TORONTO — Forty-eight hours after Mitch Marner set some overtime magic in motion under the TD Garden lights, helping his nation clinch the 4 Nations Face-Off championship trophy, the Saturday-night spotlight was on No. 16 as he returned to his home barn.
The Scotiabank Arena crowd rained down cheers the first time their hometown hero touched the puck, again when he came up with a galloping breakaway attempt midway through this tilt against the Carolina Hurricanes. But here, in the first game of the home stretch of his club’s regular season, it was the rest of the squad who took centre stage.
It started early, the Maple Leafs’ depth display kicked off by a fourth-line goal just two-and-a-half minutes into the night. Before the game was seven minutes old, the home side had tacked on two more, the well-rested members of Toronto’s squad coming out of the gates flying.
“I think guys were just itching to get back to it,” said Steven Lorentz, who chipped in with a slick assist on the third of those quick-start tallies. “It’s nice to have a little break in the middle of the season, just to kind of refresh your mind. But I think it was just long enough that guys were really excited and itching to get back.
“We were prepared, we had a good week of practices — I think we had four practices this week — and guys were ready right from puck-drop.”
None more so than Alex Steeves. Called up from the AHL Marlies for his first big-league shot since November — and just his fifth appearance in a Maple Leafs sweater this season — the 25-year-old was the catalyst for Toronto’s relentless opening stretch.
Collecting a John Tavares pass before the fans were fully settled in their seats, Steeves unloaded an inch-perfect one-timer at Pyotr Kochetkov, fluttering the twine for his first career NHL goal.
“It’s special. A bit of a relief, honestly,” he told Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas after what wound up a 6-3 Maple Leafs win. “The games stack up, and you’re waiting to break through and really contribute. It was a beautiful play from Johnny, and special to finish it off with a nice shot.”
“Everybody’s super happy for him,” Lorentz said of his linemate, who registered an assist, too, on the David Kampf goal set up by Lorentz. “He’s had such a good year — a good couple years — playing for the Marlies. You know he’s got that offensive instinct. He can score goals, he’s got a nose for the net.
“Playing on the fourth line, we’re not expected to go out and score. But he was making great plays all over the ice. He just kept it simple, and when he got his opportunities, he capitalized. He was an easy guy to play with tonight. He fit right in.”
It was that straightforward approach from the veteran AHLer — who has 29 goals and 46 points to his name with the Marlies this season — that impressed his coach, too.
“You know, he plays a simple game,” Craig Berube said of Steeves after the dust had settled on the tilt. “It’s direct, and that’s what I like about it. He forechecked well with that line tonight, worked hard, and did a lot of good things. And he has the ability to score a goal.”
It was a welcome performance for these Maple Leafs as they transition out of 4 Nations mode and look ahead to the post-season, the looming pit of pressure that tends to bring its fair share of chaos to Scotiabank Arena.
While the heaviest expectations will fall on the three forwards who just returned from international duty, Berube’s squad knows it will need nights like this one — which saw Pontus Holmberg come up with two goals and an assist, and veteran John Tavares net a two-point night, too — if it hopes to make some real noise beyond Game 82.
“It’s huge for us,” said netminder Anthony Stolarz, who put in a sterling performance until a late third-period wobble. “I think that’s going to be something down the stretch here that we’re going to need. As we get closer to playoffs, everyone’s going to clamp down and start playing playoff-style hockey.”
“The top guys aren’t always going to score goals every single night,” added Lorentz. “And that’s when you need the depth guys to come in and chip away and get some points, too.”
Still, while the Maple Leafs’ depth had themselves a night, and one of their core leaders is fresh off showing he can step up in the key moment of a crucial game, Toronto’s first game back also came with its question marks. Namely, a late-game collapse that saw Carolina pot three goals in the final 10 minutes, nearly clawing their way back to level ground, before a couple empty-netters finally iced it.
“I really liked our start. We skated really well, especially off the puck, and that allowed us to cause some pressure, create some opportunities and build a really good lead. Then they pushed back pretty well,” Tavares said, assessing the tumultuous win.
“I thought we probably backed up a little bit too much in the third, let them come at us,” added Berube. “They made it interesting. They’re good at that. I’ve seen them do it numerous times — they’re going to come, no matter the score. They put pressure on you. You know, in the third, I’d like to see our team a little more aggressive up ice, and not backing in so much.”
“Obviously we’ve got to do a lot better job taking care of the game in the third,” said Tavares. “But we were in a good spot throughout the night. A lot of good things.”
The Maple Leafs won’t have to wait long for a chance to clean up that close-out ability, a back-to-back effort awaiting them Sunday night in Chicago, the start of a four-game road trip that should set the tone for Toronto’s sprint to the post-season.
