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TSN Toronto Maple Leafs Reporter

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The Toronto Maple Leafs got Auston Matthews back in the lineup on Saturday night in Montreal and carried right on with their winning ways, topping the Canadiens 6-0 for their sixth straight win. It was the second time in as many games Toronto has blanked an opponent, and the first time they’ve shutout Montreal since Feb. 9, 2013. The victory also marked the longest winning streak of Mike Babcock’s three-year tenure with the club; Toronto last posted a six-game win streak in Dec. 2014. The Leafs now move to 14-7-0 on the season. 

 

Takeaways

Start strong, end strong

Toronto scored first in 14 of their first 20 games leading into Saturday night, and had a 10-4-0 record when they got on the board first. After a goalless first frame, it was a former first-round draft pick of the Canadiens - Ron Hainsey - who tallied the game’s opening marker in the second. The score marked Hainsey’s first as a Leaf in 42 regular season games, dating back to Feb. 4, 2017. Just 37 seconds later, Nazem Kadri scored his 10th of the season and extended Toronto’s lead to 2-0. When the Leafs are leading after the end of the season period, they’re a perfect 7-0-0 on the season. From there, the Leafs opened the floodgates, finishing the night with goals from five different skaters. Connor Brown needed just 25 seconds of time in third period to pot his eighth goal of the season. Brown averages less playing time per game than Toronto’s top-six forwards, but is now tied for third on the team in goals and went 4-for-7 in the face-off dot on Saturday. Auston Matthews added two goals in the third period and James van Riemsdyk tallied another to help put the Canadiens away.

Matthews returns to new look 

The Leafs barely missed a beat while Matthews was out with an upper-body injury, posting a 4-0-0 record and showing off a much improved defensive game. So as soon as he was cleared to get back in, Matthews wasted little time making his presence felt again. About midway through the second period, Babcock blended his lines despite Toronto already leading 2-0 and Matthews ended up between Mitch Marner and Matt Martin. The change sparked strong results from the trio, culminating in two goals for Matthews. Martin and Marner both assisted on his first goal and Marner tallied the helper on his second as well. Saturday was Matthews’ eighth career two-goal game and extended his team-lead in points to 21. While usually among Toronto’s best possession players, Matthews finished in the middle of the pack at 44 per cent – while Marner finished at 39 per cent – but they made good use of the offensive zone time they carved out. Babcock had said previously he didn’t want to keep Matthews and Marner on the same line because he believed they could both drive their own lines, but seeing the success they were able to generate it seems like a duo to pursue further. 

Unstoppable Andersen

Since Andersen decided to make some changes to his game after a narrow victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Nov. 6, the netminder has found another level of his game. On Saturday, he recorded his second straight shutout (while also adding an assist) and he’s now gone more than 130 minutes since last giving up a goal to the Boston Bruins’ David Pastrnak on Nov. 10. He recorded consecutive shutouts just once last season, from Jan. 23-25, and it’s the third time in his career that Andersen has recorded a shutout and an assist. The Canadiens didn’t make it easy on Andersen to keep them off the scoresheet; he faced a barrage of shots early in the game as the Leafs struggled to get even one shot on goal until over six minutes into the game. But regardless of how acrobatic the stop had to be, Andersen was up to the task, and his strategy of being more aggressive on the puck continues to pay off. Once Toronto found its groove offensively, Andersen’s workload lessened – he faced 26 shots over the first two periods and just seven in the third – but the Leafs have said they take confidence from Andersen early in games when he’s performing well and that was on display again. Andersen finished with 33 saves, the fourth straight game he’s faced more than 30 shots on goal. 

Power’s off

Toronto may be on a hot streak offensively, but they’re leaving points on the table where their power play is concerned. That unit once again had a poor outing, going 0-for-3 with five shots on goal against Montreal’s penalty kill that’s ranked 28th in the league. The Leafs have now gone two straight games without a man advantage goal and they’re 4-for-31 (12.9 per cent) over these last 12 games. Seeing Babcock’s willingness to adjust his forward lines even when the Leafs were winning, it may also be time for him to shake up these units and try to find chemistry in new combinations. Their early-season success scoring eight power play goals in four games has them still sitting in the top-six in the league in overall power play percentage (22.7 per cent) but there haven’t been consistent signs of life from that group in some time. 

Next game

The Leafs return home to face the Arizona Coyotes on Monday.