One night after being held off the score sheet, the Toronto Maple Leafs jumped out to a 3-0 lead and never looked back, beating the New Jersey Devils 4-2 on Thursday night. Dennis Hildeby made 22 stops on 24 shots in his NHL debut, while Jacob Markstrom had 18 saves on 22 shots. Both teams will have Friday off and will be back in action on Saturday.
Leafs Get Production From New Additions
In what was a quiet night for the dynamic trio of Matthews, Marner, and Nylander, the newest additions were the strength of the offense in what was a fairly convincing victory. Steven Lorentz and Max Pacioretty each scored their first goals as a Leaf, while Lorentz added an assist. McMann and Tavares had the other two markers to put the game away. The bottom two lines had a combined 3 goals, 3 assists, and a plus/minus of +7.
The game started sloppy on both sides, but the Leafs got the breaks they needed to jump out to a quick 3-0 start, finishing the first period up 3-1. John Tavares got the insurance marker in the second before Timo Meier brought the Devils within one.
Special Teams, Stars Still Not Up to Speed
The Leafs had two games in two nights to start the season and head back to Toronto 1-1-0 on the young season. At first look, you would think the Leafs would have beat the upstart Canadiens and lose to the revamped Devils, but they will take the two points any way they come, heading back to Toronto for their home opener on Saturday night.
All that being said, the depth and the goaltending are what have kept Toronto in both of these games and are extremely encouraging to start the season. The stars and special teams, however, have left much to be desired. Matthews, Marner, and Nylander combined for 0 points and 2 shots, and haven’t looked full speed at all over the first two games.
Ironing Out the Issues
One reason could be the new systems Coach Berube has put in place, which seem evident so far this season. That is fair, and to be expected early in the campaign. Another reason is when teams take away the center of the ice it’s been known to impact how the big boys operate skating into the zone.
While the penalty kill has looked pretty good through two games, the powerplay has been a real struggle for the Leafs. Assistant Coach Marc Savard was brought in to specialize in the powerplay, and so far, it looks like a new coach has been running it. The zone entries have been overly complicated and they only had one shot on two powerplays in New Jersey. The PP has been a strength for this team for years now, so you would think it’s only a matter of time before they find their stride.
Final Thoughts
The Leafs head back to Scotiabank Arena for their home opener on Saturday to face the Pittsburgh Penguins. Sure, there are things to pick apart on both ends of the ice, but for the most part, this new-look Maple Leafs team is committed to the structure and discipline Coach Berube wants to play with.
Much has been made about Nic Robertson, for bad reasons in the summer and for great reasons in the preseason. Robertson has looked terrific through two games, despite being held pointless and only having 3 shots. He’s been fast and physical, stealing pucks and creating chances. It’s a matter of time before he breaks through.
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