The Maple Leafs didn’t lose their edge during the two-week, 4 Nations Face-off break — rather it seemed to help a few bottom sixers re-adjust their shooting abilities.
Our takeaways on Toronto’s second-straight win, sweeping a back-to-back and returning to first place in the division with a 5-2 victory in Chicago:
TIME OF NICK
Since Christmas, the familiar frustrating scene had Nick Robertson rush his shots wide, get stopped or hit something instead of going in. On Sunday, the curse was reversed with two goals and he couldn’t have asked for better set-up feeds from Max Domi.
His first multi-goal game of the year was nearly a hat trick until TJ Brodie swept a puck off of the Hawks’ goal line. Robertson’s pair came on the same night as brother Jason’s hat trick for Dallas against the Islanders. All goals for the siblings came in the second period.
Robertson told media in Chicago: “It’s exciting for my parents, they have double TVs, one on the left, one on the right, they go back and forth.
“They’re jumping off of the couch five times tonight. It’s good to see (Jason) do well and me have a good game, too.”
Getting his second power play goal will help boost Robertson’s confidence. Coach Craig Berube has been turning to him, Domi and Bobby McMann as a second unit when the five-forward top group can’t get it done in the first minute or 90 seconds of an advantage.
Robertson, the two Domi assists and Pontus Holmberg’s empty netter complemented Sunday’s output from the bottom six, which included Holmberg’s two goals and fourth line strikes from Steven Lorentz and David Kampf.
OPENING THE SHUT-OFF VALVE
Chris Tanev and Jake McCabe are there to prevent goals, not produce them more than a hundred feet down the ice.
But the two could exchange high fives after their long-range goals. McCabe released just as Seth Jones stepped in netminder Arvid Soderblom’s path for his second of the year, while Tanev’s pinball shot gave him at least two goals in one season for the first time since registering six with Calgary in 2021-22.
All vital to the cause with recognized offensive defencemen Morgan Rielly and Oliver Ekman-Larsson playing more conservatively at 5-on-5 under Berube. McCabe also took the primary shot blocking duties from team leader Tanev on Sunday, getting in front of five.
TRADE WINDS
As the NHL swap deadline draws near on March 7, those on non-playoff teams looking for a new home will understandably get linked to contenders such as the Leafs.
Before Toronto arrived in town, defenceman Jones let it be known he’s open to a change of scenery. But it would require him waiving a no-move clause and the Hawks likely needing a team with lots of cap space to take his half-completed eight-year, US$76-million contract and its heavy $9.5-million AAV. Maybe a third team to defer some salary.
But if it’s the Leafs the 30-year-old was trying to make a good impression upon Sunday, it wasn’t working. Jones was in the box when Robertson scored and was a minus two, losing a late-second period race with Domi that led to the second Robertson goal.
Get ready for more speculation as the Leafs play a number of struggling teams in March who will look at moving players.
MATTHEWS STUCK IN THIRD PLACE
It might be that Alexander Ovechkin gets the 13 needed to pass Wayne Gretzky in NHL career goals before Auston Matthews eclipses Darryl Sittler for second in Leaf history.
Matthews didn’t get any in the six games before the 4 Nations break and, as everyone knows, his fine all-around efforts for Team USA didn’t include one in three tournament tests including a few chances to win it in the final versus Canada.
On Saturday, he picked up an empty netter versus Carolina to tie Sittler at 389, before Soderblom stopped him four times Sunday. Now it’s on to Boston, site of some of Matthews’ most frustrating playoff games.
Not to worry though, he’s not shown any fatigue despite the busy week and the Sittler milestone is just part of his inevitable passing of Mats Sundin’s Toronto record of 420 this year or next. People just want to see him score again with some kind of consistency, especially on the power play, as the regular season winds down and his playoff production becomes the story.
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