What a goal by Mitch Marner last night, an absolute beauty. First the burst of speed and then battling through a defensemen driving hard to the net, finally undressing Reimer with a stunning finish as Leafs Nation erupted. Mitch Marner is the real deal.
How about those Toronto Maples Leafs?
They are cooking right now! The Air Canada Center is quickly turning into a winning environment and homestead for the Leafs to pile up the goals versus their opponent. Apparently it was maul the cat week in Toronto as the Leafs gave it to the Predators on Tuesday followed by another lashing last night against the Panthers. Sorry James, whether you had a bad night or the Leafs had a good night, the young Maple Leafs feast on you last night and Connor Brown just happened to be the most hungry.
Connor Brown had his best outing yet as an NHL player, racking up two goals and chipping in with two assists. His feisty, determined and skilled play has been noticeable and it was just a matter of time before a hard working player like he was rewarded. Babcock loves that type of play and you can assure that Brown got a big confidence boost after last night’s game as he was somewhat hard on himself for his output after the first fifteen games.
Brown really is a guy that has won my heart as he’s developed through the system and succeeded at every level beyond expectations. He’s the type of player who will sacrifice; every team needs guys like this to win big games, playoff games. He’s a team player and seems to be relishing the chance he’s been given. If Connor Brown can continue to have games like he did last night, the Leafs will have yet another weapon up front.
With all these performing Maple Leafs forwards, especially the Marner, JVR and Bozak combination, it’s going to make things difficult for the opposition when they focus on shutting down one line and another erupts. The Matthews, Nylander and Hyman combos has been quiet as of late but are doing a good job at creating chances and taking on some difficult pairings as teams focus on shutting Matthews down. It’s likely some of the attention will sway away from the Matthews line if Marner’s line continues to produce as they have been. My guess is that’s when Auston unleashes and begins burying the puck on a more consistent basis.
It’s pretty crazy to think that after just a handful of hockey games that Matthews and Nylander together have had to deal with the NHL’s best shut down tandems from each team they have faced.
Obviously the Leafs have adapted, they have scored twelve goals now in the last two games and will be hungry for their third win in a row Saturday when they play the Montreal Canadiens. The Habs are 13-3-2 and will have home ice for Saturday’s showdown. Toronto has been excellent at home but struggled on the road, and if you ask me there is no better place to turn it around than in Montreal.
Marner really is quite the story though. He was a player who could be on the Knights right now in his final year, where we as fans wondered all summer where he would end up. Now here he is, in the NHL, 16 points in 17 games and has been Toronto’s best forward all season. I love watching Marner play hockey, he brings it every shift and you can see why Maple Leafs scout and now Assistant General Manager Mark Hunter wanted Marner so badly. Mitch is certainly something special, good on you Mr. Hunter!
Toronto’s goaltending has been much more consistent this season. Once Andersen settled in he’s given the Leafs a chance to win just about every game. The last four games Andersen’s faced 143 shots and he’s only let 10 in, .963, .941, .918 and .909. Toronto has won three of those four games and the team seems to be playing a confident game where they don’t have to worry about their goaltender letting in the first couple shots of every game. Andersen is fitting in well and with the addition of another defensemen or two, the Leafs are going to be doing more than hearing some chatter about making the playoffs.
Thanks for reading, have a great weekend.