The microscope was firmly fixed on the Toronto Maple Leafs' biggest stars entering the season. After the offseason departure of fellow core piece Mitch Marner, an underachieving power play through the first third of the year, stretches of individual inconsistency, and time missed due to injury, Toronto's remaining elite talent found itself at the center of growing skepticism.
As the Leafs floundered near the bottom of the division and conference standings for much of the first two months of the season, detractors questioned whether the organization would be better served turning the page rather than continuing to build around the same names.
As the Maple Leafs surge during their recent hot streak, those doubts are being answered decisively, with game-breaking performances that underscore why criticism of their play and their place at the core of Toronto's ambitions was misplaced.
Yes, the depth players have made significant contributions during a sizzling stretch of hockey (8-1-2), but Auston Matthews and William Nylander's game-altering abilities, along with strong goaltending, have been the biggest factors in Toronto's climb up the standings.
Leafs' Matthews and Nylander have Delivered Dominant Performances
Before a flat effort during the second game of a back-to-back in a 6-1 loss to the Utah Mammoth, the Maple Leafs were riding a ten-game point streak (8-0-2). That stretch enabled them to claw from the depths of the Eastern Conference standings to a wild card position.
While the Leafs have looked more in sync in all phases and have received key contributions from their depth players, the elite, game-breaking ability of Matthews and Nylander has been the biggest factor in Toronto's success.
The Maple Leafs began their current crucial four-game road trip with an inspiring 4-3 overtime win against the NHL-best Colorado Avalanche. Matthews and Nylander led the way for Toronto, each getting a goal and an assist. Matthews scored a go-ahead goal in the third period on a magnificent toe-drag wrist shot, while Nylander buried the OT winner (the sixteenth of his career) to end the back-and-forth affair in Toronto's favor.
Nylander missed a good portion of the Leafs' ten-game streak, but was a huge part of victories that bookended the hot stretch. In a 6-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins that started the Leafs' roll, he notched two goals and two assists, then scored in Toronto's 7-5 win over the Ottawa Senators in the next game. Matthews registered a goal and two assists in the win over the Sens.
Nylander was injured in that game against Ottawa and missed the team's next six games. Matthews picked up the slack. He scored in three successive games, starting with a hat trick (plus an assist) against the Winnipeg Jets. Then came a two-goal effort in a 4-3 overtime loss to the New York Islanders, which was followed by him scoring a goal in an important win over the Florida Panthers.
Last Saturday, Nylander returned to the lineup in the Maple Leafs' 5-0 clinical victory over the Vancouver Canucks. His three-point effort was highlighted by a smooth, breakaway deke for a goal. The two stars and the rest of the team suffered a letdown in the loss to the Mammoth, understandable after the thrilling win over the Avalanche. Chalk that one up to a "schedule" loss.
While goaltender Joseph Woll and depth pieces like defenseman Troy Stecher and forward Scott Laughton have played significant roles in the Maple Leafs recent surge in the standings, Matthews and Nylander are the key drivers of the team's success.
Nylander, uncharacteristically, has missed ten games this season, but has a 1.28 points-per-game average, which, if maintained, would surpass his career-best of 1.20 from two years ago (98 points in 82 games).
Matthews is averaging less than a point per game for the first time since his rookie year, yet over the past month, he has displayed his Rocket Richard-winning form while playing strong two-way hockey. It's good news for the Leafs as they head to Vegas to face their former star teammate in the highly anticipated next game of this critical road trip.
The Maple Leafs' stars have game-changing ability that all teams covet. Matthews and Nylander are in their prime years, and it's in Toronto's best interest to keep them around for the duration of that time. Their detractors need to remember that should the team and players' performance dip. The Leafs have set themselves up to compete for a playoff spot during the season's second half. It's their two best players that will determine how far they can go.