TORONTO — “The not-pretty stuff.”
That’s how Matthew Knies, accurately, describes the work of his letter-wearing teammates — Auston Matthews, John Tavares, and Mitch Marner — who hung around the defensive zone, icing after icing, battle after rebound, block after cross-check, and helped solidify the hard-fought 3-2 score they had earned over the defending Stanley Cup champions.
It’s one thing to learn how to build a lead; it’s another to understand the value of keeping one.
And so, it was the all-around effort of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ superstars that punched their ninth consecutive ticket to the post-season (an active NHL record), defeated the mighty Florida Panthers, and increased their Atlantic Division lead to three points.
If Wednesday felt like the biggest win of the season (and they only get larger from here), that’s because Toronto’s occasionally lackadaisical superstars treated it as such.
“You saw in the last minute and a half. They stay out there and kill it and put it along the wall at the very end of the game. So, it’s important for those guys to do that kind of thing and step up for us,” raved Knies, who wasn’t so shabby himself. “It’s fun to watch, to be honest. It’s really cool for them to do stuff like that. You know, the not-pretty stuff.”
Matthews blocked three shots. Marner threw a couple of hits. Tavares won 13 of 17 faceoffs.
In a match free of easy offence and rich with superb goaltending, all three of them, plus William Nylander, found a way to dent the scoresheet and finish on the plus side of the ledger.
Granted, the Panthers arrived in this slushy town tired after an overtime defeat in Montreal less than 24 hours prior and were without MVP Aleksander Barkov (day to day, upper body), chief agitator Matthew Tkachuk (IR, groin), and top-four defenceman Aaron Ekblad (PED suspension).
But the hockey was still very much played at a Panthers tempo and with playoff ferocity. Sixty-four hits were launched, 28 shots got blocked, and only three penalties got called.
And the Maple Leafs dressed the best players.
“That’s key,” says Anthony Stolarz, who has played for both sides. “They’re gonna be our horses, and they’re gonna have to lead, offensively and defensively. For us to go far, those guys are gonna have to commit to a 200-foot game. And I think right now, we’re doing a healthy job of that. And when they’re going, everyone else follows suit. So, it’s exciting to see, for sure. And the way we’re playing right now, it’s trending in the right direction.
“I like what I’m seeing out of the boys.”
Strong net-front play. Cutting down on odd-man rushes and rebound opportunities. Sacrificing stats and limbs for the greater good. Digging in and fighting through checks.
These are the tenets new coach Craig Berube has been preaching since training camp, the grand idea being that he’ll convince and coerce this group to execute the type of exhausting but exhilarating 3-2 decision we witnessed on Wednesday 16 more times when the tournament begins on April 19.
The trick is to treat every puck battle and boxout like it matters — yet remain patient and persistent when the opponent dominates you for a stretch (like the Panthers did in Period 2) or cuts the lead and presses late (like they did with 2:38 to go).
Pretty boys embracing the ugly arts.
“Whatever the game is going to present, we’re just going to continue to play,” Tavares preached.
“It’s obviously a tight hockey game, playoff-like with the amount of room and space out there. Just fighting for so much territory and a few inches of ice to create something offensively and sustain momentum, sustain play, and continue to try to wear your opponent down. That’s playoff hockey.”
More performances like this, and the Maple Leafs could be spoken of the same way Chris Tanev, the epitome of sacrifice, speaks of the Panthers: “They always play the right way. Zero cheat in their game. They’re gonna give you honest, 100 per cent effort every time.”
Sure, Nylander’s snappy pass and red-hot Tavares’s 36th goal of the season will make the highlight reel. So, too, will Marner’s buttery stretch pass and Knies’s bulldozer deke of Sergei Bobrovsky.
But it’s the not-pretty stuff that impresses us most, and that provides optimism for the Leafs turning the longest active playoff streak into a long run once they get there.
“This is a team, more likely than not, if we want to accomplish what we want to accomplish, that we’re gonna run into in the playoffs,” Stolarz said of his ex.
“Just being able to match them for 60 minutes and kind of take over in the third, score some timely goals, and then shut it down toward the end, I think, was huge for us. Huge for our confidence.”
Fox’s Fast Five
• Third time’s a charm.
After dropping his first two decisions to his former team, Stolarz was busier and better than his onetime mentor Bobrovsky on this night, turning away 29 of 31 pucks zipped his way.
“He’s got a little bit of a laid-back personality,” Tavares says. “But his intensity once he puts his pads on is pretty incredible, the way he’s barking and talking out there and into the game.”
Marner says Stolarz — who set a new career high with 17 wins — is one of the most vocal goalies he’s ever skated in front of.
“He’s kinda ruthless back there, screaming and yelling at us,” Knies agrees. “But I think it just makes him play better. He’s extremely motivated and wants to win really bad.”
Berube just smiles: “You like that fire.”
• That’s four straight 10-goal seasons for defenceman Gustav Forsling. The top-pair, 28-year-old defenceman is locked in for five more seasons beyond this one.
Quick: Name a better waiver-wire pickup playing today.
• Quote of the day.
“I enjoy watching games. Maybe when I was mid-to-late 20s, I was too cool to watch games. Now, I watch a ton. You’re seeing what other teams are doing and how they’re playing to know what to expect.” —Chris Tanev, NHL binge-watcher.
• Nick Robertson served his third straight healthy scratch. The third-line winger was chugging through a five-game point drought prior. With veteran Max Pacioretty (LTIR) quietly ramping up for action, Robertson looks to be in tough again to be a playoff regular.
Certainly, this is not what he wanted. But an upper-body injury suffered by David Kämpf Wednesday could reopen the door. (No update on Kämpf’s health was provided post-game.)
Meanwhile, right-shot defenceman Philippe Myers has been a healthy scratch for 11 consecutive games and counting.
• Leafs Nation managed to pick out Brad Marchand even though he was disguised in Panthers colours.
Marchand was booed lustily each time his blade touched the puck.
