This is what the Maple Leafs have been missing in the Stanley Cup playoffs, year after disappointing year. Read More
This is what the Maple Leafs have been missing in the Stanley Cup playoffs, year after disappointing year. Great goaltending when the game and the result is on the line. Star performances from the largest salaried stars on the Leafs roster – the same players who are usually left to fruitlessly explain what went wrong
This is what the Maple Leafs have been missing in the Stanley Cup playoffs, year after disappointing year.
Great goaltending when the game and the result is on the line. Star performances from the largest salaried stars on the Leafs roster – the same players who are usually left to fruitlessly explain what went wrong at the end of too many seasons. A period of being outplayed – like the second period Wednesday night, like what happens in so many games – but finding a way to escape and not be outscored.
There is an historic template for winning at Stanley Cup time that isn’t necessarily pretty. You have to win puck battles. You have to take care of the front of your net. You have to play on the right side of the puck and the right side of the opposition.
And what happened on Wednesday night, against what was left of the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers playing without Sasha Barkov and Aaron Eklblad and Matthew Tkachuk and Dmitry Kulikov – all of them players off significance – was noteworthy this close to the Leafs ninth straight playoff season.
Yes, beating the Panthers 3-2 at the Scotiabank Arena mattered. What mattered more was how they beat them, what they’re big guys managed, what their stars did offensively and defensively, what looked apparent against a team that rarely cheats the game.
This is a win you file away, not just for the two points, not just for the personal statistics, but more than that from the way in which it was accomplished. Year after year, we have seen these Leafs, ousted in playoff games, eliminated by a team that was their equal, because the Big Four couldn’t match their salaries at the time of year they’re not paid to play.
On Wednesday night, Mitch Marner scored a goal on a fine assist from Auston Matthews, and then Marner dropping a long saucer onto Matthew Knies stick for a semi-breakaway goal to clinch the win.
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The game ended with two points from Marner, two from Knies, one from captain Matthews.
The two points for Marner were those big moment kind of plays, something he’s starting to become known for, something that came out of huge plays he made in the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament that have to provide the kind of confidence that’s difficult to capture in any other way.
The Marner moments – and there were many of them Wednesday night – were in both ends of the rink, in the first period and the second and most importantly late in the third. After setting up the third goal with a pass of immense skill, Marner played the part of pinball in the final minute, bouncing from side to side, jumping up and down on the ice, going high to his glove side to knock down a puck, falling into the ice after losing his balance, crazily reaching out to bat the puck along the ice and out of the Leafs zone.
Last year, the Leafs lost in overtime of Game 7 against the Boston Bruins because they didn’t these kind of plays. That was basically the last hurrah for that collapsing Bruins team. In the seven games Marner scored one goal in the series, never had more than one point in any game, wasn’t apparent and effective the way he was apparent against the Panthers.
Yeah it’s just one game, but it was a game that might decide first place The Leafs are now up four points on the champs. They’re in first place in the Atlantic Division, a place they’ve never before known in early April. The division is theirs so long as they find a way to close out what’s left of the regular season.
The Leafs trailed 1-0 in the second period. They tied up it up. The game easily could have seen Florida leading after two periods but John Tavares tipped a William Nylander slap pass past Sergei Bobrovsky to tie the game.
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That’s a goal for the red-hot Tavares, who scored just one goal in seven games against Boston last spring. The goal: $11-million dollar guy from $11-million dollar guy. The first goal: $11-million guy from $13-million dollar guy. This is why you have a Core Four. When they do this kind of thing, much as we haven’t seen it over the years.
Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube has been selling a way to play the game all season long. It doesn’t always work. It doesn’t always look right. It doesn’t always get the kind of effort necessary to ensure victory. And before this year, they had trouble playing this kind of game, they had trouble winning games they should have lost, like the game in Anaheim on the weekend.
“To win games, you have to do everything it takes,” said goaltender Anthony Stolarz, sounding like a cliche that isn’t. “We’re going to need that kind of sacrifice (in the playoffs). I’m liking what I’m seeing out of the boys right now.”
It was just one night and one win and one game, but the template is clear. This is what the Leafs have to do to succeed. First place now. Playoffs beginning in 16 days.
“We stuck with it,” said Marner. In other games against other teams at other times this one would have gotten away from them. Now they have a sense of understanding and with it a sense of purpose they haven’t known in years gone by.
ssimmons@postmedia.com
twitter.com/simmonssteve
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