Let’s play a quick little game, shall we? I want you to lift a finger if you had any of the following thoughts ahead of tonight’s game against Chicago:
- The Leafs will lose
- The Leafs will be outplayed AND lose
- Petr Mrazek will stop everything
If you don’t have any fingers up then like me, you may be pleasantly surprised. We should expect the Leafs to make quick work of teams like the Blackhawks but unfortunately, we haven’t seen enough of that this season. Tonight’s game was a clear exception.
There were very few moments where Chicago was in it as the Leafs were in charge from start to finish. They took advantage of the opposition’s mistakes, outworked them to create their own chances, and didn’t allow a late momentum push.
Tavares: “When we had some breakdowns, or they responded, I think our response was better. More of what we want to do, be able to grab the game back. Much better response that way.” #Leafs
— Terry Koshan ???????? (@koshtorontosun) February 16, 2023
Winning habits? I think so.
First star
Three-point night for Nylander including his 30th of the season which came nine seconds into the game.
WILLIAM NYLANDER ????
30 GOALS OFF THE PUCK DROP pic.twitter.com/v3nJyK0ZvF
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) February 16, 2023
There was a part of me that was worried Nylander may take a step back with Matthews returning, but not only did he play to the same standard, but he also kicked it up a notch. Good edge work and awareness of Matthews earned him his first assist of the night while his speed and tenacity on the puck to maintain it long enough for help to arrive led to his second. Something that surprised me was Keefe giving him some reps on the penalty kill which has happened here and there. To make things even better, Nylander created a scoring chance from it with a strong stick on Philipp Kurashev.
Continued improvement on the defensive end in the puck, especially the handling of the neutral zone, could lead to more opportunities for him. The Kurashev goal is an example of how that could go south for Nylander but I thought he responded well afterward.
Second star
Talk about getting an opportunity and absolutely running with it. By no means was this a perfect game for Timmins but what I appreciate the most from him was his recovery when mistakes were made. Offensively, he’s another option on the rush in the neutral zone and gets a lot of pucks on net mixing it up between long wrist and slap shots (the latter of which we don’t see much on this team). Even the slap shots have some versatility to them and the one that beat Petr Mrazek in the second was low but well-placed.
CONOR TIMMINS ????
ROCKET FROM THE POINT pic.twitter.com/QrcgQalwRo
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) February 16, 2023
Defensively, Timmins steps up to opposing players and doesn’t only rely on the boards to initiate contact. Sam Lafferty felt that twice, including this big hit at the blue line.
Conor Timmins stonewalls Lafferty pic.twitter.com/1ELFbdbYdd
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) February 16, 2023
Although there were moments where I felt he held onto the puck too much, I thought this was a fine game for Timmins and one that should see him in the lineup again on Saturday … just watch the penalty minutes.
Third star
Three weeks out of the lineup but it didn’t look like he spent a minute out of it. Matthews was on it from puck drop and what I noticed early was how he was manipulating the location and lane of his shots. It’s fascinating how Matthews uses his body and releases pucks at different points to hit different angles at high speeds. It still amazes me how quick he is at the catch and release and Mrazek had no chance of stopping him.
AUSTON MATTHEWS ????
BACK AND FULLY CHARGED! pic.twitter.com/NeSpf8hT1P
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) February 16, 2023
Player reports
A+
Marner was the best player on the ice in my opinion. From whistle to whistle he was hard on the forecheck and shifty skating with the puck. He continuously took the more difficult paths through the opposition dragging the puck through Chicago’s end and creating dangerous scoring chances for his linemates. The goal was called offside via Kerfoot, but Marner was incredible on that sequence from the steal to the skating.
man, Mitch Marner snapped on this play
the steal and the dekes pic.twitter.com/qavKHdvW0O
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) February 16, 2023
Additionally, he made Patrick Kane, who already wasn’t having the most outstanding night, look worse by stealing the puck off him on the power play leading to a short-handed chance to flip it over to Kämpf.
A
A very low event game for Samsonov despite allowing two goals on 29 shots. I wouldn’t hold either of those goals on him but the most important thing was he didn’t give up a soft one in the moments when the Blackhawks were getting their shots in. His best sequence was in the first period where he made saves on three shots in a row. Those chances didn’t lead to anything drastic and Samsonov did a great job shutting the door after Kurashev’s goal in the second.
