Toronto Maple Leafs News and Notes, Player Stats and Quotes, Week 3.
Each week I will dive into team news and notes for the Toronto Maple Leafs. I will highlight the game of the week, the player of the week, and provide some fun quotes and observations as we break the season into weekly segments.
In week three, the Toronto Maple Leafs won 3 out of 4 games on the Alberta road trip, playing a game every other night, and the OT loss on Saturday night meant that they got a point in every game.
I’ll take 7 out of a possible 8 points away from home at any point in the season. They are beginning to look like a 1st place team. Oh wait, they are a 1st place team. Before last night’s games anyways (the Leafs are off until Thursday) the Leafs were in first place overall in the NHL.
It has been an excellent start to the season.
Game of the week
The Toronto Maple Leafs lost 4-3 in overtime to the Oilers on hockey night in Canada.
One reason I loved this game was because it was Mikko Lehtonen’s most active game to date. He took two penalties (one resulted in a penalty shot), saved a goal, had his first NHL point, and was noticeable all over the ice in a limited 9 minutes of ice time. I’m not entirely sure if he helped us win or lose, but I liked it either way. He is starting to be more comfortable and it is beginning to show in his play.
Now to the rest of the game. I know, I know, Connor McDavid walked right through the entire team, made a GIF out of Muzzin, and scored the kind of goal that just makes you want to cry. He scored another beauty in OT to get the Oilers the extra point. McDavid is the best player in the world and sometimes you just tip your hat to the great ones for the things that they can do. So why is this the game of the week? Because it was very clearly the best game of the season so far.
The game was fast-paced and competitive. Both goalies were good. Both teams played hard. The Oilers played like they were desperate for 2 points, which they were, and the Leafs kept finding ways to match them. My point here is that this game was a clear turning point in the season. Teams are shaking off the rust, auditions are over, and rosters are set. It’s go time from here on out. The better the hockey gets, the more I love it, and that’s why this was the game of the week.
Keefe said it best in his post game press conference when he talked about turning the page. He knows it. The team knows it. We all know it. Pre-season is over. We are now in a non-stop sprint to the finish, and absolutely every single point counts.
Player of the Week: Jason Spezza
When Nylander scored late in the 1st period, on Thursday night against the Oilers, to give the Toronto Maple Leafs a 2-0 lead, Spezza made a heads up play to set up the goal. He was going off for a line change when he noticed that the puck was wrapped around the boards and about to leave the offensive zone. He stopped, skated back to the blue line to keep the puck in and get it to the net, which ended up resulting in a goal, and an assist for Spezza. It was a great example of a veteran player just paying attention to the moment and making the right decision at the right time.
When the Leafs placed Spezza on waivers so Dubas could get a little bit of cap flexibility after the injuries, his agent quickly put out a statement that basically said he won’t play for another team. In fact, he said that he would just retire if he was claimed. How about them apples? Gotta love it. He’s paid his dues and this is the only jersey he wants to put on. I don’t know about you but that makes me proud to be a fan of this team. Good on Spezza for exercising his “old man” rights too, it was pure honesty, and he’s earned it.
Mikko Lehtonen gave Spezza some nice props in his morning skate press conference before Saturday’s game against the Oilers. He mentioned that Spezza has helped him a lot, specifically by answering lots of questions about hockey and living in Canada.
Having veteran players that are willing to help other players, even mentor them, is a real advantage when recruiting players from other leagues. It gives them a better opportunity to learn the culture and make the necessary adjustments that are so important to becoming successful in the NHL.
Stats are fun. Analytics is a very important part of the game, and the data available often tells the truth about performance, but stats do not have a way of accounting for the value of a great veteran presence. So here’s a shout out to an old guy, Jason Spezza, thank you for all that you do for this team.
News and notes
Wayne Simmonds has scored a goal in 3 consecutive games, which last happened 4 years ago. Specifically, it happened during a stretch of games from 12-4-2017 to 12-6-2017 while a member of the Philadelphia Flyers.
He finished that season with 24 goals in 75 games, including 11 on the powerplay. It was his last full season as a Flyer as he was traded to Nashville the following year. There’s a story here that involves him being healthy again, so it is possible that he will be able to contribute more offensively than we initially anticipated.
Austin Matthews is heating up with a goal in each of his last 5 games. I’ll give the crown to McDavid, but is Austin Matthews becoming the 2nd best player in the world? I’m starting to think so based on his 200 ft game and his insane ability to generate offense.
Is Mikheyev the fastest guy on the Leafs? He sure looks like it on most nights. The eye test tells me that he’s played really well, and yet the data suggests otherwise. He currently has just 2 points in 10 games (all assists) with a 44.3 CF%. What am I missing? Nothing. He also has the highest dZS% on the team at 63.5. Plus, he has a crazy Relative Corsi For % while short handed at 24.6, easily tops on the team, making him standout as the Leafs best penalty killer. So don’t worry folks, he really does look good, he’s just been so trusted by Keefe that his usage is crazy tough. I’m hoping he breaks out soon with some offense.
