The Toronto Maple Leafs kept the good momentum going on Saturday night against the playoff-hopeful Columbus Blue Jackets, picking up a convincing 5-0 win and extending their lead for the division title by four points, with the Tampa Bay Lightning collecting a point following a shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres.
Nick Robertson, who was scratched for the team’s past three games, re-entered the lineup following David Kampf’s injury against the Florida Panthers on Wednesday and made an excellent case to stay there, scoring the team’s first two goals and giving them the momentum from the get go.
Robertson’s issue has always been consistency, often finding himself going multiple games at a time without a goal before catching fire for a couple of games, but there’s an argument to be made that he has the second-best shot of anyone on the team not named Auston Matthews. He might not be in the lineup for Game 1, but he possesses a weapon that could give his team a spark if they ever find themselves starving for offence in the bottom-six.
The next two goals were scored by William Nylander, who potted his 43rd and 44th goals of the season with ease, bringing his season total up to 82 points in 76 games. For a guy who attracted so much scrutiny the first time he negotiated a new contract with the team, Nylander has continued to prove time and time again how consistent he is. He goes through dry spells like any other player, but when he’s on his game, it feels like he gets better with every day that passes.
Although he wasn’t in the spotlight as much as Robertson and Nylander, goaltender Anthony Stolarz quietly beefed up the case to start him for Game 1 of the playoffs. He picked up a 27-save shutout only days after stopping 29 of 31 shots against his old team and a potential playoff opponent in the Panthers. Between him and Woll, the Leafs have gotten the best performance from a tandem and mulling over who your Game 1 starter will be this late in the season can be a good problem.
The Maple Leafs will now prepare for arguably the two biggest games of the season, taking on the Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning in a back-to-back on Tuesday and Wednesday.
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