After suffering a 4-3 overtime loss to the New York Islanders on Dec. 11, the Toronto Maple Leafs looked to get back into the win column on Dec. 12 against the New York Rangers. Ultimately, they succeeded in their goal, dominating the Blueshirts and defeating them by a 7-3 final score. This was a big win against one of the Eastern Conference’s best teams, and here are three main takeaways from the game now.
Matthews Stays Hot
Auston Matthews was a big reason why the Maple Leafs secured two points against the Rangers. The superstar center had an outstanding night, posting two goals, two assists, and a plus-3 rating. His first goal was significant, too, as he became the first player to hit 20 goals this season.
Matthews’ 20th goal of the season was a beauty, too. The 2016 first-overall pick received a nice feed from William Nylander and fired a perfectly placed wrist shot past Igor Shesterkin. He followed that up with two assists on both of Mitch Marner’s goals and then he got his second goal of the night late in the third period to give the Maple Leafs a 6-3 lead.
After this dominant four-point performance, Matthews has seven goals and four assists over his last seven games. With that, he has 21 goals and 32 points in 26 games on the season.
Marner & Maple Leafs’ Other Stars Show Up
While Matthews was the Maple Leafs’ top star of the game, he was not the only player who stepped up during this contest. The Maple Leafs had a spectacular game when it came to their offence, as several players throughout their lineup got on the scoresheet in this one.
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Marner had an excellent game, as he scored two goals and added an assist. Forward Calle Jarnkrok had a goal and an assist, while David Kampf scored his third goal in four games. With that, Nylander had a two-assist night, while Max Domi, Noah Gregor, and John Tavares each had an assist.
This kind of production is outstanding to see from the Maple Leafs, especially when noting that they did this against one of the best goalies in the sport in Shesterkin. The Maple Leafs got production not only from their stars but also from their depth players. If this trend continues, the Original Six club is going to be an extremely difficult team to beat.
Jones’ Solid First Start
While the Maple Leafs’ offence was the big story in this game, goaltender Martin Jones also deserves some praise. After performing well in relief for the Maple Leafs on Dec. 7, Jones had his first start as a Maple Leaf against the Rangers. In the end, it was a good night for the 33-year-old netminder, as he saved 28 out of 31 shots.
While Jones ran into some trouble in the second period, he bounced back nicely as the game went on and was perfect in the third. The Rangers did not make things easy on Jones, as they had 13 third-period shots as they tried to climb back into the game. However, thankfully for the Maple Leafs, Jones answered the bell and shut the door.
With Joseph Woll being out week-to-week because of an ankle injury, Jones is in a good position to show the Maple Leafs that he is still an NHL-caliber goaltender. Against the Rangers, he certainly looked like one, and he was another notable reason for the Maple Leafs’ win. Had he not been so sharp in the third period, there could have been a different final result.
Nevertheless, this was a big win for the Maple Leafs against a red-hot Rangers team. They will look to keep this momentum going when they take on the Columbus Blue Jackets on Dec. 14.
