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TSN Toronto Maple Leafs Reporter

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In their first game since clinching a playoff spot while idle of Thursday night, the Maple Leafs didn’t exactly bring their best stuff against the New York Islanders on Friday. But in a game with five lead changes and plenty of odd-man rushes, Toronto did enough to take down the Islanders, 5-4, and surpass the 100-point threshold on the season. 

Takeaways

Men on a mission

When it comes to players on a hot streak offensively for Toronto, Mitch Marner, James van Riemsdyk and Auston Matthews would all find themselves at the top of the list. And they kept those high-scoring ways alive with a combined three-goal, four point performance against the Islanders.

Marner got things started by tallying his 27th power play point of the season with an assist on Nazem Kadri’s first period power play goal, a perfectly timed dish that Kadri was able to deflect high over the top of Christopher Gibson. Marner’s playmaking is unparalleled in Toronto’s lineup, and he used it again to make a terrific pass to Patrick Marleau off the rush early in the second period, but Gibson came up with the big-time stop. So Marner got the job done himself, scoring the Leafs’ third goal off a deflection to tie the game 3-3 late in the middle frame. It was Marner’s 14th goal and 34th point in his last 25 games, a span that includes his current career-long 11-game point streak.

Marner is just the third Leafs’ player in the last 20 years to record a point in 11 consecutive games. There is no accounting for the difference confidence can make for a young player like Marner, and his switch from a singular pass-first mentality has opened up shooting lanes that not only amplify his playmaking ability, but also opens up scoring chances of his own. Marner had a team-high five shots on goal against New York, with 53 per cent possession. 

Not to be outdone by his good friend, though, was van Riemsdyk. When the Leafs were looking for their first lead of the night in the third period, van Riemsdyk was only too happy to oblige when he buried a rebound from the slot in front of Gibson to make it a 4-3 Toronto advantage. That was van Riemsdyk’s 10th goal, and 13th point, in his last nine games. Since March 1, van Riemsdyk is now tied for third in goals scored among all NHLers. He ended up with four shots on goal and 52 per cent possession. 

Waiting in the wings with the game-winner for Toronto though was Auston Matthews, who’s last meeting with the Islanders on February 22 caused him to suffer a shoulder injury that stole 10 games from his season. Matthews finished off a terrific feed from William Nylander late in the third period to seal the victory for Toronto, while also extending his five-game point streak since returning from that shoulder ailment. Matthews’ line with Nylander and Zach Hyman finished Friday’s game with a team-high 80 per cent possession.

In a back-and-forth affair like Friday’s, with lead changes and a real lack of sustained momentum on either side, the Leafs needed their big players to step up, and that’s what they got from their trio of streaking forwards. 

Challenge in challenging

Earlier this week, Mike Babcock said that when the Leafs played the Buffalo Sabres on Monday, he didn’t like the decision to unsuccessfully challenge Casey Nelson’s goal for goaltender interference. In Babcock’s own words, he only wants to challenge “when it’s right.” On Friday, there was an early change for Babcock to show just what qualified now as the correct time to challenge for goalie interference, only to find that once again, it wasn’t. Frederik Andersen was great to start the opening frame, robbing Cal Clutterbuck and Ross Johnston in rapid succession with stops that looked a whole lot like the Vezina Trophy contender Andersen was praised as in the winter.

Then later in the frame, Jordan Eberle hit Andersen in the crease, and the netminder remained sitting on the ice as play carried on and failed to recover in time to stop Anthony Beauvilier from scoring the game’s first goal. It looked as though Andersen was waiting for a penalty against Eberle that never came, since he seemingly had several seconds to get back up and in position before Beauvilier shot the puck in.

Babcock decided to challenge for interference anyway, and it didn’t take long for the Leafs to see their timeout disappear. Babcock was clearly irate on the bench afterwards, but whether that was over the decision itself to challenge or the call was tough to discern. 

The rest of the way, Andersen looked more average than award-worthy in a 29-save performance. He’s given up three or more goals now in four of his last five starts, which isn’t where the Leafs ideally want to see their starter so close to playoffs. But the win was his 37th of the season, tying the franchise record for most victories by a goalie in a single season. Babcock said prior to Friday’s game Andersen may get a scheduled start off before the postseason begins as well, which could help keep him fresh for what’s next.

Kill or be killed

Having a playoff berth already wrapped up offers Babcock some flexibility with regards to his lineup over the next week, particularly when it comes to resting his most veteran players.

On Friday, Babcock opted to sit Tomas Plekanec and Roman Polak and replace them with regular healthy scratches Dominic Moore and Connor Carrick. Even if the spot was only temporary, injuries can happen, and when they do, Moore and Carrick are among Toronto’s extras who will want to get the call. In Moore’s case, he committed one of the cardinal sins for a player vying for his coach’s good graces - taking an offensive zone penalty that the other team capitalizes on with a power play goal.

Moore’s tripping minor came just after Kadri had scored six seconds into Toronto’s first man advantage opportunity to tie the game 1-1, putting limited momentum firmly on their side. Johnny Boychuk ended that in a hurry with his sixth goal of the season, and Moore returned to the bench looking dejected. After that, Moore was essentially benched, taking just two shifts in the second period. It was the first power play goal the Leafs had given up in their last three games.

Boychuk’s goal wasn’t the only one the Leafs allowed while down a man - a delayed penalty to Marner in the second period gave Brock Nelson the opportunity to restore the Islanders’ lead less than three minutes after a Nikita Zaitsev deflection had tied it once again. And in the third period, a penalty to Connor Brown put Toronto back on the kill, and Moore and Kasperi Kapanen were trapped on the ice when John Tavares evened the score.

While no penalty is a good one, Marner and Brown don’t have to sweat their standing with the Leafs, while any trip-ups by a bubble player like Moore could be costly if and when Toronto is forced into make a lineup change down the road. Moore took only five shifts total after his first period infraction, clocking 4:31 at 5-on-5, and didn’t even register a possession percentage.  

Leafs need more from Nikita

Zaitsev has been in desperate need of a little good karma, and he potentially found some in scoring his first goal since November 28 against the Islanders. The goal itself came off some great work by Auston Matthews along the board to fight off the Islanders attack and stay on the puck, which he was able to dish to Zaitsev for the marker that tied things up, 2-2.

The defenceman suffered a broken foot on December 15 and missed the next 17 games, only to return and struggle to recapture his game. Since stepping back into the lineup on Jan. 31, Zaitsev had amassed just two assists in 21 games prior to facing the Islanders, with a minus-one rating. On the season, his 47 per cent possession is worst among all Leafs’ blueliners, and second-worst among all skaters (Leo Komarov is at the bottom with 45 per cent).

Zaitsev was also sidelined earlier this month for another five games thanks to a bad flu that took three pounds off his frame and set the 26-year-old back once again. But even beyond the stats themselves, Zaitsev simply hasn’t looked like the dominant player Toronto needs him to be if they expect to make a run in the postseason.

Whether it’s confidence, conditioning or not recapturing chemistry with Jake Gardiner following his absences, it’s made for a rough second half of Zaitsev’s sophomore season, at even strength anyway.

Zaitsev has continued to play big minutes on the Leafs’ penalty kill, averaging the second-most minutes per game on the team (2:59) behind Ron Hainsey (3:56). These last four games going into the playoffs need to be important for Zaitsev, even if all they do is bolster confidence in his game. That could go a long way once Toronto’s second season begins. Zaitsev finished Friday’s game with a plus-two rating and 55 per cent possession. 

Next game

Toronto returns home to face the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday. ​