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Maple Leafs report cards: Power play stays hot in victory over Canadiens

10 November 2024Last Update :
Maple Leafs report cards: Power play stays hot in victory over Canadiens

The Toronto Maple Leafs completed their third and hopeful last game without their captain with another power-play-style victory on home ice. Conor Timmins put the Leafs in the lead after a well-executed opening period. The special teams were next in the second period as William Nylander and Mitch Marner scored on the power play and penalty kill, respectively. Brendan Gallagher answered for the Montreal Canadiens with a man-advantage goal, but John Tavares restored the three-goal lead to close out the middle frame.

Montreal came out swinging in the third, while the Leafs were more on their heels. They gave up much more at five-on-five as the Habs threw whatever they could to reduce their deficit. Joseph Woll came up with the routine saves, and the Leafs snapped out of their funk and dug in once the final 10 minutes were at play to secure the 4-1 win.

The Leafs did what they were supposed to against a team at the bottom of the division. Montreal tried to get them to bend, but they didn’t break and limited their mistakes. They also didn’t give up much in front of Woll at five-on-five save for Gallagher’s goal. Of all the positives from this one, the power play not being a flash in the pan stands out the most. With the players on this roster, the power play should strike fear into their opponents. With another two goals on four opportunities, it’s finally starting to look like it. The team gets an A-.

Player grades

Mitch Marner: A

Marner took the game over in the first two periods. It started with his chance off the turnover, turning rush in the first and taking off on the penalty kill. He had two short-handed opportunities trying to go five-hole on Sam Montembeault, and although he was stopped then, he wasn’t stopped for the team’s third goal of the game.

He didn’t take his foot off the gas and was all over the puck, cutting through and around the Habs’ zone, so much so the defending players could do little to stop him.

William Nylander: A

The goals continued to come for Nylander as he went end-to-end on the power play cutting through Montreal’s penalty kill like butter. He had another Grade-A chance to score on Montembeault, but he was stopped by the blocker.

Nylander finished the game with 7 shots.

John Tavares: A

His power-play moment tally made it five straight power-play goals for the Leafs. He took the initial shot and got the rebound, and that fight to get the puck back for himself off initial shots continued throughout the game, including a solid sequence at the end of the second.

Joseph Woll: A

It was a very steady and confident night in net for Woll. He got into Josh Anderson’s head a bit, starting with a poke check on his first-period rush and getting a glove on his shot in the third period. Woll had the routine saves down and was in control whenever bodies started to pile up in front of him.

Jake McCabe-Chris Tanev: B+

The underlying numbers weren’t favourable for the pair (31.1 percent xGF at five-on-five), though I thought they looked fine. Tanev, in particular, made his best defensive play early in the game, getting his stick in the way of Nick Suzuki’s pass by Woll.

Conor Timmins: B+

A well-deserved goal, and about time Timmins found himself on the goal sheet. He worked Anderson well high along the boards, spinning off Anderson and walking in with the open lane he created. It wasn’t a top-shelf snipe or anything, though Timmins took advantage of the bodies in front of Montembeault, and his shot went in off a body.

Matthew Knies: B

Knies stuck to his B-game tonight and was physical on the puck and his opponents, leading the team with five hits. A rare lost board race to Lane Hutson led to Suzuki getting a look in the slot. He got his revenge in the second period, closing the distance on Hutson out of the zone to establish pressure and start the cycle.

Morgan Rielly: B

Rielly now has 400 career assists after getting the secondary on Nylander’s power-play goal, he’s the first defenceman from the 2012 NHL Draft to do so.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson: B

The stick plays from Ekman-Larsson were well-timed and executed. His best was on a defending rush covering up for Timmins’ missed one-timer.

Max Domi: B

With the start of the season being similar to last season goal-wise, Domi’s focus on finding his linemates is costing him. He had a really good look by the right circle and instead bumped it back to Marner in the slot. It’s understandable and is the more dangerous spot for a shot, but he had the better chance to start. Domi’s B-game kicked in the middle frame dropping the gloves with David Savard even though not much came from it (not Domi’s fault on that one).

He got close to scoring in the third with a quick release that got through Montembeault but just couldn’t cross the line in the third.

Simon Benoit: B

He had a key defensive play to stop another round of hemmed shifts in the third. Forced turnovers helped the Leafs in this one, and I liked his read on Montembeault’s clearing attempt, which led to a chance for Pontus Holmberg.

David Kämpf: B

Kämpf was a key piece of Marner’s offensive looks on the penalty kill. He made the initial stretch pass to Marner out of the zone and again in the neutral zone ahead of his first chance on Montembeault and threaded it back to Marner, pulling Juraj Slafkovský out of position on the eventual goal.

Bobby McMann: C+

He got the familiar promotion to the second line in Max Pacioretty’s absence and fit in well. He understood the role of winning puck backs and closing off the walls for Nylander and Tavares.

Steven Lorentz: C+

He didn’t get credit on the goal like his linemates, but Lorentz being a menace in front of the net was a key piece to Timmins’ goal.

Nick Robertson: C

Pacioretty’s injury gave Robertson some runs with Nylander and Marner. After that and four power-play opportunities, he finished the game with a single shot and one of the lowest times on ice.

Pontus Holmberg: C

He’s getting in the right areas but hasn’t been awarded for it yet. He blocked Savard’s shot as his line was hemmed, leading to a clear.

Ryan Reaves: C

Reaves finished the game with a primary assist

Max Pacioretty: No grade

He set the tone early with a big check on Kaiden Guhle along the boards but had a bit of a scare toward the end of the third after a fall saw him holding the back of his left leg. Reaves and Tavares had to help Pacioretty off the bench at the end of the period.

Game score

What’s next for the Leafs?

The Battle of Ontario hits Scotiabank Arena for the first time this season as the Ottawa Senators are in town Tuesday night (7:00 p.m. on TSN 4).

(Photo: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)

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