For the first time since Nov. 5, 2022, the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Boston Bruins in the regular season, shutting the Bruins out 4-0 at home on Tuesday night. Morgan Rielly, William Nylander, and Matthew Knies scored on the powerplay, while Steven Lorentz cemented the victory with an empty-netter. Anthony Stolarz earned his ninth NHL shutout, his first as a Maple Leaf, stopping all 29 shots against him, including big saves on the penalty kill, which was 6-for-6 on the night. The Bruins are back in action on Thursday, while the Leafs host the Red Wings on Friday.
Toronto Maple Leafs’ Special Teams the Key on Tuesday
The special teams for the Maple Leafs seem to be the only thing anyone is talking about in Ontario’s capital. Sports-wise, anyway. On a night where the Leafs slayed their regular season Boston demons, it is impossible to talk about the win without praising the special teams, especially the powerplay, which has been a thorn in the side of the blue and white dating back to last March.
The Leafs were 3-for-7 with the man advantage, including back-to-back powerplay goals in the second period, scored by Rielly and Nylander, to break open a physical, tight, scoreless hockey game. “It was very good,” Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said of the powerplay, specifically the first unit. “A shot from the point, another with a shot, screen, goal. It was pretty simple, but I thought they moved it around well. Mitch Marner made a great play to Knies back door that could’ve been a goal.” In addition to the powerplay success, the PK was equally, if not more, successful for the Maple Leafs, going a perfect 6-for-6 on the night.
An obvious, and not so obvious, force to be reckoned with on the PP is Knies. Knies’ contribution to the powerplay was in full effect, from screening to passing to inevitably scoring. “We’ve been talking about things we can improve on, in traffic and shots, and in that conversation, he played a big role,” Rielly said of Knies.
“I’m a bigger player and like to take (the goalie’s) eyes away, make plays down there,” Knies said. “I’ll let the skill guys take the outside, put my stick in a good area and let them find me. — We’re just getting more pucks on net. You saw that with Willy getting a tip off their own guy and he finds me by the net.” His two points on the night gave Knies seven goals and nine points on the year.
Stolarz the Star Again for Toronto
Scotiabank Arena is known for not being as rambunctious as other home venues in the NHL. However, this night, chants of “Stol-ly” could be heard, loud and clear, as Stolarz was stellar again for the Maple Leafs.
“It’s always going to get you going and you appreciate the support,” Stolarz said of the love from the fans. “They’re the ones who drive us and give us energy. So any time that they can go out and make some noise for us like that, we really appreciate it.” He took the praise, then quickly deflected it. “It’s better that we have the two points and beat a big divisional team. I thought that was probably one of our better 60-minute efforts of the year and hopefully, we can keep it rolling.”
Praise for Stolarz came from the players, too, as his role in the win did not fall short in the dressing room. “He made massive saves,” Marner said. “A couple of massive backdoor saves, coming across the crease. He’s been doing this all year for us in that net. So kudos to him. It could have been a different game or different score without him. It’s great to hear the fans give him the love he deserved for it, too.”
When a penalty kill goes 6-for-6, it’s hard to do that without big saves. That being said, the five-on-five stats for Stolarz this year have been off the charts. According to Jonas Siegel of The Athletic, Stolarz has a .958 save percentage five-on-five, stopping 182 of 190 shots. He’s 5-2-2, with a .928 SV% and a 2.12 goals-against average this season. Through the ups and downs of the new “Berube Era” Maple Leafs, it’s hard to say where this team would be so far without the incredible play of Stolarz.
Final Thoughts
Even though the season is only 14 games old, these were two huge points for the Maple Leafs on Tuesday. The Leafs now have 14 points, only three behind the division-leading Florida Panthers, while the Bruins have 13. The Leafs have won only one playoff round in the last eight years, and a big part of that is the opponents they face in the opening round. Despite their regular season success, they have not won the Atlantic, so their first-round matchups are always against superior opponents. Yes, the season is young, but it’s important for the Leafs to stay in the division race. A win against the Bruins helps, even though it’s early in the season.
Rielly moved his name up a notch in the history books on Tuesday night. At 8:44 of the second period, Rielly scored his 84th career goal, moving him up to fifth amongst defensemen in franchise history. That goal moved him ahead of Thomas Kaberle and Bryan McCabe, who each had 83.
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