Columnist image

TSN Toronto Maple Leafs Reporter

| Archive

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ offence got rolling in a big way on Thursday night, ushering the team to a resounding 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars heading into the NHL All-Star Break. Feeding off the momentum from a win in Chicago the night before, it was the first time Toronto has won consecutive games since Jan. 4-6. The Leafs improve to 28-18-5 on the season.

TAKEAWAYS

Back-to-back battle

After finishing off the Chicago Blackhawks in overtime on Wednesday, the Leafs faced a tough turnaround in travelling to Dallas and taking on the red-hot Stars the following night. The Leafs had a good jump early, getting off to a far superior start than they did against Chicago. In a first period with few quality scoring chances to speak of, Nazem Kadri got Toronto on the board first with a lead they wouldn’t relinquish – a first for the Leafs since they last won a game by multiple goals on Dec. 28 in Arizona (7-4). The second and third periods led to major possession dips for the Leafs, down to 36 and 37 per cent respectively, as the Stars’ offence pressed hard, but Toronto showed poise in sticking to their structure and not letting fatigue set in. Carrying a 3-1 lead into the third period, the Leafs had demons to slay, given their recent struggles holding onto advantages in the final frame. In four of their last five losses, Toronto had seen leads disappear with sloppy play and poor defensive decision-making, but in Dallas the visitors kept pushing and even added an insurance marker from Auston Matthews early in the period. All the details the Leafs had talked about wanting to implement that would help them put teams away came to fruition against the Stars, which was just the confidence boost they needed heading into the All-Star Break. With the victory, Toronto won their first back-to-back games since Dec. 9-10 against Pittsburgh and Edmonton. It was also the 17th win Toronto has earned this season when being outshot by an opponent (40-29). 

Return of the Mac

Curtis McElhinney had to wait 36 days and 15 games between his last start on Dec. 20 in Columbus and taking over the net from Frederik Andersen in Dallas on Thursday. McElhinney had been scheduled to start on a back-to-back in Colorado on Dec. 29, but an injury in the morning skate the day before in Arizona forced the Leafs to recall Calvin Pickard for that game instead. Needless to say, the long layoff left McElhinney extra motivated to perform, especially considering he’d lost two of his last three starts in December. And did he ever deliver, turning in his best performance of the season. McElhinney’s teammates gave him some help early to ease him into the game by limiting the Stars’ chances with good play through the neutral zone and holding Dallas to four shots through the first 12 minutes of the game. From there, the Stars started pressing in earnest, forcing McElhinney to make some sharp saves while under siege. He thwarted Dallas’ top-line centre Tyler Seguin late in the opening frame (and would do so throughout the night) looking more confident with each tough stop. McElhinney continually tracked pucks well and was aggressive on the disc against the Stars’ high-powered first line, even making an impressive save on a two-on-one late in the second. But Seguin finally broke through late the middle frame to get Dallas on the board. Jake Gardiner made a poor defensive play, allowing Alex Radulov to strip the puck below the goal line and feed Seguin in front. In the third period, Dallas was the better team but McElhinney shut the door, including on a late power-play chance and a pair of sprawling saves in the last five minutes. He finished with 39 saves.  

Welcome back, Kadri

Nazem Kadri’s 20-game scoring drought, which ran between Dec. 2 and Jan. 22 when he tallied just one goal and one assist, has officially come to an end. After tallying a power-play goal on Wednesday against Chicago to get warmed up, Kadri exploded offensively in Dallas. His new-look line with Patrick Marleau and Mitch Marner that debuted against the Blackhawks was strong for the Leafs once again, setting up Kadri’s opening goal in the first period. He used both his defensive and offensive acumen on the play, staying patient in the Leafs’ end before jumping into the rush, and finishing off a pass from Marner in front of Ben Bishop to put Toronto up 1-0. Kadri’s goal marked the first time he’d scored in consecutive games since Nov. 28-30, after which his cold streak of one goal in 20 games began. Then in the second period, Kadri capitalized on the power play again, banking a shot off Mattias Janmark and fooling Bishop with the re-direct. It was Kadri’s third multi-goal game of the season, his first since Nov. 6. Playing with Marner has opened up chances for Kadri at even strength and he’s seemed to draw confidence from that. Rather than playing a give-and-go game with Marleau or Leo Komarov, Kadri can get into scoring areas while Marner’s elite playmaking ability sets things up and feeds Kadri around the net. That line generated some dominant shifts for Toronto with a combined six shots on goal. Leafs head coach Mike Babcock had pledged when he blended his lines on Tuesday that he would move Komarov back to Kadri’s wing when the Leafs return home next week, but it’s hard to argue with the results that the trio has produced on the road, and the burgeoning chemistry they’ve shown. 

Play on, playmaker

It’s no secret William Nylander’s sophomore season hasn’t been the smoothest ride, but he was on fire through Toronto’s back-to-back. Nylander literally had the game on his stick in a penalty shot opportunity against Chicago that he buried with a slick backhand move to secure the win, and the Swede picked up where he left off in Dallas. Spying a two-on-one chance opening right after the Leafs’ successful penalty kill early in the second period, Nylander got the play rolling through the neutral zone and fired an initial shot on Bishop as Zach Hyman drove towards the net and buried the rebound. In the third period, it was Nylander again starting things off, and then laying a perfect pass on Matthews’ tape so he could send home his 22nd of the season and extend the Leafs’ lead to 4-1. Nylander only got better as the third period wore on, playing relatively well on both sides of the puck as his line took on the Stars’ tough top-line matchup. Matthews’ group had the puck more in the final frame as well which helped their cause to a degree, but Dallas dominated the final 10 minutes and Matthews’ line finished with 35 per cent possession. Thursday was Nylander’s first two-assist game since Nov. 30 against Edmonton and first multi-point contest since Dec. 28. 

Keeping Kapanen?

Along with where Komarov will land after the weekend break, there’s a question for the Leafs as to whether Kasperi Kapanen has done enough to warrant staying with the big club and remain in the lineup ahead of Matt Martin. For a team that’s been lacking speed and pace of late, Kapanen has certainly added that element to the fourth line on the back-to-back, even if he’s not nearly a fourth-line talent. More often than not, Kapanen is producing positive plays on the ice and elevating the Leafs’ offence. He has also honed his skills as a penalty killer in the American Hockey League and is relentless on the puck in his short-handed opportunities; he created a terrific two-on-one scoring chance on the penalty kill in the second period with Connor Brown that narrowly missed producing a goal for Toronto. Against the Stars, Kapanen’s line with Komarov and Dominic Moore produced the most offensive zone time for the Leafs at 52 per cent. Toronto already believes they have an everyday NHLer in Kapanen and he’s kept answering the bell in every call-up to show them why. 

Next game

Toronto will be off until after the All-Star Break, resuming game action on Wednesday when they host the New York Islanders.