The Toronto Maple Leafs lost three games in a row and looked lifeless during that stretch.
On paper, the Toronto Maple Leafs only lost three games in a row, but it probably should have be five. The team narrowly defeated the Philadelphia Flyers in overtime on January 5, then when they played them again on January 7, they got away with a 3-2 victory, despite it being one of the worst games they've played all year.
So it's no coincidence that Thurdsay's game was one of the best they played all year.
The difference? Jake McCabe, who returned from a four game absence to lead the Maple Leafs back to victory.
No Coincidence That the Maple Leafs Suddenly Played Their Best Game Thursday
The Leafs haven't played amazing over the past month and a half, and that coincides with Jake McCabe's two separate injuries.
The Leafs goaltending dropped like a rock since the star of December, and if not for their ability to beat up on the worst teams in the league, McCabe's injuries could have derailed their season.
Every team goes through up's and down's during the regular season, especially during the "dog-day's" of January. The Leafs still lead the Atlantic Division with 58 points, so there shouldn't be much cause for concern, but outside of Thursday's game against the Devils, they haven't been playing great.
There's a lot to be happy about this squad right now, but the one thing that worries me is how much the Jake McCabe injury has affected the team's play and results. The six-pack of Morgan Rielly, Philppe Myers, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Chris Tanev, Simon Benoit and Conor Timmins are just not good enough to get the job done.
Myers played 18:38 against the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night, while Ekman-Larsson led the team with 21:40 TOI. Those are way too many minutes for those players and if that's the squad we're going to see in the playoffs, another first-round exit is imminent. Last night, with McCabe back, OEL went to the third pairing and had one of his best games of the season.
In McCabe's return, the Leafs outshot the Devils 15-7 and outscored them 2-0. He teamed with Chris Tanev and they were instantly right back to being one of the best defensive pairings in the NHL. The Leafs had to come from behind, but had they lost it would have been the unluckiest result of the season.
No one could have foreseen McCabe becoming this good, or this vital, but he's been the Leafs MVP this season so far. You can make a case for Marner or Stolarz, but the difference when McCabe is out of the lineup is just so stark I don't think either one has been as good as McCabe.