BOSTON — Boom, boom, click.
In a span of 63 seconds during a dangerous second period in hostile TD Garden, the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ best players looked like it.
A goal by Mitch Marner echoed by an Auston Matthews snipe, and just like that, the road team erased the Boston Bruins‘ 2-0 and saved their team a point.
More important to the big picture: Toronto’s marquee line found some traction and made an impact at even-strength, which had not been the case often enough in an uneven October.
“There’s no quit in our team,” Marner said, following the 3-2 shootout loss.
“The good thing about our line is, we always got trust in each other that we will get out of the little kind of hiccup that we were in.”
Hold your breath. Bring your knees to your chest. The Maple Leafs’ dynamic duo is showing signs of chemistry again.
Obscured by Matthews’ igniting the season with back-to-back hat tricks and the Leafs’ well-oiled power-play humming like a Hemi was the fact that the even-strength production from Matthews and go-to wingman Marner had dried up.
Coming into Boston, Matthews and Marner had been outscored 5-4 when on the ice together at even strength.
Most nights this season, it has been the Leafs’ other big combo, John Tavares and William Nylander, stealing headlines and conjuring up highlights.
Part of that has been due to a rotating cast of left wings on the top line and regularly seeing tough matchups, but some of that falls directly on Matthews and Marner’s eight-figure shoulders.
They are intended to carry this team, no?
Matthews has pointed to too many “one-and-dones,” a lack of sustained offensive pressure that tilts the ice, exhausts the opposition, and forces mistakes.
“Just gotta have trust in our game. When we’re going well, we’re getting in on the forecheck, we’re stripping pucks. We’ve had moments of that throughout the season, but just not enough. We’ve got to be better, and we will be better,” Marner vowed before the puck dropped.
“I need to be a bit more of a threat as a shooter, be a little more selfish in those areas so it opens up Auston a little more.”
The duo combined for 13 shot attempts Thursday and looked threatening for several stretches during a tight contest against a well-structured Bruins squad that has reeled off a 10-game point streak to start the season and is still the toast of the Atlantic Division.
Coming into the night, Marner had just a single shot on net in each of his past four. He hasn’t measured up to his own high standards, and his intent to fire the puck more paid off.
Coach Sheldon Keefe — who has been patient not to break up Matthews and Marner this season — stressed a need for his top line to increase its speed and dial in its execution.
The coach has also preached patience, insisting the chemistry will return with time (probably correct) and that there are much bigger concerns with his hockey team at this stage (definitley correct).
“These are elite players in the league,” Keefe insisted. “We are talking about them because you are expecting such an exceptional standard that they have set. Even when not at their best, they are still very good players. They have been big parts of every win that we have had.”
Well, even without a win Thursday, Matthews and Marner were a big part of a hard-earned road point and a promising night for some old chemistry sparking again.
“They did a great job,” Keefe praised post-game. “Really encouraging sign. Two huge goals. Key moment. They bring us back. So, yeah, that’s really good. I would expect that they don’t look back from here.”
Fox’s Fast Five
• Keefe dropped Tyler Bertuzzi from the second line all the way to the fourth midway through the game, giving fellow left wings Matthew Knies and Noah Gregor better opportunities.
“He just needs to simplify his game. Today we had a very simple plan, and he failed to execute that, so other guys had to take his place,” the coach explained bluntly.
Bertuzzi skated a season-low 11:32 and was a minus-1 in his return to Boston.
• With the banged-up Bruins recalling three minor-league defenceman to fill out their blueline, Hampus Lindholm logged a silly 30:16 in the win.
“I don’t know if Lindholm left the ice tonight,” Keefe said.
• Matt Poitras (a.k.a. New England Fraser Minten) played his 10th game, burning the first year of his entry-level deal.
“He’s actually quite good friends with my brother-in-law and my wife’s family. I’ve been hearing about him a lot just from them. Obviously, he’s off to a great start,” says Mitch Marner.
That the 19-year-old centre already has three goals and five points doesn’t shock Marner, who also jumped from the OHL to the show after one post-draft season.
“If you get placed with great wingers or great linemates and you have confidence in yourself to do something out there, I don’t think it surprises many people. Definitely doesn’t surprise me,” says Marner, who got partnered with Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk as a rookie.
” I always thought that when you play with older people or guys that you might think are a little better than [junior linemates], you adjust pretty quick and get the rhythm with them quicker.”
• Marner on Samsonov’s candour when it comes to mental struggles: “You don’t want to hide your emotions. I don’t think you play well when you hide your emotions. You want guys to be honest with their emotions, and you want them to more so tell your teammates how you feel. So, it’s great for him to own up to it. I think we all do go through those moments of where you’re not feeling great out there or you’re kind of doubting yourself. It happens to all of us, and it’s just trying to rebuild yourself up and know that you are a great player and can do special things.”
• Despite going 0-for-2 in the shootout, Samsonov’s 38-save performance was far and away his best start of the season (.950).
“For my baby. For my baby tomorrow,” Samsonov smiled. “Got day off. I want to stay home. Just rest. Yeah, just enjoy time with my family. Long time, no see after road trip.”
