Last night, the Toronto Maple Leafs continued their Western road trip with a stop in Calgary to face the Flames. They were coming off a thrilling 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday (Feb. 2). However, they had to do it without Mitch Marner, who was sidelined with an undisclosed injury. There was some good news, though—Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who left the game against the Oilers, was able to play. The Maple Leafs left Calgary with a 6-3 victory, led by William Nylander and their power play. With that, let’s dive into some key takeaways from the game on Feb. 4.
Power Play Looks Good
The Maple Leafs’ power play (PP) has been one of the most talked-about aspects of their season. Simply put, it hasn’t been good enough. However, since Jan. 15, they have had the best PP in the league. They have scored a power-play goal in four straight games, and now that they’re playing with confidence, they look dangerous. Last night alone, they scored two PP goals—one from Nylander and another from John Tavares—less than a minute apart with ease. They also had more than 10 shots on their four power plays, a good sign as they head down the stretch.
It has been a long time coming, but the power play finally looks like it could catch fire and go on a lengthy streak. The only challenge is the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off, which will pause the NHL season for two weeks after Saturday (Feb. 8). The hope is that when they return, the power play remains as sharp as it has been lately. However, that isn’t something the team needs to stress about right now.
Nylander Scores 3 in His Birth Town
Yes, that’s right—Nylander’s birth town is Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He was born there when his father, Michael Nylander, played for the Flames from 1996-98. However, he only lived there for two years before his family moved when his dad left the organization. Another fun fact—he had never scored at the Saddledome in his career until last night. He entered the game with 13 points against the Flames but had yet to find the back of the net in Calgary. That changed when he netted a hat trick, only the second of his career. His last hat trick came exactly eight years ago today on Feb. 4, 2017, against the Boston Bruins.
Leafs Nation knows Nylander will be crucial to the team’s playoff success. He has been a difference-maker in recent postseasons, and if he can stay this consistent, he should be primed for a big playoff run—one that could help carry the Maple Leafs to their first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 1967.
McMann & Knies Provide Secondary Scoring
Bobby McMann went from an undrafted rookie who signed an AHL contract with the Toronto Marlies to a legitimate power forward for the Maple Leafs. With his perfectly placed snipe last night, he now has 16 goals on the year, a career high, and is on pace for 26 goals. If he hadn’t missed seven games, he’d be on pace for 29 over a full 82-game season. That’s not only an incredible journey to becoming an everyday NHLer, but he’s also shaping up to be a player who could help decide a playoff series—something the Maple Leafs lacked last year against the Boston Bruins.
Related: Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews Playing in 600th Career Game
As for Matthew Knies, he poked home a loose puck after an Auston Matthews deke, giving him 20 goals on the season. While he wasn’t an undrafted rookie, he did fall out of the first round before the Maple Leafs selected him in the second. He has proven to be another valuable power forward for Toronto, adding much-needed secondary scoring to the top six while playing alongside the team’s stars.
To put things into perspective, both McMann and Knies are providing critical secondary scoring. The Maple Leafs’ top six goal scorers account for 75% of the team’s total goals, meaning they need more production from players outside of Matthews, Nylander, Tavares, and Marner. So far, Knies and McMann have combined for 36 goals, an important boost for a team pushing to win the Atlantic Division.
Looking Ahead
The Maple Leafs will now travel to Seattle to take on the Kraken on Thursday, Feb. 6, in a late 10:00 p.m. EST start.
