The Toronto Maple Leafs played the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night severely shorthanded. The Buds were missing their two top stars in Auston Matthews and William Nylander, among other regulars.
But a look at the final score would suggest it didn’t matter. The Maple Leafs shut out the high-flying Devils 4-0, riding a fantastic performance by Joseph Woll. The Leafs' netminder picked up his first clean sheet of the season. The blanking came on the heels of a very good defensive performance across the board.
Then, goals by Bobby McMann, Nic Roy, Calle Jarnkrok, and Matthew Knies powered the offense. So, what gives? Logic would have suggested that the Leafs were primed for a thumping. But they came out on top.
The answer is that the Maple Leafs played their best Berube-type game. The impressive performance was the result of the entire squad, Marlies fill-ins and all, playing a strong all-around game.
The absence of Nylander and Matthews suggests that the entire lineup consciously compensated for their absence by playing a tight game. No fancy stuff, no fluff, just a solid hockey game. This was old-school forechecking, dumping pucks, clearing the zone, and avoiding foolish plays.
Matthew Knies even dropped the gloves. He took on Devils' captain Nico Hischier in a spirited bout. It wasn't a heavyweight tilt, but it was the sort of display of spirit that the Maple Leafs have lacked this season.
Of course, the game wasn’t perfect. The Maple Leafs pounced on the Devils, who came into Scotiabank Arena on a three-game losing streak. But that’s precisely what strong teams do. They look for weaknesses and move in for the kill.
Maple Leafs’ injury plague could be a blessing in disguise
If anything, this injury situation could be a blessing in disguise. NHL clubs, like the Maple Leafs, are akin to corporations. Companies don’t know how many resources they have until they’re in dire straits.
Think of a company that’s getting blasted by competitors. That company won’t know how valuable it truly is unless it allows its employees to flex their muscles. There’s only so much upper management can do to keep a corporation afloat.
The same goes for sports teams. Sports teams, like corporations, are only as strong as their members. For the Maple Leafs, the team’s strength lies in allowing members to play to their strengths.
Nick Robertson was a good example of that. Robertson played top-six minutes with Easton Cowan and, guess what, Robertson ended the night with two assists. His confidence was palpable every time he touched the puck.
The same went for the fourth line. Call-up Jacob Quillan rolled with Steven Lorentz and Calle Jarnkrok. The result was a fourth-line goal… the fourth line.
While Matthews and Nylander are crucial to the Maple Leafs’ success, Tuesday night’s win suggests something bigger. Maple Leafs fans could be witnessing a transformation in organizational culture. Without its star members, the Maple Leafs showed what could be the first signs of a post-Matthews era.