The Leafs now officially have a streak going, defeating the Calgary Flames 4-2 in their second win in Western Canada. And while defeating the 29th and 32nd placed teams should be expected, the Leafs have a history of no showing in games like this and overall the season has led to them not being able to take games like this for granted.
When talking about a Leafs win it’s worth noting that this was mainly a Nylander win. William Nylander picked up points on the Leafs first three goals (1G 2A) and his opening minute goal covered up a wealth of sins from the Leafs in the first, and the cycle between Nylander and Matthews to set up Stecher’s goal in the second was a reminder that this team can be fun to watch when they let their talent show off a little. Nylander needs to come home more often.
Some other notes:
- Nic Roy stood out with a few good looks, one Leaf who will hopefully make a case for more responsibility in the remaining games this year.
- Stecher led the Leafs defencemen in icetime in the first and was the top blueliner, picking up a beautiful goal in the process. It’s likely he’ll want to keep this performance going Tuesday night against the team that waived him, the Edmonton Oilers.
- Nazem Kadri had the kind of game that former Leafs love to have, picking up a goal and an assist. If it wasn’t for him the Leafs could have kept pushing towards a blowout.
- A strong showing for Joseph Woll as he kept the Leafs in it on numerous occasions even if one or two might have been self-induced.
It’s not often we walk away from a Leafs game where it is mainly about focusing on the positives and it was far from a perfect game. A greater effort up and down the lineup would be nice, but perhaps a few players are trying to stay rested for Tuesday night in Edmonton.
The win puts Toronto seven points back of the Bruins for the final wildcard spot.