As the Toronto Maple Leafs head into the All-Star break after two back-to-back wins against the Winnipeg Jets, they are now sitting in the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The team has also played fewer games than any of the other teams in the postseason, which bodes well for them going forward.
In this post, I’ll review the top five scorers on the team heading into the All-Star break.
Maple Leafs’ Leading Scorer: William Nylander
Leading the team in scoring is William Nylander (right-winger). He has 61 points on 23 goals and 38 assists. Interestingly, his shooting percentage is moderately low (at 11.7%) compared to Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Because Nylander is playing on the penalty kill more, his average ice time (ATOI) has jumped to over 20 minutes (20:10). He also has 12 points on the power play, where he’s been quite effective.
Maple Leafs’ Second Leading Scorer: Auston Matthews
Second in team scoring is Matthews (center). He’s scored 58 points with 40 goals and 18 assists. Compared to Nylander, Matthews’ shooting percentage is very high (at 20.2%). Also, similar to Nylander, Matthews’ ATOI is high (at 21:14). He has 10 power-play points and a better-than-average faceoff-win percentage of 53%. What makes Matthews so strong on the offensive end of the ice is his exceptional goal-scoring ability, his high shooting percentage, and a good faceoff performance.
Maple Leafs’ Third Leading Scorer: Mitch Marner
Marner (right-winger) is the third-highest Maple Leafs scorer. He has 53 points on 20 goals and 33 assists. He also has a relatively high shooting percentage at 16.9%. Like Nylander and Matthews, he has a high ATOI (of 21:24). He leads the team in power-play points with 14. Marner is notable for his balanced scoring, and he is effective both on the power play and as a mainstay on the penalty kill.
Maple Leafs’ Fourth Leading Scorer: Morgan Rielly
Morgan Rielly (defence) ranks fourth in Maple Leafs scoring. With John Tavares’ recent scoring drought, Rielly passed the second-line center to move into fourth place with 40 points, on seven goals and 33 assists. His shooting percentage seems relatively low at 5.7%; however, the average shooting percentage for NHL defensemen typically falls in the range of 2%-5%.
So, he’s above average for his position. Rielly averages 24:19 TOI and surprisingly has 13 power-play points. He makes a significant offensive contribution from the blue line, and he eats up minutes.
Maple Leafs’ Fifth Leading Scorer: John Tavares
Tavares (center) is ranked in the team’s top five in scoring with 35 points on 13 goals and 22 assists. One reason for Tavares’ drop in scoring is that his shooting percentage is a poor 7.5% this season (he has a 12.8% over his career). He also doesn’t get as much TOI as the four players ranked above him in scoring (only 18:18 in comparison).
Related: Ex-Maple Leafs’ Defenseman Jake Gardiner: Where Is He Now?
Tavares has six power-play points. However, he shines in the faceoff circle – at 61.9%, he has the highest rate in the NHL for players in the top 15 of faceoffs won. While he has fallen off since his quick start to the season, he still provides consistent offence.
Observations About the Top-Five Players in Maple Leafs Scoring
The Maple Leafs have well-distributed offensive production from their top players, combining goal-scoring and playmaking abilities. Although not as good this season as last, the power play is a significant source of points for these players, which emphasizes the team’s effectiveness with the man advantage.
With his 40 goals on the season, Matthews stands out, not only leading the team in goals but also putting up a remarkable shooting percentage. He is also (at this point) three goals up on the surprising Sam Reinhart (who has 37 goals thus far) in the Rocket Richard Trophy race.
Potential Areas for Improvement for the Maple Leafs Scorers
While Tavares stands out for his faceoff percentage, if he could improve his shooting percentage, he could have a higher goal-scoring impact. Nylander was running away with the scoring race but has slowed a bit since his torrid start to the season. If he can pick up his scoring again, that would also help the team.
These observations provide a snapshot of the Maple Leafs’ top scorers. It will be interesting to see how these players continue to perform in the second half of the season.
