Tyler Johnson on the Leafs’ 2-0 Win, Atlantic Chaos & What Makes a Champion: Leafs Morning Take
Bobby McMann is set to have a phone hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety regarding his high stick to the head of Tampa’s Oliver Bjorkstrand on Monday night.
That’s where the conversation started on the Tuesday edition of Leafs Morning Take as NHL Insider David Pagnotta filled in for Jay Rosehill as co-host. Just some food for thought, but we wondered if Pierre Engvall’s high stick on Sean Durzi from December 2022 could be used as a potential comparable. For the record, Engvall received one game for that.
Indisputably, the McMann match penalty was the only blemish on a nice and tidy 2-0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Once again, Dennis Hildeby was great. The 24-year-old made 29 stops for his first career shutout. Morgan Rielly notched the game winner while Auston Matthews solidified the victory with an empty netter. Toronto has won five straight meetings with Tampa. Suddenly, the Leafs are rolling. They extended their point streak to five games (4-0-1). The Leafs are three points back of Detroit for first in the Atlantic Division. Additionally, we broke down special teams, too. The Leafs were very discipling as they took only one penalty. Meantime, the power play went 0-for-2. They’re now a ridiculous 10-for-72 on the season.
After that, two-time Stanley Cup champion – back-to-back with Tampa – Tyler Johnson stopped by the show. He weighed in on Monday night’s game, Hildeby’s performance, and if the Leafs are starting to find their groove. On top of that, Johnson hit on the Atlantic Division cluster, if he thinks the Leafs are built for the playoffs, and what made those Lightning teams so special. Furthermore, he dished on Craig Berube and Toronto’s prospects of finally pushing through in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Lastly, Johnson talked about Derek Lalonde, who he knows well from his time with the Bolts.
Jay Rosehill will be back in the mix for the Wednesday edition of Leafs Morning Take. In addition to getting Rosey’s reaction to Toronto’s win over Tampa, we’ll start to look ahead to the San Jose game on Thursday night. Also, former Toronto Marlies head coach, current head coach and GM of Adler Mannheim, Dallas Eakins, is slated to make another appearance on the show.