The Toronto Maple Leafs enjoyed back-to-back wins this past weekend, winning over the Boston Bruins (6-4) and Philadelphia Flyers (3-2). Both wins were hard-fought battles, and the Leafs remain first in the Atlantic Division with 54 points.
The Toronto Maple Leafs received a large portion of their offense this weekend from forward Matthew Knies. Knies was enduring a slump before the game against the Bruins. The 22-year-old registered two goals for the entire month of December and hadn't scored since December 14th. He went nine games without a goal before registering his first career hat trick against the Bruins on Saturday.
Knies didn't just score three goals against the Bruins. He also picked up two assists for his first career five-point game. On Sunday, Knies scored the Leafs first goal of the game against the Flyers to cap off a six-point weekend for himself. The Leafs have been waiting for Knies to break out of his slump, which he did in a big way.
Knies now has 15 goals and 10 assists for 25 points in 39 games. He has matched his goal total from last season and is only ten points behind the 35 points he registered. Knies is on pace for 31 goals and 21 assists for 52 points in 80 games. That is a pretty decent sophomore season for the 22-year-old. (All stats from hockey-reference.com)
Toronto Maple Leafs win back-to-back games
Another reason for the Leafs success this past weekend is the offensive awakening of their defensemen. Before Jake McCabe's goal on Saturday against the Bruins, a Leafs defenseman hadn't scored since November 30th.
McCabe's goal is the spark that the Leafs defense needed. Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored on Sunday against the Flyers, as did Morgan Rielly with the game-winning goal in overtime on Sunday. Three goals in two games for the Leafs defense is great news for the team.
Another nice addition to the Leafs this weekend was the return of team captain Auston Matthews. Matthews had been absent from the team since December 20th with an upper-body injury. He made an immediate impact with one goal and four assists for five points in the Leafs back-to-back victories.
The Leafs have now won four straight and are first in the Atlantic Division with a 26-13-2 record for 54 points in 41 games. The first half of the season is complete. Let's hope the second half is as successful or better than the first half.