The Toronto Maple Leafs played perhaps their most entertaining game of the year, and the timing couldn't have been better.
After coming off a trio of the most boring hockey games known to man against the New York Islanders, the Toronto Maple Leafs took on the Boston Bruins and won, and provided 60 solid minutes of entertainment.
On a Saturday Night on Hockey Night in Canada, you couldn't have asked for more.
Ok, well, maybe a brawl would have been nice, but otherwise, it was a nearly perfect game. (stats naturalstattrick.com).
Matthew Knies Explodes, Maple Leafs Rocket Up the Standings
Of course, the big story of the game was the return of Auston Matthews, who looked just about as good as he's looked all season long. Matthews showed no signs of rust or injury in a three point night including a goal and five shots, in which his team outscored the opposition 3-0 at 5v5.
The return of Matthews cannot be overstated. This is a team that is in first place after getting nearly nothing from it's captain and best player. Chasing down Vegas and Washington for the President's Trophy doesn't seem too far fetched at this point.
Though there are concerns in the form of both numbers and the roster.
Beyond Matthews returning, we cannot forget about the fact that Jake McCabe scored, breaking the month long streak of the Leafs failing to get goals from their blue-line.
Matthew Knies had a hat trick and four points, in what was a career game for the young potential star. The Leafs haven't developed a star outside of the first round in 25 years, so if Matthew Knies can recaputure his early season success, this team will be so much better.
Mitch Marner had five points, as he starts to bring his name into the MVP conversation and tries to chase down Nathan MacKinnon for the Art Ross Trophy. Marner is nine points back, but who knows, if Matthews starts to play at an MVP level again there's no telling how many pints Marner can score.
Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't talk about the play of Joseph Woll last night. He wasn't amazing, and he did allow four goals, but he kept the Leafs in the game with some key saves and I don't think he can really be faulted on any of the goals.
The Leafs look extremely dangerous right now, and Brad Treliving's patience - which sometimes looks like fear to make a trade - looks like it might be rewarded as it seems like the Leafs are on the verge of addressing a lot of their problems internally.