get wins as a hockey team, trying to do something special. I’m just trying to go out there and buzz and do me. It’s not a oneman job. It’s all five on the ice.”
Said Keefe of Marner: “In all regards, he has been a difference-maker.”
With Matt Murray getting a wellearned rest, goalie Erik Kallgren rebounded nicely from his latest start, which went down in flames on Monday night in Toronto. Kallgren’s giveaway late in the third allowed the New York Islanders to tie the game before the Isles won in overtime.
Kallgren made 25 saves and improved to 3-2-4, allowing only a goal to Rickard Rakell in the third period.
After the Rakell goal, Matthews scored his 10th thanks to a determined effort by Michael Bunting.
The Leafs brought it early, outshooting the Penguins 17-5 and holding a 26-14 edge in shot attempts in the first period.
In the second period, Matthews, who wound up getting the post-win belt, set up William Nylander to give the Leafs a 3-0 lead at 10:50. Matthews won a puck battle with Rakell and centred to an open Nylander, who quickly fired the puck past Desmith.
That came 55 seconds after Pontus Holmberg’s second NHL goal. Marner did the work, perhaps getting away without a call after he upended Kris Letang in the corner and took possession. Holmberg accepted the pass and went high-glove on Desmith.
At any rate, the Leafs’ determination on the forecheck helped produce both goals in the second. Bunting, who hit the crossbar early in the second, also had a hand in the Nylander goal.
The Penguins had been applying pressure before the Holmberg goal and appeared to have scored when Rakell knocked a loose puck over the goal line. But the goal did not count as the play was deemed dead.
“We knew it was going to be a pretty big challenge for us and I thought we met it head on,” Matthews said of the win. “We executed really well in all areas. Our all-around game was really solid.”