Now, let’s get to the Muzzin puck flip at Tkachuk. For those of you who haven’t seen it, here it is for your viewing pleasure.
I have to say, it might have been a little “unsportsmanlike”, but I absolutely loved it. Muzzin was battling with him all night, and he definitely remembers the Campbell knee drop, so that little flick of the puck was a savvy veteran move that SERIOUSLY got under the skin of Tkachuck. Tkachuck went bonkers. It was wonderful.
As a side note to that incident, Muzzin was a key member of the Los Angeles Kings when Tkachuk slammed his elbow into Drew Doughty’s head back in 2017. That feud was legendary, and Muzzin must have some interesting memories from those times. Remember, Muzzin played with Doughty on the same pair for a while, I’m sure the two of them had some wonderful, and colorful, conversations about Matthew Tkachuk.
Speaking of Muzzin, the guy finally has some help, and is no longer fighting those kinds of battles alone. The additions of Simmonds, Bogosian, and Thornton, have allowed players like Muzzin to feel more comfortable playing a style that the other team just doesn’t like. So this is a little poke at Calgary Flames fans, I’m glad that you don’t like Muzzin, just like you’re glad that I don’t like Tkachuck. Hello rivalry.
Lastly, I have a few things to say about the first live showing of the retro jerseys. The colors are good, I started to like them more as the game went on and I got used to them a bit. The idea of a new jersey is long overdue in my opinion. This is a young core, with a young coach, and a young GM, and it’s the perfect time to put out a different visual for the fans.
I have one negative thing to say though, and it’s kind of important so it was definitely an oversight on the part of the Leafs’ current fashion team. The color scheme makes it very difficult to identify the numbers on the jersey, thus making it a challenge to follow the play in terms of who is who. I was able to overcome the challenge by squinting at the TV, and noticing other visual ques that tell players apart, but less experienced Leaf fans would not be able to so easily overcome this issue. Something to consider.
Stat of the week
Freddy Andersen is 4-1-1 with a 2.50 GAA and a .910 SV% in his last 6 starts (all stats via hockey-reference.com). His value to this team cannot be understated, as he has been a huge factor in this team sitting atop the division after 10 games. I talk about the importance of a good bounce back season in detail here, and after a rough start where he put up a .839 SV% in the first two games, Freddy has gotten on a bit of a roll here just as the team has needed him.
He’s looked big and calm in the crease, and his movements are much more efficient than they were in his first 2 starts. It seems as though the great Dane is back after shaking off the early rust.
Best quotes
I really liked something Keefe said in his practice presser from Monday, when he was explaining how he goes about deciding who starts the 3 on 3 overtime.
“Generally, I would start Matthews and Marner…in the case of the other night, you saw that Matthews had played about two and a half of the final three minutes in regulation, in a bid to make a push to try to win the game in regulation time, and not have it go to overtime. So having gone through that, just by the time it started I looked down at the bench and just didn’t feel Austin was quite ready to go out again and skate up and down the rink at 3 on 3. I felt another minute or so would be beneficial to him.”
To me, the fact that he prioritized a regulation win instead of thinking about OT was huge. That is exactly what I want to see from the coach. OT is it’s own animal, it’s a bonkers track meet that usually ends up being all about the goalies, so going all-in during the final few minutes of regulation sounds like the best way to go.
After practice on Monday, Hutchinson was asked which players on the team have really good shots that nobody talks about. His response included a surprising name.
“As far as a hard shot, Pierre Engvall, it’s like he’s trying to put the puck through the net every time he shoots.”
Common Engvall, show me that shot in a game. Seriously though, if Engvall created a bit of offense he would probably be a fixture on the 4th line. Shoot the puck.
After Monday’s practice, Adam Brooks talked a about Spezza and gave up a little tidbit of interesting info on the old vet.
“We played a little bit of a basketball tournament, just in the player’s lounge, obviously spread out and following guidelines, on Nintendo switch, and me and him were the champions.”
I don’t even know what Nintendo switch is, other than the fact that it’s a video game console, and I’m not that much older than Spezza. Just another creative way that Spezza has a positive impact on the culture of this team.
Morgan Rielly explained defense perfectly after practice on Friday. He was asked about gap control and keeping a tight gap when defending.
“I think it’s about skating and it’s all really a group effort. I mean if we have a high forward and good back pressure, I think it just makes our job a lot easier, and it makes it easier to keep that gap. So, all in all, it’s just a group effort as a unit.”
Defensman get blamed for their gap control, or lack of it, all the time. The truth is, a defenseman can only tighten the gap while defending if the other players are doing their jobs. Defense is a five man unit. There has been a noticeable commitment to defense on display so far in the early going, and it’s one of the reasons the team currently occupies first place in the north division.
Next. 3 Leafs Defying Expectations. dark
Until next week,
Keep your sticks on the ice.