Though the Toronto Maple Leafs have some of the league’s premier wingers, David Pastrnak is the best winger in the series on many scouting reports. Ranking players does come with its own follies, as does simplifying a team effort down to a handful of players, but Mitch Marner and William Nylander will have to be up to the task of equaling Pastrnak’s impact on the series.
David Pastrnak is Boston’s X-Factor
Pastrnak is the unquestioned driver of the Bruins’ offence, a whopping 43 points ahead of Brad Marchand, his closest teammate. The Bruins power play runs through Pastrnak as well and is slated to be a huge factor in the series. The Bruins have one of the best penalty kills in the league, and have dominated the special teams battle between the Bruins and Leafs during the regular season. The Leafs, meanwhile, have struggled on both special teams.
The power play
Yes, scoring at even strength is more difficult, but all goals count the same on the scoreboard. Though the Leafs have talent, their toothless power play is a big concern. If only on the power play, Marner and Nylander producing at a similar rate to Pastrnak will go a long way toward the Leafs’ success.
Down the stretch of the season, the Leafs failed to score during in-zone situations and struggled to gain the zone with possession on the power play. Most of their power play goals came from Auston Matthews one-timers off of faceoff wins.
This battle on the wings becomes more criticised given how the balance of power is spread between the rivals. The Leafs have a clear advantage at centre, while the Bruins have a clear edge in net and likely on the blueline as well. Marner and Nylander equaling Pastrnak helps even the playing field for the Leafs, though the battle involves more than just these 3 players.
Toronto’s penalty killing will be key
The Leafs have a fairly middling penalty killing unit, though there was a clear effort to shore up this unit at the deadline. Conor Dewar joins David Kampf as the main forwards on the pk, but most of the work was done by adding length and strength to the blueline. Ilya Lyubushkin and Joel Edmundson should be huge factors on the penalty kill.
Especially with Edmundson’s injuries, the Leafs’ revamped personnel has not seen a ton of time together. While the results did not quite turn around as much as one would hope, there at least is a path to improved play with health. Of course, goaltending is a huge part of the equation, so Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll will be vital in keeping the Bruins’ power play off the scoreboard.
Pastrnak is the hub that the Bruins’ power play operates through on his weak side flank. Pastrnak is a threat to score, leading the Bruins in power play goals, but also as a passer, leading the Bruins in power play assists as well.
Brad Marchand has been quite effective on the opposite flank and is not to be overlooked. The Bruins have a number of options who can score in tight, big bodies that they have rotated in and out of the top unit. James van Riemsdyk has long been a gold standard of net-front scoring, while Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle have done well for themselves. Jake DeBrusk and Morgan Geekie are capable of filling in on the top unit, though their skill as shooters makes them ideal anchors for the 2nd unit behind Pastrnak and Marchand.
One game at a time
Both teams know each other very well and this iteration of their modern-era playoff battle has the makings to be another all-timer. Anything can and will happen, and the balance of the series will heavily tilt in favour of what happens with Pastrnak. While Toronto should solely focus on shutting down one player, if there’s any part of the strategy that involves doing so, it should be him.
