Maple Leafs ship most decisive win of season: ‘We’re discovering our groove’

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TORONTO — There was a time, not so way back, that the Toronto Maple Leafs would yawn their approach into an evening like this.

That Toronto’s expert, seasoned group would steal a peek on the standings, understand the Buffalo Sabres had misplaced seven straight, and determine it might squeak by with half effort.

Maybe it was the teaching employees’s pre-game reminder of how their QEW rivals had upset the Leafs so usually towards the top of 2021-23.

Or perhaps this slow-to-gel version of Toronto’s roster is lastly coming collectively, waking up and taking poor groups as critically because the contenders.

“We’re looking at them as a dangerous team, and a team that, for whatever reason, last year we didn’t have a lot of success against,” stated Mark Giordano, the reigning voice of knowledge and scorer of Saturday’s game-winner.

“So, we were ready.”

Indeed.

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The Maple Leafs’ 5-2 dismantling of Don Granato’s slumping squad was as decisive a victory as the house workforce has submitted by way of its first 19 video games this season.

They scored on the power-play (twice). They scored at 5-on-5 (twice). They even scored shorthanded. Offensive contributions have been equipped from the superstars, the underside six, and a blue line that coach Sheldon Keefe had challenged pre-game to ship extra.

Yes, Toronto has loved three different three-goal victories this season, however every a type of featured bouts of nervousness or necessitated a comeback rally.

This was wire-to-wire medical. Never doubtful.

The model of managed hockey that contending golf equipment ought to execute over backside feeders with regularity.

And make no mistake: the Sabres, who jumped scorching out the gate (as is their sample), are as soon as once more stumbling across the south finish of the Atlantic Division.

“Defensively, I thought we were exceptional. Between how we defended and how Matt Murray played in goal, we were a tough team to beat tonight,” Keefe stated.

The coach did some high quality work, too.

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Noticing early within the first interval that Buffalo’s threatening high line of Jeff Skinner, Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch was hording the puck and creating high quality seems, Keefe flipped William Nylander onto John Tavares’ wing and bumped Mitch Marner up with Auston Matthews to create a harder defensive project for Thompson & Co.

“You forget that Matthews and Marner are two of the best defensive players in the league. They’re committed to defending,” Keefe says.

“I knew at least that the Tavares line was going to get a pretty good matchup.”

The tweak paid off.

Buffalo failed to attain at even power, obtained pissed off with makes an attempt to seek out center ice, and have been restricted principally to power-play probabilities throughout a penalty-filled affair.

Each member of the Core Four gathered factors on particular groups, and Tavares linked with the speedy Nylander on an attractive third-period stretch play that salted the victory and allowed followers to go dig their automobiles out of the snow early.

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We’ll be cautious about studying an excessive amount of right into a sport the Maple Leafs ought to win.

The Sabres are losers of eight consecutive video games, all in regulation. And with Eric Comrie sidelined weeks with a lower-body damage, Buffalo threw third-string goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (and his sub-.900 AHL save proportion) to the wolves in his NHL season debut.

Still, the positives are swelling in Leafland throughout this run, the place Toronto has gathered no less than one level in 9 of its previous 10 video games.

Murray’s wholesome and efficient return is the biggie. He allowed not more than two objectives in every of his three begins this week and secured 5 of six factors.

“Murray has been unreal for us, made some massive saves. He’s just came in and brought a steady presence and calmness to him, and it’s been great to see him just excel,” Marner stated.

Keefe was much more effusive: “I thought our goaltending was elite tonight…. I can just tell you, being behind the bench and seeing our players, he gave our team tremendous confidence.”

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As the celebs pile up factors, the particular groups sharpen and the goaltending stabilizes, the drama dissipates.

Marner will carry a 12-game level streak into Monday’s tilt with the New York Islanders

“It’s pretty standard for him,” Tavares causes.

Meanwhile, Nylander — who celebrated a two-goal night time along with his high three buttons undone — is on the market successful puck battles and races.

“Just swagger, like usual, from Will,” Marner says.

Yep.

Slowly however certainly, the Maple Leafs are literally wanting good once more.

“We just kind of simplified there from the beginning,” Nylander says. “And now I think we’re kind of finding our groove again and getting back to the way we can play.”

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Fox’s Fast 5

• The Maple Leafs’ new Reverse Retros are so dang beautiful, they need to be the default house sweater. Shoulder yokes eternally.

“They’re awesome,” Giordano says. “In the ’90s they had the white on the shoulders, but they had a different crest in the middle, so it took me back to that a little bit. They’re sharp-looking. I thought they were really cool.”

Adds model maven Nylander: “I love ’em.”

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• Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin registered an help, shifting him right into a tie with Adam Fox for second in factors by defencemen (20). Erik Karlsson is operating away within the class with 28 factors.

Dahlin seems improbable. A deal with to look at. Only Norris champ Cale Makar (26:49) logs extra ice time than Dahlin (26:31).

• Alexander Kerfoot is a profession 13 per cent shooter firing at a measly three per cent this season. He has one aim regardless of ample alternative, skating alongside Toronto’s greatest forwards and utilizing his velocity to safe a number of breakaways. (He was even awarded a penalty shot in Anaheim.)

Kerfoot couldn’t fairly money in on this clear PK breakaway Saturday:

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“It’s a tough one. We do want him to shoot the puck more. It’s a confidence thing, I think. As pucks start to go in, all of a sudden, you’re more willing to shoot it,” stated Keefe, who has a message for the snakebit ahead.

“Just clear your mind. That’s the biggest thing… Trust the process. