The Toronto Maple Leafs, the team that can't seem to win a clutch game if their life depended on it, just took down the NHL's #1 seed and last remaining undefeated team, the Winnipeg Jets.
The Toronto Maple Leafs led 4-0 at one point and though they almost let it get away, they came out on top 6-4. There were strong performances all around, along with some clear things to improve on.
The Leafs scored 5 x 5v5 and dominated the (statistically) best team in the NHL for two periods before coasting home with a very satisfying and impressive victory.
Here are some takeaways from the Toronto Maple Leafs win over Winnipeg.
Takeaways From Toronto Maple Leafs Win Over Winnipeg
Leafs Earn Massive Two Points
To get the obvious out of the way, the Leafs not only took down the Jets (for the sixth time in a row), but they also earned a massive two points in the ever-competitive Atlantic Division. Monday's win give the team a bump into third in the division behind Tampa and Florida and gives them a small cushion over the remaining five teams in the Atlantic, all of whom have exactly four wins.
Big Boys Stay Hot
The big names came through for the Leafs in the 6-4 victory, highlighted by John Tavares scoring a hat trick and Max Pacioretty earning three assists. On top of this, William Nylander notched three points, Morgan Rielly and Matthew Knies both scored for the second-straight game, and Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner each tallied an assist.
It was great to see the big boys have a strong game like this, and it's great to see Tavares scoring at the pace he has been (9 points in 9 games). And while people may be expecting more production out Matthews (4 goals, 8 points) and Marner (just one goal), keep in mind that Marner actually leads the team in scoring and both are putting up excellent on-ice 5v5 numbers.
Both players have been pretty great so far this year, but most people expect the two of them to be top-10 in NHL scoring, not hovering at or below a point-per-game. Their point totals are actually pretty good when you consider they've basically done it so far without any power-play contributions.
Stolarz Looks Solid, But Needs a Break
Even though he let in four goals, Anthony Stolarz still played well, and has been one of the most stable Leafs goalies in years. But he has also allowed four goals in back-to-back games, and he needs a break, he's not used to playing this much hockey, he's never been a full-time starter in the NHL.
Joseph Woll returning will hopefully give the Leafs some more stability in net, and ideally can take some of the load off of Stolarz. Woll's first game back from injury this season was not pretty, but I have faith he can bounce back.
If these two are on top of their game, the Leafs could have one of the top tandems in the entire NHL.
Special Teams Still Needs Work
The Leafs went 0-2 on the power play and 2/4 on the penalty kill, both of which need to be improved. The buds still find themselves 29th league-wide in power play percentage, and their 13th overall penalty kill isn't bad, but going 2/4 on Monday almost cost them the game.
That being said, winning a game against the NHL's top team while having awful special teams is a great feat, and scoring six times and none being on the power play is another thing to be proud of.
Now, is this poor special teams performance sustainable? Of course it's not, but the Leafs still won a massive game over a very good hockey club. What they need to improve is clear, and a win like this may start an even longer streak.
The Leafs next play Thursday on Halloween night as they host the Seattle Kraken.