The Maple Leafs will need to put in a lot of quality support role work for the Core Fore scorers if their bottom-six forwards continue to underperform on offense.
Like Wednesday’s incredible 5-4 victory over Dallas, where the big ticket players and fourth line plumbers contributed after the big names scored five points, three of which came on the power play, despite slumping Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi.
To counter the Stars’ constant rolling of all lines and Toronto’s limited goals from its third unit and restricted ice time for its fourth, the Leafs made a much-needed home decision by adding goaltending, penalty killing, and forechecking.
Max Domi (1-for-19) and Tyler Bertuzzi (one goal in his last 29 games) both squandered close-range opportunities that would have given coach Sheldon Keefe and the members of the bench a breather before needing a third-period comeback. However, the two forwards stated above were equally intense in a 5-on-5 contest. Keefe also had a competitive advantage over the Stars’ more experienced energy combination, despite having a patchwork fourth line that often sees little ice time.
“Those guys contributed a lot,” Keefe said of centre Pontus Holmberg and wingers Ryan Reaves and Bobby McMann. “That’s a deep team and no easy shifts against (Evgenii Dadonov, Radek Faksa and GTA insert Ty Dellandrea). I put them in some challenging spots, we trusted them and they gave a breather for the rest of the guys.”
That helped Mitch Marner and William Nylander notch even-strength goals 20 seconds apart after Dadonov scored on a penalty shot to tie the game 3-3 in the third period and silence Scotiabank Arena.
“We just wanted to get back to work, get back in their half (of the ice),” Marner said of the quick response. “We talk about it all the time. When other teams score against us, our bench does a good job of staying in the moment.”
And when the power play shows up, so does Toronto in the win column. Goals by Marner, John Tavares and then Tavares setting up Auston Matthews’ league-leading 41st, avenged a late loss to the New York Islanders on Monday when the stretch run to playoffs began.
That’s just the second time this season that the Leafs special teams have rung up that many in a game. The Stars could not run away with the game as they threatened to after the first period.
The Leafs have a 9-2 record in their previous 11 encounters with the Texas team that has consistently been a contender for the Stanley Cup, which is in the category of stuff science cannot explain.
Though Wyatt Johnston’s 6-on-5 goal with 1:25 remaining made it a thrilling game, Keefe remarked of the Leafs’ play in the final 40 minutes, “We needed to up our intensity, our urgency and the way we managed the puck.”
Two of the short-handed scoring breakaways were produced by all first-liners, including Matthew Knies and Nylander, off the same too-many-men penalty.
According to Matthews, “Guys had good clears and big blocks out there.” “You gain the upper hand when you stall their momentum and play power.”
After a three-point night, Tavares moved up to 94th place in league history with 1,014 points, passing both Pat LaFontaine and Steve Larmer in career NHL points.
Even though Dallas had played in Buffalo the previous evening, the Leafs were under attack from the first faceoff of the contest. Nylander’s extra-man goal gave Toronto the lead for the first time since December 29. It was also his first power play goal since the $92 million US contract deal.
For Dallas, Jamie Benn scored the first basket of the game, while Jason Robertson, a teammate, defeated brother Nick on the Leafs, 1-0.
In place of an injured David Kampf, Holmberg earned an own-zone draw, helped move play up ice, and drew the penalty that set up Matthews’ goal.
Ilya Samsonov made 27 saves to hold the Leafs at key points. His No. 35 sweater has been restored to a prominent position in the SBA souvenir shop as he starts his comeback.
With 192 career wins, Keefe passed his assistant Guy Boucher on the NHL career coaching wins chart in 107 fewer games, marking a type of milestone for the coach.
