In Saturday night’s game, the Toronto Maple Leafs dominated the Montreal Canadiens with an impressive 7-1 victory. The game showcased the Maple Leafs’ offensive prowess. Specifically, the team’s top six forwards and one defenseman contributed to all the scoring.
The two stars of the team – Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner – were the standout players. Their impressive performances helped secure the victory for the Maple Leafs.
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Ten Key Points Emerging from the 7-1 Win
Here are ten things to remember about the Canadiens game.
First, the game was domination. It was one of the team’s best games of the season with a score of 7-1.
Second, the High-Danger Scoring Chances were 16 to 2 for Toronto at five-on-five. They were also 23-3 for the Maple Leafs in all situations.
Third, only the top six forwards and one defenseman (Erik Gustafsson) scored in the game.
Fourth, Auston Matthews scored one goal and added three assists. It was his first four-point game of the season.
Fifth, although Matthews’ scoring is down this season, he still has the best plus/minus of his career. His rating is at plus-30. He moved ahead of Rick Vaive in all-time scoring for the Maple Leafs with 541 points.
Sixth, Mitch Marner scored two goals and added an assist, bringing his total to three points for the night. He now has 98 points this season.
Seventh, Marner starts games well. He has either scored or assisted on the opening goal of a game 23 times this season. That’s only one shy of Doug Gilmour’s single-season record.
Eighth, in his second game returning from an injury, Ryan O’Reilly had three assists in the game. That gives him eight points in ten games played for Toronto.
Ninth, Erik Gustafsson tallied three assists in the game, all on the power play. It was his first game back after missing two weeks with his daughter’s illness.
Tenth, William Nylander scored his 38th goal of the season. He also led all Maple Leafs’ players in the game with ten shots on the net.
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Three Key Takeaways from the Game Worth Repeating
Here are three key takeaways from the game.
Takeaway One: The Maple Leafs Were Dominate (for a Change)
According to Naturalstattrick.com, as noted the Maple Leafs dominated the Canadiens in high-danger scoring chances. The 7-1 score actually could have been a lot worse if not for Montreal goaltender Sam Montembeault.
This game was a reversal of some of the games the Maple Leafs have played against the Canadiens this season. It was also a change from recent games where the bulk of the production came from the bottom six forwards. In this game, the top six forwards made it about as dominant a game as the Maple Leafs had played all season.
Takeaway Two: Auston Matthews’ Is Cooking at the Right Time
Auston Matthews led the way for the Maple Leafs with four points in the game. As noted, he scored a goal and added three assists. On the season, Matthews is only one assist shy of a personal best single-season high of 46.
Additionally, Matthews moved past William Nylander into second place in points this season for the Maple Leafs with 84 points in 72 games played. Matthews’ game has morphed, which is another reason he has the best plus/minus of his career. His defense was good and it’s improved even more.
Takeaway Three: Mitch Marner’s Offense Prowess Has Returned
Mitch Marner has suffered a recent set of games where he hadn’t hit the score sheet. On Saturday, he scored two goals and added an assist to give him three points in the game. After being criticized for his lack of goal-scoring earlier in his career, this is the second straight season Marner has reached 30 goals. He has scored 65 goals in the past two seasons.
More important, Marner’s 98 points beat his personal best of 97 points set last season. He’s edging closer to the 100-point plateau. In addition, Marner’s 102 takeaways this season lead the NHL by a wide margin.
He also opened the scoring in this game, making it the 23rd time this season that he has either scored or assisted on the opening goal of a game. He starts games on time, and it’s a benefit for his team.
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gfinale
April 10, 2023 at 9:01 am
Too bad the rest of the team often doesn’t start on time!
gfinale
April 10, 2023 at 9:04 am
The Canadiens were soft and poor. This is why the “core 4” came out of the woodwork at this time of the season. As the going gets tough, they usually disappear.
gfinale
April 10, 2023 at 9:07 am
Auston Matthews finally woke up 3 years ago and started concentrating on playing a 200 ft game. The kind of game Babcock taught him his first winter with the Leafs. He showed potential at it for a few months then forgot about it for a few years! I’ve been happier to have him on the team the past 3 years!
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