When the Maple Leafs hit the ice last night there seemed to be an extra surge of energy from a lot of the players, hungry for a win. It had been four straight games without a victory and the team seemed possessed to win this game; especially in the third period when they played their best shutdown minutes of the season.

The goaltending was not an issue last night as Frederik Andersen made a number of spectacular saves helping Toronto secure their second win of the season. It was not only great for Andersen that the Leafs got the win, but it was nice to see as a fan, knowing much of the pressure has been lifted and he can continue to settle in as Toronto faces a rival opponent on Saturday; the Montreal Canadiens.

The Candiens as we all know have been playing well, it’s October their favorite month of the year. The Leafs will have to pick up where they left off against the Panthers and stick it to the Habs. Call me old fashion, but there really is nothing (other than playoffs) that I love more than a Saturday night “Hockey night in Canada” against the Montreal Canadiens.

When the Matthews/Nylander/Hyman line takes the ice, they seem to cause a lot of trouble for the opponent when they have the puck as they cross the line, or when they dump it and win a battle. It seems as if Hyman wins most battles, which must be why Babcock saw the combo being so fitting. They are a threat each time they hit the ice, and are quite responsible at both ends of the ice, considering they are a full out rookie line.

In last night’s game against the Panthers, it was the Mitch Marner who stole the show.

Don’t get me wrong, Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk did their job by finishing the setup’s dished out by the magician Marner. But Marner is just a stand out almost every shift, his bursts of speed and keen eye for where his players are on the ice is astounding. Especially for such a young player who could have been playing for the London Knights right now.

Marner had the secondary assist on Bozak’s first goal when he fed the puck back to the point and it was deflected over Luongo who was unable to track the puck down.

The next two assists for Marner were phenomenal as Marner dished out two passes that both led to goals, and they were each on the tape of the receiving end of JVR on the first one and Bozak on the second. Each were high end hand-to-eye coordination type plays where Marner zipped through the neutral zone, led the defensemen over and then flipped the puck over to JVR and he tucked it passed Luongo. The second one to Bozak was magnificent. Marner stretched back, did a half spin-o-rama and with his vision fed the perfect pass to Bozak as he gave it the finishing touch.

Three assists for the young rookie Marner, loading up his basked as he plucked some apples rallying the Leafs to their second victory of the season. It’s been exciting, entertaining and fast-paced and I find myself amazed each game watching the new-look Maple Leafs. This team is going to be something special, it’s just going to take some time, a few roster moves and Babcock leading the pack.

After seven games the Leafs have seven points, nothing to be ashamed of, they have blown some leads and made some mistakes. The process is moving forward and the results will soon to follow, it’s going to be a battle but it will surely be an exciting one watching our beloved Maple Leafs go from the dumpster fire days of Wilson and Carlyle to the golden era when Shanahan and Babcock grabbed the bull by the horns and got the Toronto Maple Leafs back on track.

Have a great weekend,

Thanks for reading.

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