Over the course of an 82 game season and the 108 years of the Toronto Maple Leafs existence, there have been plenty of people to blame for their lack of success, but tonight I offer you a fresh name – Lord John Graves Simcoe. If Simcoe had kept trekking further across the Canadian shield and past the prairies, Toronto could have been established in the West and the Leafs could have spent the Auston Matthews era benefitting from the friendly competition level of the Pacific Division on a more frequent basis.
The Leafs now officially have a streak going, defeating the Calgary Flames 4-2 in their second win in Western Canada. And while defeating the 29th and 32nd placed teams should be expected, the Leafs have a history of no showing in games like this and overall the season has led to them not being able to take games like this for granted.
When talking about a Leafs win it’s worth noting that this was mainly a Nylander win. William Nylander picked up points on the Leafs first three goals (1G 2A) and his opening minute goal covered up a wealth of sins from the Leafs in the first, and the cycle between Nylander and Matthews to set up Stecher’s goal in the second was a reminder that this team can be fun to watch when they let their talent show off a little. Nylander needs to come home more often.
Some other notes:
- Nic Roy stood out with a few good looks, one Leaf who will hopefully make a case for more responsibility in the remaining games this year.
- Stecher led the Leafs defencemen in icetime in the first and was the top blueliner, picking up a beautiful goal in the process. It’s likely he’ll want to keep this performance going Tuesday night against the team that waived him, the Edmonton Oilers.
- Nazem Kadri had the kind of game that former Leafs love to have, picking up a goal and an assist. If it wasn’t for him the Leafs could have kept pushing towards a blowout.
- A strong showing for Joseph Woll as he kept the Leafs in it on numerous occasions even if one or two might have been self-induced.
It’s not often we walk away from a Leafs game where it is mainly about focusing on the positives and it was far from a perfect game. A greater effort up and down the lineup would be nice, but perhaps a few players are trying to stay rested for Tuesday night in Edmonton.
The win puts Toronto seven points back of the Bruins for the final wildcard spot.
PRESENTED BY OFF THE ROSTER
Introducing Off The Roster—Toronto Sports, Unfiltered! Toronto sports fans, your new favourite conversation has arrived. Hosted by Cabbie Richards, Lindsay Dunn, and Dan Riccio, Off The Roster dives into the city’s legendary plays, brutal trades, OG jerseys, celebrity tweets, and everything in between. Raw, fun, and totally unfiltered, this is Toronto sports like you’ve never heard it before. Tune in live every weekday morning on the Nation Network YouTube channel, or catch episodes wherever you stream podcasts. Proudly brought to you by our founding partner, PROLINE. Off The Roster—the new sound in the 6ix.