The Toronto Maple Leafs played an absolutely beautiful game last night.
The Toronto Maple Leafs scored four goals in six minutes during the first period, where they threw 22 shots at the net, and the Stanley Cup Champs were done for the night before 20 minutes even expired on the clock.
The Leafs have won six in a row, and Auston Matthews scored his tenth goal in the last five games, and is now making a serious case for 60 in 60.
Bobby McMann kept his hot streak going, adding an assist to give him points in four straight games, as well as being involved in a second goal in which he didn't end up getting a point.
Toronto Maple Leafs Throttle Cup Champs In Morgan Rielly Return
But the real revelation was Max Domi.
My question after watch the Leafs for the last week is where was this version of Max Domi for the last four months, and is he going to stick around? #LeafsForever
— Editor in Leaf (@EditorinLeaf) February 23, 2024
Domi has been great lately, and perhaps it's Sheldon Keefe who finally figured out how to use him. Pairing him with Nylander and Bertuzzi means he doesn't need to be so sheltered, and he's responded in kind.
The new look Leafs lineup was fantastic again even though they were forced to risk breaking up the good times by inserting the suspended Morgan Rielly back into the lineup.
Keefe smartly kept the Brodie/Liljegren pair together and used them as the top pairing. Rielly played less than usual and was paired with William Lagesson. It couldn't have worked out better.
Brodie and Liljegren led the Leafs in ice-time, and each of them finished the game with a totally dominant 76% Expected Goals Rating.
The Leafs dominated play. They scord 7 5v5 goals. They destroyed one of the best teams in the league on their own ice.
It's incredible to think about what this team could look like when not dressing Ryan Reaves, William Lagesson or Martin Jones.
I gotta hand it to Trelving, even though he sat by and didn't add to the team during several emergencies, he allowed the Leafs to find a way to get the most out of Nick Robertson and Bobby McMann.
The blue-line and goalie positions need attention, but the Leafs could easily go past the deadline without doing anything but adding depth to their forward group - they really just need to make it impossible for Ryan Reaves to draw into the lineup and they are good to go.
You can't have Jones or Samsonov anywhere near a playoff roster, but that said, Woll will be back soon and for now the team is playing near the top of their abilities.