The Colorado Avalanche has been the best team in the NHL this season, sitting first in the league with 74 points. They are 11 points up from the second-place Dallas Stars. Heading into Denver last night, saying that the Toronto Maple Leafs would be tested against the Avalanche was an understatement.
Fortunately, the Leafs would win last night’s game 4–3 in overtime, making the Leafs 8–0–2 in their last 10 games. The Leafs snapped the Avalanche’s 17-game home streak, handing them their first home loss since October 23rd. The vibes in Toronto are off the charts since the firing of Marc Savard, and after last night’s performance, hopefully, there is no end in sight.
Let’s take a look at key takeaways from last night’s game.
William Nylander can’t stop, won’t stop
William Nylander returned to his first game Saturday night after missing six games with a lower-body injury. He posted a one-goal and two-assist performance in his return as the Leafs stomped the Vancouver Canucks 5–0.
He follows up this performance with an assist on Auston Matthews’ 22nd goal of the season and the overtime winner on a beautiful sequence with Oliver Ekman-Larsson:
Whatever injury kept Nylander out of the lineup does not seem to be hindering his play. Nylander leads the Leafs with 46 points in 35 games.
The X-factors
One of the reasons why the Leafs have points in their last 10 games has been the performance of the bottom-six. The bottom-six for the Leafs have been producing both offensively and defensively, and last night was a typical day in the office.
The third line of Cowan–Nicholas Roy–Nicholas Robertson has been on a tear. Especially Robertson on the second power play unit. Robertson would leave the game after blocking a shot off the foot in the first period.
But the evolution of Easton Cowan this season has been one of the bright spots for the Leafs. He made the team out of training camp due to his strong two-way play. He was sent down to the Toronto Marlies for a couple of games and was called back up. He hasn’t looked back since.
He opened the scoring in last night’s game by throwing the puck on net. The puck banked off Brent Burns, and the Leafs took a 1–0 lead. Cowan has three goals in four games to start the New Year off.
The other player who has been an x-factor is Bobby McMann. McMann tied the game at 2–2 in the second period by using his speed to score on a breakaway. The way he hunts the puck down from his own zone shows why he’s becoming a fan favourite:
McMann scored six goals in December and has scored two goals and two assists for four points in six games in January. McMann is in a contract year and is looking to cash out on what will likely be his last big paycheck in the NHL.
The vibes are immaculate
With the win last night, for the first time since early November, the Leafs are in the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference with 53 points. The vibes are immaculate in Leafs’ land. I don’t know why the team didn’t play this way with Marc Savard, but since the promotion of Steve Sullivan to power play coach, the Leafs look like a completely different team.
It’s not the fact that the Leafs are winning games, though that is obviously nice. But it’s how they’re winning games. They are getting scoring throughout the lineup. Both special teams are phenomenal. They are physical and are playing with grit and a sense of purpose. They are playing through injuries during this stretch and are still missing one of their best defenceman in Chris Tanev.
This is a lovable Leafs team.
The Leafs play again tonight against the Utah Mammoth in Utah on the second half of a back-to-back. Utah is also in the hunt for a playoff spot, while the Leafs look to maintain theirs. The game is likely to be another fast-paced game. But with how the Leafs have been playing of late, they should be up to the task.
