Toronto Maple Leafs Comprehensive: Player, Stats and Quotes of the Week
Toronto Maple Leafs Comprehensive
Each week I will put together a blog that evaluates the team’s performance for the week. I will highlight a game of the week, a player of the week, gather some interesting news, and share some of the best quotes from Leaf players and coaches.
Weeks 1 and 2 will be combined into this first edition, as it’s more like a week and a half, so let’s give a breakdown of how the boys are doing.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are currently sitting in 2nd place in the North division with a record of 5-2. Only our most beloved rival, the Montreal Canadians, sit ahead of us by mere % points at 4-0-2.
After a couple of rough starts for Freddie, both goalies have been solid, bringing the team SV% up to just a tic above league average at 5v5. The power-play is off to a fantastic start, sitting 3rd in the league at 40.91%, and the PK is just above league average at 80.77% (all stats via hockey-reference.com). The depth of the PP has also been impressive as both units have been effective early on. Special teams have been solid.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have controlled the bulk of the play through the first 7 games, sitting both 5th in CF% at 54.2 and 8th in SCF% at 62.3, both very respectable numbers. Keefe wants more pace, but early indications are good, and I expect these numbers to only get better as the pace quickens.
The guys that are supposed to be scoring, the guys that make the money, are scoring. Marner leads the team with 10 pts in 7 games, and all four big contracts are driving the bus so far. Not much to complain about here.
Considering all the craziness that surrounds the NHL restart, all the new faces on the Toronto Maple Leafs, a couple of key injuries, and the fact that these guys just got done playing 7 games in 12 days…I’ll take the 5-2 record and walk those points straight to the bank with a smile. I’ll even high-five the teller while I’m at it.
The Game of the Week
The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Flames 3-2 on a Sunday afternoon and the game puck goes to Jack Campbell for his gutsy 31 save performance. You can check out my preview of the Calgary Flames here, as part of the Canadian division primer from EIL, where I had them competing at the top of the division, and the Flames looked just as good as advertised in this game.
It’s worth repeating, but 7 games in 12 days right out of the gate, with no pre-season, is a serious challenge. The team looked tired. Calgary was rested and clearly looked quicker. They played the Leafs hard right from the opening face-off. All 3 goals the Leafs scored were lucky goals that bounced their way in the net. To be honest, the Leafs really had no business winning this game.
It was a tough game to watch and not an enjoyable one from a fan’s perspective. Matthews was clearly not 100% after missing the previous game with an injury. There was no Joe Thornton because he’s out at least 4 weeks. They Leafs were out-chanced and out-played, and really struggled for long stretches in the game. It was just an ugly, frustrating game.
Why, then, do I select this game as the game of the week? Because it was beautiful.
Jack Campbell kept his team in the game and gave them a chance. He did his job. And, under the circumstances, you really have to give the rest of the guys credit for just finding a way to win. It was the kind of game where they could have just folded, given up, and lost. They didn’t. They just kept playing. A few bounces went in the other team’s net, and what do you know, they got 2 points.
Winning ugly games when the odds are stacked against you is something this team isn’t supposed to do. Right? I mean, have they done it before? Not often. It’s not their thing. It’s not their MO. Or is it? A new season, with some new additions, should be a bit of a reset for this team. Plus, the core is pretty young. They are still growing as players. Perhaps this is the beginning of this team taking another step in development.
Either way, I hated the game when I watched it, but I loved it after I took a step back and put it into perspective. This is actually the type of game that I’ve been waiting for.
Player of the week
John Tavares.
The captain that has been overshadowed in the media by big personality additions like Joe Thornton and Wayne Simmonds, but he’s had a great start to the year. All JT has done is quietly work his butt off in the background to improve his mobility and get his had healthy for another year. Check out my article here on how I believed he was primed for a bounce back season.
With the growth of Matthews as a two-way force, and the new Kerfoot line showing some good results as a defensive line, Keefe has used Tavares in the offensive zone 57.1% of the time, a significant increase compared to the last two seasons . Tavares has not let his coach down. He has 7 pts in 7 games (4g, 3a), a 54.6 CF%, and 64.1 FO%. He looks quicker and his shot looks lethal, much more explosive than what we saw for most of last year.
When the captain starts the season looking good and producing, it’s no coincidence that the Toronto Maple Leafs are 5-2. Tavares has been the most impressive Leaf in the early going, and he earns my player of the week.
Toronto Maple Leafs News and Notes
Matthews is playing with an injury and he mentioned his hand is a post-game press conference following the 5-2 win over the Flames. Sounds like something that is ongoing and will need to be monitored in the coming games.
Thornton is out at least 4 weeks with a fractured rib. Zack Hyman is getting minutes on the top line with Matthews in the interim and he’s very capable of producing there. The issue is his replacement on the 3rd line, currently Wayne Simmonds, as Zach really drove that line. Of note, Simmonds did play well in that role on Sunday against the Flames.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are still without Nate Robertson because of a knee injury, original time-table was 4 weeks, and it has led to some trade rumors involving Kyle Dubas. Apparently Dubas may be willing to part with a defenseman like Travis Dermott if he feels the team does not have the top 9 forward depth needed due to recent injuries. Cap space will be an issue that may make it difficult for Dubas to acquire a player, which may mean that he will have no choice but to rely on the depth he already has.
Adam Brooks scored his first NHL goal Friday night against the Oilers. For the record, the last time Brooks scored a goal in a professional game was on 2/15/2020, in a playoff series against Belleview in the AHL. He scored the game tying goal late in the 3rd period. They went on to win the game in overtime. It was the last regulation goal scored by the Marlies in 2020 as the season was cancelled right after. It was a total of 341 days. A stark reminder of just how long we went without hockey. Man I love this sport.
Interesting stat
The Toronto Maple Leafs are controlling a lot of the play in the early going and the PP is firing on all cylinders, so why is it that the Leafs are converting on less high danger opportunities than the opposition? Blue paint.
The Leafs have a 8.7 HDC% (% the Leafs have converted high danger opportunities), which is below the league average of 12.6 HDC%. Leafs opponents are converting at 14.3 HDC% against them, which is above league average. That’s a huge disparity.
I believe it goes back to something that Keefe has been preaching from day 1 in camp, make life easier for our goalie and harder for theirs. The Leafs need to get to the front of the net more. They also need to defend their own blue paint better. Bottom line, we need a little more physical engagement guys. Talent only goes so far.
Quotes of the week
“The only thing I can think of, other than I should have had that, was I just wanna shake his hand. That was a heck of a play. What a young talent, it’s good for the league, and you can count on me being better on that one next time.” Jack Campbell on the Tim Stutzle goal, showing the kind of sportsmanship and honesty that we just wish all athletes had. (Sportsnet.ca via Facebook).
Joe Thornton during his post-game on January 16th after the win against Ottawa, on becoming the oldest Leaf forward to score a goal in an NHL game. He asked the reporter questions in a back and forth banter that was a comedic breath of fresh air. I can only imagine how valuable he is in the dressing room. The quote is too long to post here in the blog, but it’s worth a listen.
Next. Top 5 Moves of Kyle Dubas Career. dark
Until next week,
Keep your sticks on the ice.