Instant Reaction: Maple Leafs head into Olympic break on a high note with sweep of Western Canada
The Leafs, thanks to a rare third period 5-on-3 power play, pushed past the Oilers 5-2. It was another strong night from William Nylander. It was another big night for Matias Maccelli with a pair of goals. It was Matthew Knies at his best, and most importantly, it was the strong night that Anthony Stolarz desperately needed to get back on track, stopping 34 of 36 shots.
The Olympic break might still be an important time of reflection for the Maple Leafs and with a number of their Eastern Conference rivals still having the opportunity to gain ground on the Maple Leafs in the Wednesday and Thursday night games, the reality is that the Maple Leafs are still a team that will be selling and needing some new personnel both on and off the ice, though arguably this time it shouldn’t just be change for the sake of change.
Back to the game, as an Edmontonian who shudders every time I hear the Oilers goal horn, this win feels good. The Leafs played McDavid aggressively, they didn’t take any nonsense when the Oilers got in the face of Anthony Stolarz, and the Leafs blueliners have continued to rise to the occasion with Rielly joining Chris Tanev on the injured reserve.
Some other notes:
- I’m not sure if Matthew Knies benefits from the reduced pressure of the third line but it is nice to see what Nic Roy can do when he’s given a bit more talent to work with. Keeping Roy and Knies together has been enjoyable but if McMann is traded, the Leafs will likely decide to either put Knies back with Matthews or let him have some time off to completely recover from his injury.
- Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s mean streak being on full display in Edmonton was encouraging to see, and will either remind rival GMs what OEL can bring to a playoff bound team or remind people like me that keeping him on the Leafs isn’t the worst thing either.
- Another strong night from Scott Laughton, but he needs to be a part of the trade deadline plans for the Maple Leafs.
- Nylander’s defensive play has definitely improved since his return from injury and his read on McDavid was a low key highlight of the night.
It is nice to have some good feelings about the Leafs this week but hope and optimism still need to be checked at the door.