Toronto Maple Leafs: Nylander, Marleau Shine in Victory

Thank God the Toronto Maple Leafs showed up on Tuesday night to wash the taste of the Boston game out of our mouths.

Last night, most of us could have flipped a coin to determine which version of the Toronto Maple Leafs would have shown up. Would it be the 20-9-1 Maple Leafs who sit second in the NHL in goals scored and who have been incredible on the road this year? Or would it be the Maple Leafs that get schooled by the likes of the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings?

It didn’t help anyone’s predictions that the Leafs are historically awful when visiting PNC Arena. Prior to last night, the Leafs were 6-7-2 in their last 15 games in Raleigh, with their most recent decision being a 5-2 loss back on November 21st. Luckily, the good Toronto Maple Leafs showed up.

Frederik Andersen stopped 29 shots, William Nylander recorded his first points since signing his extension, and old-man Patrick Marleau led the way to jumpstart the Maple Leafs in a 4-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.

Marleau Continues to Defy Age

On NHL.com the three stars of the game are listed as, 1. Nylander, 2. Morgan Rielly and 3. Justin Williams, which is strange, because Marleau might have been the best player on the ice for the Leafs last night. He recorded his eighth goal of the season to make it 3-1, scoring after streaking into the zone and scoring on a nifty pass from Nylander. But not enough love is being given for how his play led to Rielly’s goal in the second period, which turned out to be the game winner.

After the Hurricanes scored to make it 1-1, Marleau forced a turnover in the offensive zone, around 20 seconds later Rielly put on a shot that deflected in off of Dougie Hamilton and through the five-hole of Petr Mrazek.

Marleau now has 18 points in 31 games, putting him on pace for a 40-plus point campaign. That may not sound like a lot considering he’s making $6.25 million, but he’s 39 years old and is tied in points with Max Pacioretty and Evander Kane, so I would chalk that up to an impressive season so far at almost 40 years old.

Nylander Hurts the Team, then Rebounds Nicely

As the night began, William Nylander was not contributing positively to the Maple Leafs. In fact, his actions left his team short-handed on two occasions. His first penalty came 13:31 minutes into the opening period, where he high sticked Calvin de Haan, resulting in a cut and the Nylander being handed a double minor. His next call came in the dying moments of the second period, as a tired Nylander committed a holding penalty against Lucas Wallmark.

The best thing you could say about #29 in his first two games back is that he wasn’t on the ice for any of the 11 goals the Maple Leafs allowed. In this one, his sloppy discipline left the Leafs shorthanded for six minutes. Yes, neither of his penalties led to goals for the Hurricanes, but it certainly didn’t help.

But all was mostly forgiven by the end of the game, after Nylander put up assists on Rielly and Marleau’s goals, helping seal the game for the Leafs. It’s a weight off of the young Swede’s shoulders and will hopefully stifle any talk amongst Leaf Nation about Nylander not being worth the contract the Leafs signed him to.

Thursday Night: Maple Leafs Vs Lightning

Maybe it’s most of us still have the mindset of fans who watched the Toronto Maple Leafs lose constantly over the last decade, but every win feels like a much-needed one. This game was a nice way to rebound from two straight losses and moves the Leafs to 21-9-1 and six points back of the Tampa Bay Lightning with a game in hand.

This sets up Thursday night’s game perfectly, as the Toronto Maple Leafs head to Amalie Arena to take on the Lightning in what is easily the biggest game of the year so far for either side.

The top two offences in the league jostling for position in the NHL’s toughest division?

Count me in.

Thanks for reading!