First it was Max Domi. Then, it was Simon Benoit. The Toronto Maple Leafs have been getting offensive help from unlikely sources through this first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and find themselves on the verge of sweeping the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night.
While the typical responsibility for scoring goals and creating scoring chances has been laid on the stars of this roster -- and the likes of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander have been delivering exactly what they need to -- the actual game-clinching goals have come from the role players. Max Domi delivered the final blow for Game 2 in overtime, and Simon Benoit rifled an absolute laser from the blue line to quiet the crowd at the Canadian Tire Centre to clinch Game 3 for Toronto.
Could an unlikely hero pop their head up once again in Game 4 on Saturday night? The lights are bright and the pressure is on to end the series and give the Leafs ample time to rest and rejuvenate before facing one of the Florida Panthers or Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round.
Here are some names who could have their name in headlines Sunday morning:
Steven Lorentz
The Leafs' fourth line has been banging on the door throughout the series. While the Senators have been largely racking up the shots from the perimeter and letting the most online of fans point to some numbers to justify them not being worried about the three-game deficit the trio of Scott Laughton, Calle Jarnkrok, and Steven Lorentz has actually managed to have the advantage when on the ice.
Out of the three of them, it certainly feels like Lorentz is going to will himself to being a key factor in one of these upcoming games. So why not Game 4? You can just picture him forcing himself to the net and crashing into the puck with sizeable force to get on the score sheet. Or, just maybe, Jarnkrok would work around the boards and lay it off to Lorentz to score one of those beautiful goals we occasionally see come from role players.
There's just a gut feeling that someone like Lorentz can be that unlikely hero for Toronto once again.
Bobby McMann
Sure, saying a 20-goal scorer is an unlikely source of offense is a little bit negative, but Bobby McMann is just waiting for a breakout game and Game 4 feels like a ripe opportunity to do exactly that. The addition of Max Pacioretty to his line -- replacing Nick Robertson -- feels like the ice has opened up a bit and he has used that to be a key contributor so far.
Through the three games of the series, McMann has registered four shots on goal, ranking him fifth among all Leafs. The four that have had more shots on goal than him are the skaters you expect: Matthews, Nylander, John Tavares, and Morgan Rielly. McMann is right there and is pouncing on every loose puck imaginable.
The only player that has had as many shots on goal as McMann has and hasn't scored a goal is Pontus Holmberg. And we're comfortable saying that McMann is a little bit of a better scorer than his Swedish teammate.
Brandon Carlo
The offense from the blue line has been a major surprise for Toronto. Rielly has multiple goals, Benoit of course has his offensive plays, so it only feels natural to loop in one defenseman into this group of potential heroes. Brandon Carlo feels like the next one to do it.
Sure, there's no real logic we can connect to this. But, looking at Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev as the other blueliners who could become that scorer from the back, it does feel like Carlo is the most likely candidate of those defense-first backs. He has three shots on goal so far and attempted five, so it's not completely out of the question.
Carlo scoring his first goal as a Toronto Maple Leaf to complete the first-round sweep would be just so perfect, and would really let the Brad Treliving supporters have their voice heard.
Most likely, the Leafs don't need yet another unlikely hero to deliver the final blow. The Core Four are doing a heck of a lot to not make this a competitive series. But, if Toronto does need someone to come from the bottom half of the lineup to score a goal or two -- why not?