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Maple Leafs report cards: Not-so-dominant performance earns win vs. Penguins

13 October 2024Last Update :
Maple Leafs report cards: Not-so-dominant performance earns win vs. Penguins

It wasn’t the best start to an NHL home opener. The Toronto Maple Leafs looked slow, and if not for defensive plays from Auston Matthews and William Nylander, the Pittsburgh Penguins would’ve spent the entire opening five minutes of the game in Toronto’s end. Kris Letang opened the scoring on the power play, assisted by Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby. Although the Leafs weren’t outshot, they didn’t have many dangerous chances.

Head coach Craig Berube made some changes toward the end of the first heading and into the second, which saw Max Domi and Nylander form some quick chemistry. The two combined on a goal off a bad Pittsburgh line change, tying the game and putting the Leafs on the board after a much better and faster start to the second. Matthew Knies doubled the lead with his first of the season, finally getting rewarded for his strong performance while the penalty kill got more reps, although he kept the score the same for Pittsburgh.

The power play failed to increase the lead, but Mitch Marner put his name on the goal list with his first of the season. Pittsburgh answered back 10 minutes later with Rickard Rakell bringing the team within one and earning Evgeni Malkin his 1300th NHL point. Another power play didn’t give the Leafs the insurance goal they needed, though some saves from Anthony Stolarz and an empty-net goal from Nylander secured the 4-2 win.

Although the Leafs weren’t necessarily dominant in this game, they turned things around after their start. The power play is still a problem and something that needs to be addressed, and by the changes we saw in the third, it seems like the coaching staff is starting to believe the same thing. Overall, I give the Leafs a B.

Player grades

William Nylander: A

A much-improved game overall. Nylander’s 66-second shift in the first gave the Leafs their first run of sustained offensive zone time, giving Berube a chance to cycle lines through on Pittsburgh. His first goal of the game was a pure gift from Domi, and it looked like it could be the start of something special between them.

Max Domi: A

Domi finished last season on the wing but showed he can slide into the centre position if the team needs it. He made a number of crisp passes to Nylander and Bobby McMann, the former of which resulted in a goal. The speed and skill have always been there, but his defensive game did the trick as well, digging at pucks and winning battles below the goal line to exit the zone.

Matthew Knies: A

Arguably the most noticeable forward on the top line to start the year, Knies found the back of the net in the second period, beating Noel Acciari twice in the same shift. He won the board battle and beat Acciari to the loose puck off the board, showing off a strong and faster shot.

Anthony Stolarz: A

His first win of the season had Stolarz stop 21 of 23 shots. The third-period Rakell goal was the first five-on-five goal he allowed, though I don’t think you can fault him on either. Stolarz made the routine saves he needed to make and came up big late in the third with Joel Blomqvist on the bench.

Chris Tanev: A

I know I’m starting to sound like a broken record, but Tanev’s immediate impact on how well the Leafs exit the zone has been incredible. Even when he’s not actively making a defensive play, he’s always in the right spot and calms things down when there’s chaos in front of the netminder.

Mitch Marner: A

Marner found himself on the scoresheet twice, including his first of the season, taking advantage of a drop pass to no one and firing the puck past Blomqvist. He looked like he was forcing passes to the slot too often in the first, as they’d either get picked off or hit a leg on their way to the target. As the game went on, the passes got cleaner, especially the smaller ones in the offensive zone. Additionally, he’s still making strong plays on the penalty kill.

Auston Matthews: A-

The captain is doing everything but scoring. He led all Leafs forwards in ice time (21:46) and shots (8) but couldn’t find the back of the net. The duo unit of Matthews and Marner is also really working for me and both are doing a good job disrupting plays along the wall for clears.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson: B+

The neutral zone and offensive blue line haven’t seen this much of a consistent offensive touch in some time. Ekman-Larsson had four of the team’s 10 shots in the first and had moments of turning nothing into something. The quick and accurate passes caught the Penguins off guard.

Pontus Holmberg: B

Holmberg had an up-and-down game, starting on the second line and getting dropped down to the third. It was a big ask with Holmberg playing against Malkin which started alright with him getting the first dangerous chance of the game from Nylander. He had another tough read on the penalty kill, leading directly to a goal, thinking Letang would move the puck to Crosby. Instead, Letang took the room he now had, walked in and sniped on Stolarz.

Even though he was back in the bottom six for the remainder of the game, he still had some shifts against Malkin and Crosby while having an excellent clear on a second-period penalty kill. The tools are there for Holmberg.

Jake McCabe: B

He saw the most ice time in the first period but had some giveaways off the rush in the second leading. Although Holmberg’s misread gave Letang the open walkway, McCabe’s block did more to hurt Stolarz than deter Letang’s shot.

Bobby McMann: B

He’s still doing the things that led to success in the New Jersey game: being all over the net.

Morgan Rielly: B

He’s taking more slap shots at five-on-five, but it wasn’t surprising to see Ekman-Larsson get a chance at manning the top unit in the third.

David Kämpf: C+

He almost kept the fourth-line scoring ways alive with a chance on Blomqvist in the first.

Conor Timmins: C+

Seeing him play with Ekman-Larsson was interesting; there are signs that it will work in a pinch if you need a goal. However, Timmins doesn’t put up as many shots as Ekman-Larsson, and between him and Liljegren, I wonder if trust on the penalty kill is the difference in why one is playing and the other isn’t.

Steven Lorentz: C+

It must’ve been surreal for Lorentz in his home-opener debut with the Leafs. He played 10 minutes on the dot and saw some shifts with Domi and Nylander in the third for some defensive insurance.

Nick Robertson: C

Robertson’s speed may see him have one of the best penalty-differentials in the league once the season is over. He was cross-checked on the first, but the rush to get to an open area for a pass from Domi is one to be proud of.

Simon Benoit: C

The penalties are really starting to add up even though this one went along with a decent defensive play. The one on Michael Bunting, not so much. The tripping call was Benoit’s third of the season, and it’s not helping that teams are converting on them. Now he’s up to four.

Max Pacioretty: C-

Similarly to Benoit, Pacioretty is finding himself in the box a lot. I do wonder if he starts getting reps on the top unit as he got a look there in the third but didn’t get any shots on net.

Ryan Reaves: C

Reaves played 7:04 in his return to the lineup, coming close to a goal in the third period.

Game score

What’s next for the Leafs?

The four-game homestand continues Wednesday (7:30 pm ET on Sportsnet) with the Los Angeles Kings coming to Scotiabank Arena for the first and only time this season.

(Photo: Nick Turchiaro / Imagn Images)

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