The Toronto Maple Leafs needed this game badly. After losing to the Philadelphia Flyers, they needed to come out strong and win the second half of the back-to-back against the Washington Capitals. The game against the Flyers may have been one of the worst games that they have played since the year changed. This should only mean that the team comes out swinging, and that is what they did.
Auston Matthews scored 16 seconds into the game to give his club the early lead. This is also the fastest goal that he has scored in his career, on a slick feed from Max Domi. The Maple Leafs came out in the second almost as fast as they did in the first. Just under a minute into the second frame, William Nylander ripped a puck top shelf to give them a 2-0 lead. It can’t be a Maple Leafs vs. Capitals game without Alex Ovechkin finding the back of the net, can it? He was able to find space on the power play and rip a one-timer past Joseph Woll, who was playing in his first game in almost two weeks. Matthews saw what he was able to do and decided to try and one-up him, scoring his second of the night for a 3-1 lead.
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The Capitals brought their team back within one, and after Matthews’ hat-trick goal was called back due to an offside call on Tyler Bertuzzi, the game stayed 3-2. In the third, the game blew open; the Maple Leafs were able to score four times, and Ovechkin added another one, but the Maple Leafs came out on top 7-3.
Maple Leafs Bounce Back
After the game against the Flyers, it wouldn’t be hard to do better against the Capitals. They were awful and needed a full team effort to bounce back and collect two points. Which is exactly what happened; all four lines were running like a well-oiled machine. Their defence was good, closing gaps and getting into lanes to block shots, and of course, Woll was as solid as he had been all season. They even had a few moments where they came out on top in scrums after the whistle. Team toughness is new to this team, but down the stretch, they have shown that they won’t back down to anyone. One player who has broken out this season is Bobby McMann, and it showed last night that his confidence is sky-high. He was able to find the back of the net again for his 11th goal of the season.
Simon Benoit continues to impress and has proven why he should be one of the six that start the playoffs on the blue line. He has been a feel-good story this season, but he is also a player who works hard and does the little things well. He may not have as good of a first pass as T.J. Brodie, but he has been better defensively than Brodie this season and deserves a spot in the lineup. Conor Timmons also replaced the aforementioned Brodie, who was listed as a healthy scratch, which is something I’ve been clamouring for for some time this season. He needs some time to watch the game from a different perspective, which should allow him to find his game a bit more. Overall, the team played very well last night and hopes to carry that momentum with them into the next back-to-back this weekend.
New Top Line?
Who would have thought that the top line of the Maple Leafs would have been Domi, Bertuzzi, and Matthews? Not me, but it is, and it has been working well. Now, keep in mind that the reason for this is because Mitch Marner is injured, but this could be something head coach Sheldon Keefe keeps in his back pocket. Domi sees the ice so well; his vision and passing ability are very good, and it showed playing alongside Matthews last night. They were making small passes to each other in the offensive zone that kept the cycle going, which eventually would lead to a scoring chance. Then, when you add Bertuzzi in front of the net, battling to provide a screen, it just flows so well together.
Last night, Matthews had two goals and three assists for five points, Domi had four assists, and Bertuzzi had a goal. Together, that line had 10 points, which is very impressive, considering this was the first time this line was given an entire game to play together. Unfortunately, Bertuzzi was dealing with something and had to miss the first 10 minutes, so his replacement was McMann, who helped keep the puck alive on the first goal. Other than that, this line was together and just out-battled their opponent and was hands down the best line on the ice. It makes you wonder: if this line clicks in the next few games, will they stay together when Marner returns? I’d think no, and in that case, Keefe should try Bertuzzi on the second line with Nylander and Tavares and leave Domi on the top line.
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The reason for that is that Domi and Marner already have chemistry from their days in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the London Knights, and now we know Domi and Matthews and Marner and Matthews have chemistry, so giving them a chance to play together would be worth it.
Overall, the Maple Leafs battled back and outworked the Capitals. This is the exact response that you want from a team that was embarrassed against the Flyers just 24 hours before.
The Maple Leafs are next in action on Saturday, March 23, against the Edmonton Oilers at 7:00 p.m., which is their last game against a Western Conference team.
