The Toronto Maple Leafs were back in action last night against the Philadelphia Flyers. It wasn’t the most eventful game to start, but the pace of play quickened as they entered the third period and into overtime. This game felt a lot like last season. Toronto was down but not out, as they managed to tie the game late in the third, and picked up the extra point in overtime as Easton Cowan buried a pass from John Tavares.
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It is safe to say that last night’s overtime was by far the most exciting one of the season, potentially across the entire NHL. There were a number of scoring chances, including a Trevor Zegras breakaway, a Matvei Michkov shot on a cross-crease play, and we even saw Morgan Rielly flying across the goalmouth to keep the puck out. It was an all-around good win by the Maple Leafs, and there is a lot to unpack from it, so let’s get to some of the key takeaways from the game.
Point Streak Extended
The Maple Leafs have had an insane run to start the New Year. With the win last night against the Flyers, they have extended their point streak to eight games and are 6-0-2 over that stretch. This win now moves them to six games over .500 and just two points out of a wild-card spot in the East. It also puts them just seven points behind the Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings, who are tied for the lead in the Atlantic. An interesting note after last night’s win is that the Maple Leafs currently sit ninth in the Eastern Conference based on points percentage. That also puts them just one point behind the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights, who share the lead in the Pacific with 50 points.
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This season has been a struggle at times. Heck, it still is. They are decimated with injuries and are without one of their best players in William Nylander, their starting goalie Anthony Stolarz, and their best defensemen in Chris Tanev and Jake McCabe. But somehow, over the last eight games, they are finding ways to win or at least push games to overtime. Whatever they are doing, it is working, and hopefully it keeps working as they look to find themselves in a playoff spot very soon.
Hildeby Deserves a Permanent Role in the NHL
When this season is over and Leafs Nation reflects on how it played out, many are going to point to the goaltending and how it helped stabilize things. That is largely due to Joseph Woll and Dennis Hildeby, who have steadied the crease in Stolarz’s absence. But this season has also shown something else. Hildeby is no longer just a developing prospect and should be given a permanent role in the NHL with this club.
At this point, no one truly knows how long Stolarz is going to be out of the lineup. But when he comes back, it will force the Maple Leafs to make a tough decision about Hildeby’s future. Needless to say, he shouldn’t be sent down. He should remain with the NHL club, even if that means using a three-goalie system. It wouldn’t be the worst idea, especially considering the injury history of both Woll and Stolarz.
That said, it does crowd the crease, and that can cause some tension. The most likely option is that he gets sent down and joins the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League. There is also a world where they trade him or one of their three goalies to improve the roster elsewhere. Regardless, it is clear he is NHL ready, and his emergence this season may prove that the team committed to some contracts a little too early.
Laughton Shines in Return to Philly
It was an emotional night for Maple Leafs forward Scott Laughton, who made his return to Philadelphia for the first time since being traded last season. It looked like it took him a bit to get into the game, especially after the video tribute he received. But once he was locked in, he became the pest most teams hate to play against.
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He was fantastic. He scored the game-tying goal in the third period and went 19-1 in the faceoff circle. That is a 95 percent faceoff rate, the best in a single game this season with a minimum of 18 draws taken. He was winning them everywhere, in all three zones, and in overtime it may have been one of the best faceoff performances NHL fans have seen all season.
To add to an already impressive night, he played 3:57 shorthanded. The biggest moment came when the Maple Leafs took back-to-back penalties and gave the Flyers a 5-on-3 in the third period. That was when he scored his shorthanded goal to tie the game 1-1. He capped it off by not losing a single defensive-zone draw, going 14-0. Just an all-around impressive performance from Laughton in his much-anticipated return to Philly.
