Toronto – Two playoffs in the second round. A start of 6-2 for the playoffs.
The trumpet of these statistics may seem strange in certain NHL markets, but it was a good time since it all happened in this city. In fact, the Toronto Maple Leafs only started the playoffs with six victories in their first eight eliminatory games twice in the modern era in 1987 and 2001.
In a period of 58 years.
In fact, this is the first time that the leafs have been up 2-0 in a series that has not been in the first round since 1987!
There are still kilometers to go, of course. The Florida Panthers remain the reigning champions and they have not yet played a home game. They were the favorites who came for a reason. And even if the leafs are up 2-0 in the series, the two games were a battle decided by a single goal. No one expects Aleksander Barkov and the company to go there quietly.
But while the series goes to Sunrise for match 3 Friday, I think it is worth taking a moment to appreciate the way the leafs pushed here, a place where this group of players has never been, and to look more closely.
1. Nylander was a star
All the accumulation and apprehension to which this series could resemble when the leafs were beaten by the panthers two years ago quite quickly when William Nylander torn two washers in front of Sergei Bobrovsky in the first 13 minutes of match 1 on Monday evening.
Nylander followed this brilliant performance with another huge goal in match 2, scoring on a game, maybe a handful of players in the world could convert to this situation.
He now has six goals and 13 points in eight games, only dragging Mikko Rantanen’s League from Dallas in the score race. Nylander has done things that haven’t happened in Toronto for a very long time, including 1.63 points per game, which is the best for a sheet in the playoffs since Doug Gilmour in 1993. (which, let’s simply say, some people remember these parts.)
“There is no scene too large for this type,” said head coach Craig Berube. “He thrives on these kinds of things. He is impatiently awaiting him. He wants to be in all these critical situations.”
And it’s not just this year. Nylander has moved away from other members of the Core Four in general in the production of the playoffs, with 21 goals in the last five sessions. It is a rate of almost 50 goals on 82 games and eight best than anyone for Toronto.
Among the NHL players with at least 30 playoff games played during this period, only Nathan Mackinnon has a better goal per game.
There are no demons here.
Matthew Knies beats Sergei Bobrovsky in game 1 (John E. Sokolowski / Imagn Images)
2. They arrive in Bobrovsky
I would not put the 2-0 hole of the panthers entirely on their multi-agne gum goalkeeper, but the Russian Gumby has been beaten so far. He gave nine goals in two games, which is much more than the most optimistic leaf fan, and seemed to get out of his game on Wednesday while trafficking and physicity fell around him in match 2.
Statistical websites have so far have the panthers in the high danger chances (31-18 by this count), but it really did not feel in this way because Anthony Stolarz was solid during the first 30 minutes of match 1 and Joseph Woll intensified the big match to the point that the Leafs have had the whole of the series for the purpose of the series.
Part of this, however, is that the Leafs have found a way to generate quality of the rush against an elite defensive team. It is clearly frustrated from Florida how effective Toronto has been so far.
“We have bread on the plan,” said Brad Marchand after match 2. “They play very well, and obviously, their best guys capitalize on each opportunity, it seems.”
Yes, yes it is the case. But it’s certainly not just the best guys …
3. Everyone’s offensive contributions
It was a huge key to the victory of the series against the Senators of Ottawa around 1, and he continued so far for Toronto in this series.
The Leafs obtained two other goals from huge goals from the Maxes, Pacioretty and Domi, who were both winning heroes in the first round in the first round and collected the first and third goals in the 4-3 victory on Wednesday.
The Blue Line, on the other hand, found a way to contribute again, because Morgan Riellly and Chris Tanev scored great goals in match 1. The Leafs are first the NHL of goals scored by defenders (7) in this qualifying series and the first in the points of defenders among the teams that still play (19).
This after finishing the last of the goals and 25th in points by the defender during the season.
This makes this even more impressive: the leafs do not even use a defender in their superior electric play unit. Part of what we see is that the leafs benefit from certain opportunities for rapid strike (that is to say Rielly’s objective), but there is also an element of Toronto by throwing a few shots on the net and obtaining good results with the traffic in front (for example Simon Benoit in turn 1 and Tanev on the turn 2).
Obtaining the background goals and some other contributors in advance were important since Captain Auston Matthews was calm and the verification line led by Scott Laughton has still not scored. (Even if the latter helped establish some key objectives.)
4. The veteran block of the party on the blue line
The Leafs have blocked 49 ridiculous shots so far in the second round, 30 more than the Panthers. (To put this in context, the heaviest blocking team during the regular season was only in front of 17 per game.)
Yes, Florida has played the game for stretching, but the total shooting is quite thanks to the harshness of the new Toronto look look, it is to go to the net and pass in rubber.
Chris Tanev, Simon Benoit and Morgan Rielly alone blocked 25 shots in this series, and they are now 3-4-5 in the League on all NHL qualifiers with 65 combined blocks. (And Jake McCabe and Brandon Carlo are not far behind.)
The leafs have the oldest blue line in the playoffs, and you can see it in their behavior when the games become late hairs. There is simply no panic in this group, not when new arrivals (Tanev, Carlo and Oliver Ekman-Larsson) have already been in these situations.
The addition of Carlo looks like the real missing piece for this team, with how much Rielly plays better and what oel looks like on the third pair. You could see when Marchand wanted to run in match 2 that Carlo was able to broadcast it quite quickly.
I already said it, but it is exactly what this team needed. (Thank you, Boston?)
Craig Berube shouts. (John E. Sokolowski / Imagn Images)
5. They follow their trainer
Mitch Marner, the hero of match 2, praised his coach after the victory.
“His calm,” said Marner about what stood out from Berube during his first playoff series behind the Toronto bench. “Just his preparation for each match, to prepare us. His pre-match discussions. His discussions during the game. Just to maintain the intensity. It brings this intensity but this calm all in one.
“This is something that is a player you like. We just try to react. He has done a great job with everyone.”
In previous seizures, sometimes games like Wednesday moved from the leafs. The nerves would take over, or they would have been taken in the nonsense of Sam Bennett of match 1 or the pressure to try to hold a team with a hard nose like the panthers.
So far, there does not seem to be a lot of panic in these leafs, and it certainly seems to come not only from all their new veterans but also from their coach.
(Superior photo of Max Pacioretty: Nick Turchiaro / Imagn Images)
