Leafs Playing Better Brand Of Hockey

The Toronto Maple Leafs have gotten back to playing a more defensively responsible style of game, something they’ve been forced into with a depleted lineup. Without top liners Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies, righty blueliners Brandon Carlo and Chris Tanev, center Nicolas Roy and goalie Anthony Stolarz, the club has cut down on the opposition’s chances and played three close contests against Chicago, St. Louis and Columbus, but are 1-1-1 in those three games, as the Leafs lost to the Blue Jackets 3-2 in overtime on an Adam Fantilli goal.

Toronto fell behind 2-0 in the second period on goals from Dmitri Voronkov and Fantilli, but Dakota Mermis responded in the middle frame, and John Tavares continued his red-hot November with his 12th goal of the season to tie it early in the third.    

Joseph Woll was once again solid in the Leafs net, stopping 27 shots and making some spectacular saves in the third and in overtime, but near the end of the extra frame head coach Craig Berube put out the defensively inept Max Domi, who turned over the puck and allowed Fantilli to cut to the front of the net to beat Woll for the game-winner. 

 “(We had) a pretty solid game all around. Guys worked and competed. We did a lot of good things,” Berube said. “”We’re defending a lot better. We’re doing a lot of good things, but we need to finish better. That’s really the story. Things are going better and they’re going in a good direction right now. We just got to keep working at it and keep building and get some healthy bodies back.”

The most impactful item to come from the game was the performance of rookie Easton Cowan, who started on a third line with Scott Laughton and Steven Lorentz, but because of his effectiveness, was moved up to the top line with Tavares and William Nylander and helped set up the Leafs tying goal. 

“He’s taken some good steps from day one, and he’s like a dog on a bone out there for me,” Berube said. “He just works and skates and sees the ice extremely well. He’s being a lot more heavier on pucks and making good decisions with the puck. I thought he played a really good game tonight.”

Berube indicated that he hopes to get some of his injured players back, but the time frame for the return of all of them is unknown. The Leafs begin a six-game road swing in Montreal on Saturday, with stops in Columbus, Washington, Pittsburgh, Florida, and Carolina, but the gap between the game against the Habs and Blue Jackets is four days, which may allow some of their wounded to return.