The Toronto Maple Leafs ended their three-game losing streak in dramatic fashion on Monday, as the Leafs went into Winnipeg and beat the previous 8-0-0, Jets 6-4. Berube’s decision to move Tavares and Pacioretty to the second line with Nylander paid off in spades as the trio scored a combined nine points. Matthew Knies scored his fifth goal of the campaign and Stolarz made 19 stops, including some big ones towards the end of the game. Overall, it was a performance the doctor ordered for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Now, can the Toronto Maple Leafs string a few of these together?
The ‘Old Guard’ Sparks Toronto Maple Leafs
In a game that had plenty of good, it was the pair of 30-somethings that led the Toronto Maple Leafs to a win that the team desperately needed. As desperate as you can be in October, that is. John Tavares, 34, and Max Pacioretty, 35, were promoted to Nylander’s line on Monday, and it paid off in spades. Tavares scored a hat-trick, capping off his night with a back-handed shot from center ice into an empty net. Pacioretty had three assists, tying a career-high, while Nylander had three points of his own.
“Patch (Pacioretty) has been a really good player for a long time and understands what you need to do to impact the game,” Tavares said of Pacioretty after the game. “Be responsible and let your instincts come out, reading off each other. We have developed some chemistry early in the season and I’ve obviously played with Willy (Nylander) for years.”
Maple Leafs Season Recap
Pacioretty has been a healthy scratch a few times this year and has a hard time finding consistency early in 2024-25. “Things change throughout the year. I can’t get too high or low about the position I’m in,” the 17-year veteran said on Monday. “There are different ways I can contribute.” He now has two goals, five points, and is a +4 on the season.
After a hot start to the season Nylander and his line, McMann and Domi, dried up in the previous three games, combining for zero points. We’ll see how long this line sticks together, but for one game it was a change the group needed. “They’ve been successful in the past,” Berube said of reuniting Tavares and Nylander. “With Pacioretty there, a big winger that could score, we are just trying to find a little bit more scoring in some other lines.”
Matthew Knies Solidifying His Place In Toronto
In this salary cap world, the Toronto Maple Leafs have had a hard time finding production in cheap contracts, and with Matthew Knies, they have finally found it. Unfortunately, it won’t last long. Knies is up for an extension, and with the way he’s producing early in the year, it would be financially beneficial for the Leafs to lock him up as soon as possible.
Knies has scored five goals so far this year, including one in Winnipeg on Monday, and they’ve been clutch goals at that, building on his overtime winner in the playoffs last spring. Beyond that, his physicality has been felt through 10 games. The six-foot-two forward clocks in at 210 pounds and has been throwing his body around more than the earlier days of his career, recording 20 hits so far. With Nylander running the second line, Knies has found himself on the top line with Matthews and Marner and continues to make the most of it.
News and Notes
Earlier this week, Toronto Maple Leafs Defenseman Jake McCabe signed a five-year, $22.5 million extension, bringing the blue line for the Toronto Maple Leafs into focus long-term. They now have Rielly, Tanev, Ekman-Larsson, and McCabe all signed for at least the next three years, not including this season. While they are all over 30 years old, or in Rielly’s case, close to it, they make up one of the best D-cores in the NHL, at least on paper. That’s not something that could have been said in Toronto for a long time.
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