Toronto Maple Leafs: Back Up For Curtis
The Toronto Maple Leafs won their second straight game in Dallas and ended a back to back series on a high note.
The Toronto Maple Leafs head into the all-star break with some confidence after defeating the Dallas Stars 4-1. Nazem Kadri collected two goals in the matchup, proving he has found his scoring touch again.
Curtis McElhinney
The Toronto Maple Leafs came out of a hard-earned victory over Chicago and started with backup Goalie Curtis McElhinney against Dallas. Like he did before, Curtis McElhinney proved to be a perfect backup goalie for Andersen. Making 39 saves on 40 shots by the Dallas Stars, posting a 0.975 save percentage.
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Curtis McElhinney has now raised his season stats to a 0.925 save percentage and 2.55 goals against average. Statistics most teams will look upon with some jealousy since good backup goaltending is hard to come by.
Not going unnoticed is the resurgence of Nazem Kadri with Mitch Marner inserted on to his line. Scoring three goals in the back to back series, the temporary line changes made by Mike Babcock should not be reversed for the time being. Mitch Marner, for one, hopes to stay on that line and I think Nazem Kadri wouldn’t mind playing a bit more with a gifted player such as Marner:
Is Marner hoping he'll stick with Marleau-Kadri moving forward?
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) January 26, 2018
"I mean, it'd be nice. I've enjoyed playing with them the last two games. It's been a lot of fun. I think our chemistry's getting a lot better & I think it's going to keep growing."
Power play
With Morgan Rielly sidelined, the Toronto Maple Leafs are missing their powerplay quarterback. Being limited in his options, Mike Babcock seemed to think he had only one option: Jake Gardiner. Gardiner was the only Leafs defenseman who saw ice on the man advantage.
Not to criticize Jake Gardiner, he’s a great puck mover and most of the time does a good job on the power play. But why didn’t Mike Babcock give the likes of Travis Dermott or Connor Carrick a chance? Both have played solid games lately and Dermott for one has a huge offensive upside to his game. Perhaps Babcock would have tried something else if the opportunity came along more often last night.
Three stars
First Star: I think it goes without debate that Curtis McElhinney gets the first star of the game. Hell, if it weren’t for other strong performances, I’d give him all three stars.
Second Star: As I stated already, Nazem Kadri’s refound scoring touch did not go unnoticed. He might be lucky on the second one, but they count.
Third Star: My Third star goes to William Nylander who earned two assists on his scoring linemates Hyman and Matthews.
Next: Defense is not the Leafs Biggest Need
Up next
The Leafs, with exception of Auston Matthews, will head into the all-star break. The Toronto Maple Leafs will return to action next Wednesday when they host the New York Islanders.