Balanced scoring throughout the lineup
So, here is where things get interesting for me. It was frustrating to see that the depth scoring could not pick up Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Matthew Knies, and William Nylander on Saturday. The group got two goals, with Marner assisting on both tallies.
But as for the bottom six, they were absent. The Leafs have gotten absolutely no scoring from their third and fourth lines, or their blue-line all season long.
But then, the bottom six emerged against the Sabres. Nick Robertson got on the board, Bobby McMann looked like a man possessed, amd Max Domi chipping in. The depth scoring came through, plus the power play and the Leafs came back to beat the Sabres.
This point is crucial as the Leafs have always lacked scoring beyond the Core Four. It's even worse this year, but last night, at least for a game, another line showed up.
Perhaps the most encouraging signs of all were the goals by Robertson and Domi. Both players were expected to contribute much more this season. For various reasons, they haven’t produced up to the level that has been expected of them.
However, their performance on Sunday night could be the spark that turns things around for them. While I’m not saying that Domi or Robertson will go on a tear (they certainly could, though), the fact of the matter is that scoring and helping their team come back is highly encouraging, potentially alleviating the Leafs lack of depth scoring.
The Leafs will face a tough test on Wednesday against the Dallas Stars. The Stars play a similar grinding style as the Leafs do now. The Stars have players who can bust a game wide open much like the Leafs do.
So, it will be interesting to see how the Leafs stack up against one of the Western Conference’s better teams. The mission now will be for the Leafs to solidify their first-place position heading into the Christmas break.
If the Leafs can host Santa Claus while in first place, the outlook for 2025 could be much better than initially believed at the outset of this season.