Minggu, 24 Desember 2023

Maple Leafs vs. Blue Jackets observations: Auston Matthews scores again. And again - The Athletic

Toronto’s star forwards put on a show.

A strong response was expected following an embarrassing 9-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, and the Leafs’ big four forwards showed up in a major way. Mitch Marner set up Auston Matthews for two one-timer goals, and John Tavares added a highlight-reel goal of his own. The team’s defensive play still left something to be desired early on, but Martin Jones was perfect in a busy first period.

The Leafs showed they can overcome plenty of defensive issues when their star forwards show up. William Nylander wasn’t quite as dominant early, but still found a way to pick up a couple assists before putting the game out of reach with a short-handed goal in the third period.

The Leafs took home a 4-1 victory, and they fully deserved the two points.

Three stars

1. Auston Matthews

We’re all witnessing greatness. Matthews extended his goal streak to seven games just eight minutes in, blasting a one-timer past Daniil Tarasov:

He had a good chance off a deflection in his first shift, and later made this defensive play to break up a potential high-danger chance:

Matthews drew a penalty to put the Leafs on the power play in the second, and he and Marner soon teamed up to score nearly the exact same goal as his first:

He’s incredible to watch lately.

2. Mitch Marner

Sheldon Keefe reunited Marner with Matthews, and the duo made him look like a genius. Marner played a big role on the opening goal, as he intercepted a pass, went for a spin in the offensive zone, then made a perfect pass to Matthews. He teed up Matthews for goal No. 2 with another excellent pass in the second, and also set up Morgan Rielly and Matthew Knies for a pair of good chances. His line was dominant, and he came close to scoring here:

3. John Tavares

It sure is nice having a second No. 1 pick in the centre depth chart. Toronto’s captain looked like he was playing for the Oshawa Generals again, scoring a gorgeous second-period goal on a fantastic individual effort:

He didn’t exactly dominate at five-on-five, but this was a game-breaking play few can make.

Plenty of competition for the three stars

It was difficult to find three strong performers in Toronto’s last game against Buffalo. It was the complete opposite tonight, as there was a long list of players who deserved some extra recognition. Morgan Rielly came out buzzing, setting up Matthews for a deflection in his first shift, then setting up Marner for another great chance moments later. He was back alongside T.J. Brodie, and looked like the dynamic offensive defenceman that he’s paid to be.

Martin Jones also deserves plenty of praise, and his strong play was much needed given the team’s shaky goaltending efforts of late. The Blue Jackets had 14 shots in the first alone, and he could have easily given up one or two. Justin Danforth finally beat him to start the second, but it was a breakaway goal rather than a soft one. Danforth had another breakaway opportunity moments later, but Jones stood tall, and the Leafs then controlled the game for the vast majority of the second. He finished with 27 saves on 28 shots.

Matthew Knies’ effort on the forecheck helped lead to Matthews’ first goal, and Nylander racked up three points. Both officials were deserving as well, as the whistle went in Toronto’s favour at least a little bit.

Matthews is on the hunt for another Hart Trophy

The Leafs are now 17-8-6. It hasn’t been perfect, as their goaltending has struggled, their fourth line is getting caved in regularly, and their defensive play is mediocre at best. Despite these struggles, it’s hard to lose all that often when you have a player with 28 goals in 30 games. What Matthews is doing to start the season is nothing short of incredible, and he’s a treat to watch on a nightly basis. He wins puck battles, pitches in defensively, kills penalties, generates zone entries, sets up his teammates for plenty of chances, and still hasn’t taken a single penalty this season.

His ability to score at five-on-five is unparalleled, and it’s crazy to think that he could challenge his career high of 60 goals in a season. I expected him to be a star when the Leafs drafted him at No. 1 in 2016, but he’s exceeded all expectations and then some. His dominance is the biggest story in the league right now.

Tons of star power combined with mediocre depth

Toronto’s most expensive players were their best players. That’s generally a good thing, especially when your goaltender has a great effort as well. While the team had a strong performance overall, if you’re wondering why the final grade isn’t an A-plus, it’s because the rest of the roster didn’t exactly look excellent. Tyler Bertuzzi, who usually wins his minutes by expected-goals percentage, did not come close to doing so. The third line didn’t create much offensively, though they didn’t give up a ton either. All three players on the fourth line took a penalty, and Jake McCabe was burned for a breakaway goal. Sometimes you need your best players to be your best players, and they were just that.

Game score

Final grade: A-

Sheldon Keefe was probably hoping for a stellar defensive effort following the 9-3 loss against Buffalo. Things did not go exactly as planned, as the first period was a track meet, but Matthews and Tavares proved to be better at capitalizing than Columbus’ top forwards. Jones isn’t Andrei Vasilevskiy, so exchanging plenty of scoring chances might not be the perfect long-term strategy, but the Leafs were due for a strong goaltending performance.

The Tavares line was caved in a little bit, yet both Tavares and Nylander still found a way to score. The top line was excellent, and everyone was saved from having to hear the cannon go off at Nationwide Arena all that often. The Leafs look like the Edmonton Oilers teams from previous seasons at times, with star talent mixed with iffy defensive play and goaltending, but it feels like there’s nothing Matthews can’t do at this point. Overall, this was a strong game for Keefe’s team.

What’s next for the Leafs?

A holiday break, then the Ottawa Senators at home on Wednesday at 7 p.m. on Sportsnet.

(Photo: Jason Mowry / Getty Images)

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2023-12-24 19:21:50Z
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