Call the players out. Watch them respond.
It’s the oldest trick in the hockey coach’s playbook. And the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ Sheldon Keefe and his well-rested weapons dusted it off and worked it with precision Thursday in Philadelphia — on a night so ugly for the Flyers, John Tortorella would’ve been happy to leave early.
Before digging into the visitors’ 6-2 knockout punch to the guys who dress up as Rocky Balboa for outdoor games, let’s flash back to Saturday in Montreal.
Following that win, a much narrower one to be sure, Keefe did not mince words when assessing his new Mitch Marner–free top line featuring William Nylander, Auston Matthews and Tyler Bertuzzi.
“They just individually weren’t very good,” Keefe stated, accurately.
On Saturday, the Maple Leafs won in spite of that talented trio; on Thursday, those guys drove the bus, and everyone else piled on.
A sharply executed Nylander-to-Matthews-to-Bertuzzi sequence allowed the road-warrior Leafs to score on the game’s first shot and set a tone that would continue through 60 minutes and six even-strength goals.
By the 20-minute mark, Toronto had already dispatched of starter Samuel Ersson and got busying feasting on backup Felix Sandstrom.
By the 60-minute mark, the Leafs had burned a heat map hole through the Flyers’ crease, generating 19(!) high-danger scoring chances at 5-on-5, per NaturalStatTrick.com. As for Philly? They had two.
In all, 13 Maple Leafs hit the scoreboard.
The dominant result makes the team’s decision to take two days completely off and use two for practice during a rare four-day schedule gap look like a smart one.
“We were fresh tonight and felt that throughout the lineup. Obviously, a positive,” Matthews told reporters post-game.
“I thought we were really good in all three zones,” added Bertuzzi. “Rest is a weapon late in the season.”
Nylander, Matthews and Bertuzzi each registered a goal plus an assist, three of five Leafs with two-point efforts.
The others were depth forward and recent healthy scratch Pontus Holmberg and sixth defenceman Timothy Liljegren, who finds himself in the thick of an internal battle for inclusion in Toronto’s Game 1 playoff lineup.
Liljegren’s knuckle-puck snipe off the rush was his first goal in 23 games.
Matthews ripped his 55th and jumped back on pace for 70 goals.
Nylander scored 35 goals for the second time in his career and, with a team-leading 86 points, is now just a point shy of tying a career high.
And the previously snakebit Bertuzzi has six goals over his past nine outings — and that doesn’t include his brilliant swat-tip into the Flyers’ net that was ruled no-goal due to a Matthews glove pass earlier in the possession.
“He was all over it tonight,” Matthews said of Bertuzzi.
Keefe has been contemplating giving the gritty left wing another run on Matthews’ top line for weeks now; Marner’s absence is as good an excuse as any to experiment.
“I don’t think Bert’s game was in a good space early in the season when it didn’t go well, and now it’s worth giving it another go here,” Keefe said. “It’s just about continuing to do what he does well and not overthinking it.
“The things that Bert does really well are the things that players that have success alongside Auston do, which is forecheck, make plays in tight spaces, create turnovers, be good around the net, go to the net, and create more space.”
Another road victory, their 20th, has the Maple Leafs creating more space between them and fourth place in the Atlantic Division.
Secure in the 2-3 matchup, the Leafs will welcome this breathing room, as Calle Järnkrok crashed into the boards and is expected to “miss some time,” per Keefe.
The Maple Leafs fly home, where they’ll hope to keep their offence rolling Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Fox’s Fast Five
• Marner has already finished seasons with 94, 97 and 99 points. The century mark remains elusive.
Stuck at 76 points with just 17 games remaining on the Leafs schedule, Marner is in danger of coming up short again.
The club is exercising caution as its star winger recovers from a reported high-ankle sprain.
Marner’s injury is said to be minor. This is the same right ankle he sprained back in 2019 that sidelined him for three-and-a-half weeks.
• His team clinging to a playoff spot, Tortorella was not on the Flyers bench because he was serving the final game of his suspension.
Associate Brad Shaw and assistant Rocky Thompson took over duties, pulling starter Ersson after he allowed three goals on 12 first-period shots.
Keefe figures the absence of the head coach matters less than you think.
“A lot of the work that goes into coaching is done before the games, in between periods, and at practice days,” Keefe said.
“They’ve got a great coaching staff over there that’s very capable. Torts voluntarily stepped off the bench last year [for five of Philadelphia’s final nine games]and gave lots of experience to those guys.”
• Despite trading for three depth players intended to give their struggling penalty kill a boost, the Leafs have given up a power-play goal in each game since the deadline and have been outscored 6-1 on special teams this month.
• Watch the lawsuit, Tie! Watch the lawsuit!
Yes, Max Domi has seen the infamous clip from March 29, 2001. A couple times.
That time a rather, uh, ambitious Flyers fan crashed into the Maple Leafs penalty box and tangled with Max’s father, Tie, the way a visitor to the zoo might leap into the bear exhibit and immediately regret his decision.
“I’m not sure that fan was making the clearest decisions in that moment. Probably not a good idea,” Domi said.
“The way my dad explains it is, he wasn’t going to do anything, then when he pushes the ref or the linesman in there — those were always his buddies with the job he had — then he had to step in. That’s how he justifies it, and I’m on his side.”
• Bobby McMann’s negotiations with Toronto on his two-year contract extension began two weeks ago, then got finalized early this week once numbers were exchanged.
“It happened quick, and it was exciting, but I’m glad it got done,” said McMann, admitting that his mom and dad were a little anxious.
“I don’t know if they ever thought I would get to this point. I think they wanted me to sign it a little earlier in the negotiation, but I made them sweat it out a little bit. They were super happy with it.”
Keefe reflected on the effort McMann poured into his $2.7 million payday.
“You don’t get to play in the league and come in as a 27-year-old rookie without really believing in yourself, and staying with it, and working incredibly hard,” Keefe said.
“He’s also fought through a number of injuries as well. He’s had a hard time staying healthy. A lot of guys, quite frankly, with more ability than Bobby, they quit, or they give up, and they don’t have the same drive and same habits and same commitment to it. This is obviously a very well-deserved and hard-fought contract.”
