Three down, one to go.
A Maple Leafs victory against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday capped a tidy three-game run at home against Atlantic Division foes, coming after the Leafs beat Detroit on Friday and Boston on Tuesday.
A four-game sweep of rivals, if you will, is in the cards as the Leafs play host to the Ottawa Senators this coming Tuesday in their next game.
“When you’re playing teams in your division and jockeying for position in how the playoff format is set up and all those sorts of things, (the points are) important,” Leafs centre John Tavares said after scoring his eighth goal of 2024-25 in the 4-1 win against Montreal at Scotiabank Arena. “It’s just the way the schedule has been set up this week. Back at home, playing in front of our fans, we want to play well, feed off that and be really good in our own barn. A good week all around but we know we still have a lot of areas to get better in and keep pushing for more.”
Coach Craig Berube won’t get too nit-picky as the Leafs have improved to 9-5-2 and taken up residence in second place in the Atlantic Division.
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There are encouraging signs that the Leafs are getting Berube’s system down pat, no matter who is in the lineup. That the Leafs won three in a row without captain Auston Matthews, and the manner in which they did it, speaks to the team’s depth and understanding of what Berube wants. Keep in mind, too, that Toronto allowed just two goals in its past three games, and neither of them came at five-on-five.
At the same time, the Leafs are killing the idea — how much stock you put into it is up to you when they’ve annually been a 100-point club — that they have trouble with lesser teams. The Canadiens are not a good outfit and gave the Leafs little in the way of a challenge, 24 hours after Toronto ably handled the Red Wings.
The best teams put their foot down against the botom-feeders. Don’t put the Bruins in that category, but it’s where Detroit and Montreal find themselves. So much for expectations in those Original Six cities coming into the season.
“We’re really doing a good job in the slot area and we’re heavy down low in our zone,” Berube said. “Our D are doing a great job of killing plays and our forwards are protecting the middle of the ice really well and that’s key. That’s what you have to do.”
Make it work now, and moving forward with it in the playoffs should be fairly seamless. There’s plenty of hockey to be played, of course, but the Leafs continue to interpret Berube’s message properly.
The Senators will have some positive vibes after beating the Bruins in overtime on Saturday at TD Garden. If the Leafs, who could have Matthews back for that game, continue on their defensively stingy path, how Ottawa feels about its play shouldn’t matter.
Anthony Stolarz has been there in goal to make a difference when there has been a rare breakdown. On Saturday, it was Joseph Woll’s turn, and he needed to make just 20 saves.
Marner, who had a goal and an assist on Saturday to run his point streak to eight games and give him 20 in 16 games, was satisfied with the Leafs’ overall tidiness in the 24-hour span on Friday and Saturday.
“Definitely,” Marner said. “Always good to get back-to-back four points. Gotta be happy with it, rest up and be ready for the next one.”
With the way the Leafs, who have a full day off on Sunday before returning to practice on Monday, are meshing in all facets of the game, that shouldn’t be a problem.
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