With the Toronto Maple Leafs struggling defensively throughout their lineup, and the team failing to provide adequate support against the rush against the Utah Mammoth, head coach Jim Hiller decided it was time to shake his lines up against the visiting Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night.
Auston Matthews would centre the first line, with William Nylander on the left wing and Jack Roslovic on the right. The second line would feature John Tavares centring Nick Paul and Kirill Marchenko, while the third line would see Easton Cowan and Gavin McKenna join centre Colton Sissons. Hiller's fourth line would feature Teddy Blueger centring Nick Duhaime and Ryan MacEwen.
The new combinations offer a more balanced look throughout the lineup. Matthews and Nylander have shown good chemistry in limited play with each other, and Roslovic gives them another offensive option that has also shown good chemistry with Matthews. Marchenko gets a chance to feed off Tavares, who is known for his playmaking and ability to quickly mesh with wingers throughout his career. Paul brings a physical presence to the second line, which will be a welcome addition.
Cowan and McKenna have developed a strong off-ice bond that could translate into some exciting play on the ice. Both young forwards possess the speed and skill to create opportunities, so expectations were high that the dynamic duo will connect against the Sabres.
Hiller was quoted as saying that said he” is looking for maturity from his young players”, and the new combinations should give them an opportunity to demonstrate what they can bring to the lineup. The fourth line, meanwhile, will be expected to provide energy and play an even, responsible game.
1st period: Leafs' new lines chemistry
The Buffalo Sabres came out of the gate strong, outshooting the Maple Leafs 4-0 before Auston Matthews opened the scoring at the 02:24 mark. Roslovic picked up the assist, giving the Leafs an early 1-0 lead.
Toronto would get another opportunity on the power play after Carrick was called for hooking Tavares at 12:32. The Blue and White wasted little time capitalizing, with Marchenko scoring a power play marker at 13:10. Tavares and Darren Raddysh picked up the assists, giving Toronto a 2-1 lead.
The Leafs would head into the first intermission with a 2-1 lead, outshooting Buffalo 15-8.
Overall, the Leafs new lines looked good through the opening period. Matthews and Nylander once again showed some great chemistry, while Cowan and McKenna generated a couple of high-danger chances. Tavares' line looked solid, and Marchenko continued to use his speed to create opportunities. The fourth line also did its job, providing energy and keeping things even.
While the Tavares line was on the ice for Buffalo's goal, I wouldn't put the blame on them as the goal against had more to do with Bobrovsky misplaying the puck than anything else.
2nd period: The Kirill Marchenko explosion
The Maple Leafs would open the second period establishing pressure down low in the Buffalo Sabres' zone. If not for the work of the Buffalo netminder, it may have been 3-1 early on.
Hiller would continue to throw the new lines out onto the ice. With the McKenna and Cowan line looking good down low, they got the puck out of the zone, only to find the Buffalo Sabres regrouping quickly in their own zone. With a full head of steam, Buffalo came down the ice, eluding the Leafs forwards, before Jack Quinn deposited his second goal of the night. The wrist shot beat Bobrovsky at the 02:41 mark of the second period, making it a 2-2 game.
For a team that had allowed 13 second-period goals coming into tonight's contest, it was a great start to the period for the Buffalo Sabres. Comparatively, the Maple Leafs have also struggled in the second period, as witnessed in their last outing against the Utah Mammoth, where they gave up four goals.
The Leafs would regroup, with their lines showing good cohesion and flow throughout the first ten minutes of the period, despite giving up the goal to Quinn.
Thankfully, Toronto would regain the lead at the 11:13 mark when Marchenko fired a wrist shot from the left faceoff circle past Luukkonen, giving the Buds a 3-2 lead.
Marchenko wasn't finished. At the 16:51 mark, he completed the hat trick by one-timing a perfect pass from Colton Sissons, who was positioned behind the net. The goal gave Toronto a 4-2 lead and capped off an impressive second period for Marchenko.
With 02:01 remaining in the period, the two sides engaged in some spirited pushing and shoving, emphasizing the Sabres' frustration and, to their credit, the Leafs' willingness to push back—a trait that was so obviously absent last season.
Toronto would leave the second period up 4-2 in the hockey game. The period marked their best second period of the short season, with Marchenko capping off his hat trick, the lines looking solid, netminder Bobrovsky making some big saves, and the power play clicking. The Leafs were also perfect on the penalty kill.
For two periods, all you could say about Hiller's changes to the lineup was that they were a glowing success. And then came the third period.
3rd period: Lost Tavares, lost control
The Maple Leafs had shown tremendous pace, power, and skill throughout the game. Speed was definitely been a factor in propelling the Leafs to their 4-2 lead, but something happened in the third period as the Leafs pace slowed and Buffalo quietly crept back into the game.
Leafs fans held their collective breath when John Tavares went down at the 02:32 mark of the third period after taking a stick to the face. He appeared to have injured his knee or groin on the play, although the exact nature of the injury was unclear. No penalty was awarded.
With their former captain out of the lineup, the Leafs exchanged chances with the Sabres, but their overall continued to slip as the team started to look out of gas on occasion. Then, with the Leafs looking lackadaisical, Sabres defenseman Dennis Gilbert fired one past Bobrovsky at the 10:05 mark to bring Buffalo within one goal of Toronto.
Then with the Sabres pressing once again, a game that once looked to be firmly under the Leafs' control was suddenly tied when Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson threw a wrist shot on net that eluded Bobrovsky at the 12:16 mark. Just like that, it was 4-4.
With Toronto being outshot 10-1 in the third period with 06:00 minutes to go, Hiller was looking for a spark from his team. Curiously, McKenna sat cold on the bench, having logged just nine shifts for a total of 06:36 in ice time. It was a development that seemed to creep up on us all. And with 02:00 minutes to go, McKenna was still on the bench. Whatever message Hiller was trying to send, I hope it was worth it.
With 01:53 remaining in regulation, Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly would take a hooking penalty on Konsta Helenius. The Leafs were very fortunate when Sabres forward Zach Benson took a two-minute penalty of his own for interference on Colton Sissons at the 18:33 mark.
Regulation time would expire with the game tied 4-4, and McKenna still stuck to the bench. Tavares had not returned to the game and was not coming out for overtime.
Overtime and Final Thoughts
Overtime saw the two sides exchange scoring opportunities, with Marchenko getting a great look and Nylander getting a partial breakaway. Josh Norris would fall awkwardly around the 02:30 mark. Sadly, the Leafs would not take advantage of the downed player, as the Sabres broke out of their own zone, making a couple of passes before Sabres defenseman Owen Power scored the overtime winner at the 03:14 mark, completing the comeback and securing a 5-4 win.
Overall, the Leafs new lineup was a tale of two cities. They looked nearly unbeatable in the first two periods with moments of dominance filled with speed, skill and energy. The third period and subsequent collapse in overtime saw the team lose their edge, tire and return to their defensive woes on occasion.
If I was to put a grade on the new forward lines, I would allocate an “A-minus” through two periods, with an ugly “D” allocated for the third period and much of overtime.
For Hiller, perhaps another chance to retool the lines? It will be interesting to hear why Hiller chose to sit McKenna. Equally, we will all wait on pins and needles as we await word on Tavares’ injury status.
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