Mark Giordano-Timothy Liljegren
We got a lot of this pairing last season and I think it did wonders for Liljegren’s development. I thought the pair were solid in their gaps and back pressure on puck carriers. Liljegren, in particular, had a solid effort on Domi heading back to the defensive zone and disrupting his shot before he had an opportunity to fire it off.
B+
Similar to Rielly, Brodie started his night with an assist getting the secondary on the Nylander goal. Anytime I noticed Brodie it was when he was putting pressure on an advancing player or trying to defend the front of the net. Quiet and efficient, that’s his motto.
The quick hands in front of the net on the power play are something I want to see more from Tavares as the calendar gets closer to April. The goal, albeit relatively easy, brings him a step closer to another 30-goal year.
JOHN TAVARES ????
great speed and feed from Kerfoot pic.twitter.com/pwe6q0WFfp
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) February 16, 2023
The eye for offence from the backend worked in Sandin’s favour tonight. He got a lucky goal off Connor Murphy’s stick that was an intended pass but took a lot of opportunities to activate from the blue line
RASMUS SANDIN ????
pass turned goal off Murphy pic.twitter.com/Y4qSaCQUMg
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) February 16, 2023
The Blackhawks’ goaltender made a pretty solid save on Sandin who labeled a shot for the top right corner of the net.
B
Alex Kerfoot
Offside aside, the puck was following Kerfoot tonight. Part of it was Marner’s performance but he showed some good hustle and speed through the neutral and offensive zones. That assist for Tavares was a mistake on Mrazek’s part and was also a won race against Ian Mitchell.
Bunting had a couple of close calls and empty nets in the middle frame. What I liked the most about his game was that it was quiet yet effective as he was the midway point for Nylander and Matthews to do their thing by bumping pucks over to one of them in the corner and supporting them if it was lost.
Rielly puts his name on the game early with that stretch pass to Nylander, the 399th of his career. That’s Rielly at his best: taking a step back, seeing a play develop, and moving the puck to the appropriate area. Unfortunately, falling for the Kane decoy on the second goal against after getting back to the defensive zone late put him in the “puck-watching” box as Kurashev blasted it past Samsonov.
The fourth line (Zach Aston-Reese, Pontus Holmberg, Joey Anderson)
I loved the energy from the fourth line and it wasn’t lacking from a single member of the trio. Aston-Reese was doing his part winning battles and throwing pucks to open spaces. Holmberg was great at grabbing the loose puck and distributing it throughout the offensive zone and occasionally stealing and working it back in the Leafs’ possession. Anderson, however, was definitely the weakest link on the line. He did his part on the recovery and got some wraparound chances on Mrazek but he had a number of turnovers and is pushed off the puck way too often.
B-
Calle Järnkrok
A very uncharacteristic and poorly timed pass from Järnkrok put Chicago on the board not too long after the Leafs scored. However, I like the offensive power Järnkrok adds lower in the lineup, especially on the penalty kill. It would’ve been a highlight reel play if Kerfoot was able to bat that puck out of the air.
C+
A little too predictable with the rushes. I wish he would find ways to mix it up with his decisions on the zone entry, especially when some of those ‘stop and spins’ lead to turnovers and missed opportunities at offensive zone time. He did more of that late in the third period, setting Järnkrok up on a rush and making Jake McCabe fall on a rush to the net.
Kämpf was the only Leafs centre who didn’t hit 50 percent in the faceoff circle finishing well below at 33 percent. He’s also hovering in the Kerfoot territory of getting looks and not scoring on them. Kämpf isn’t a player we expect goals from, but he hasn’t scored since December 8th.
Game Score
Final grade: A
The Chicago Blackhawks looked tired, disengaged at times, and had a level of defence different brands of swiss cheese would envy. That said, I’m still going to praise the Leafs for dominating this game. The pressure on puck carriers in their own end was something I noticed quickly and often. The Leafs would either have two players on the carrier or two in the vicinity while using the boards to stop the puck and quickly transition it. The skilled players, especially Matthews, Marner, and Nylander, took advantage of the time and space the Blackhawks gave them and Samsonov made the saves when called upon. This was the perfect response to a bad loss against the Columbus Blue Jackets: a team they should beat.
What’s next for the Leafs?
Leafs. Habs. Hockey Night in Canada (CBC at 7:00 p.m.). Regardless of where they are in the standings, these games mean something to either fan base. That being said, the Leafs should win this one (he types optimistically).
(Top photo: Nick Turchiaro / USA Today)
