The Toronto Maple Leafs faced off against former general manager Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night, and absolutely destroyed them 7-0.
Ahead of the contest, the Toronto Maple Leafs were decimated with the flu bug that is ripping through their dressing room and were forced to play without Auston Matthews, among many other changes to their regular lineup.
Good news though, as Timothy Liljegren was back in the line-up for the first time since Brad Marchand pitched forked him into the boards on November 2 that left him out with a high ankle sprain.
Liljegren is the only player skilled enough to support Morgan Rielly as a legitimate top four defenseman on the team.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Roster Adjustments Pay Off With Huge Win
Many believed 2023-24 was the season that Liljegren had the opportunity to take giant strides in his game with the opportunity opening for him. The former first round pick had averaged nearly 18-minutes a game before he went down with the injury, however, with the John Klingberg experiment over and the demise of T.J. Brodie’s game, the team will count on Liljegren to play a bigger role on the team.
Brodie missed the game, along with Auston Matthews, because of the flu. Ryan Reaves is out with an injury, and Matthew Knies returned after missing two games with the flu.
Liljegren played just under 11 minutes, and was paired mostly with Morgan Rielly. Though he had a bad game overall, since he hasn’t played in six weeks, it was just nice to have him back.
Martin Jones got his second start of the season, and posted his first shutout, after beating the New York Rangers earlier in the week.
Jones has played in just two total games this season for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but has proven to be one of the few good signings by GM Brad Treliving this season as he has provided great insurance for the team.
Pontus Holmberg was recalled from the Toronto Marlies due to the injury to Ryan Reaves. Holmberg has played in seven games so far with the Maple Leafs, but has yet to register a point. Many thought he was going to be the fourth line center this season, however after Treliving signed both David Kämpf and Max Domi that role evaporated.
Domi had a great night, teaming with Marner and scoring three points. Both players scored highlight reel goals. Matthew Knies also had a big role in destroying Kyle Dubas’ new team by picking up the Leafs first Gordie Howe hat trick in nearly a decade.
Next up are the Rangers on Tuesday for the seemingly undefeatable Toronto Maple Leafs.