Three Takeaways in Maple Leafs’ 5-0 Shutout Win vs Kings

When the Toronto Maple Leafs met the Los Angeles Kings last night, they were coming off a hard-fought 4-0 shutout win over the Dallas Stars on the road. Matt Murray stood on his head, and the Maple Leafs played sound team defense to keep the hard-driving Stars off the scoresheet.

The win in Dallas was the 12th straight game in which the Maple Leafs have picked up at least one point. They were looking for their 13th last night. The Maple Leafs got it, and quite easily. The final score was 5-0 Maple Leafs. It was the team’s second shutout in a row.

The Maple Leafs are now 10-0-3 and are now playing for 14 straight when they meet the up-and-down Calgary Flames at home on Saturday. The franchise record for consecutive games with at least a point is 16 games. That mark was set by the 2003-04 version of the Maple Leafs.

In this post, I’ll look at the three key takeaways from the game.

Takeaway One: Two Games in a Row with Shutouts

It wasn’t a very busy night for Ilya Samsonov. Yet, in the end, he had a 29-save shutout. Still, a shutout is a shutout. Furthermore, on the back of Matt Murray’s shutout in Dallas, that’s two games in a row the Maple Leafs’ goalies have shut out the opposition.

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In the first shutout, Matt Murray stood on his head. In the second, the Maple Leafs carried the game to the Kings all night long. While Samsonov really well, he didn’t have the difficulties Murray had.

This goalie tandem was criticized all summer as being a disaster. Now it has made Maple Leafs’ general manager Kyle Dubas look like he was Biff on Back to the Future and had the almanac from the future to know how the season would work out.

Two goalies that few believed the team should bring in have played unbelievable hockey. Both goalies just look bigger than life in the net. Samsonov is making great saves and moves well from side to side. Murray is tracking the puck well and he’s quick on his feet.

Both goalies have exceeded most expectations coming into this season. Even better, now both goalies are healthy. How to proceed?

My best sense is that, because Murray might be a bigger injury risk, it would be wiser to balance the games than to give one player – either one of them – the task of playing 50-plus games in the net.

Given how both goalies are playing, it would make sense for both Samsonov and Murray to split the games.

Takeaway Two: Zach Aston-Reese Is a Physical Presence

It took Zach Aston-Reese a while to make his way on the Maple Leafs’ lineup. Now, he’s become a fixture on the team’s bottom six. Aston-Reese brings an element of physicality to the team that simply (a) wasn’t there before and (b) makes a difference in the way the team plays.

In the past, the Maple Leafs could be pushed around. Not so much this season. Aston-Reese is one reason. He’s laid on some big hits; and, he’s also had some scoring opportunities. The bottom-six forward is especially strong down low and is a handful for the opposition.

Last night, his play led to the first power-play goal of the game. He had a great hit in open ice, to which one of the Kings’ players took exception. That “exception” instigated a fight, which turned into a Kings’ penalty. It eventually led to a Maple Leafs’ goal.

The hit seemed like a clean open-ice hit. Aston-Reese leveled a player who was just concentrating on moving the puck down the ice. That hit will now be put into the minds of any player who plays against the Maple Leafs. Protecting oneself will encourage the opposition to look up, anticipating being hit. In short, it changes the way other teams play the game.

Funny how an open-ice hit can lead to such positive results.

Takeaway Three: The Maple Leafs Team Structure Is Helping Them Win

In the four years I’ve covered the Maple Leafs, this team is different in at least one aspect. The team’s work ethic is sky-high. The team is close-knit and plays for each other. Everyone, it seems, to the player works hard away from the puck.

This Maple Leafs’ team feels different than teams of the past. They’re initiating more physical contact. Offensively, if the puck is being moved players are working hard to get open. Defensively, if the opposing team beats one Maple Leafs’ player, there seems to be another one waiting.

The team is doing a great job playing with each other. There’s a ton of commitment to playing hard and for each other.

This team is not one-dimensional. Although many believe this Maple Leafs’ team wins by offense, that’s not entirely true. They win because they are reading the game. Team defense has been hugely improved.

Toronto can handle different kinds of games. Playing their own way of hockey and their own structure, they suffocate on defense and are relentless on offense. They’re all over the puck. As soon as the opposition gets it, they’re covered.

The Maple Leafs are winning now because of a total team effort.

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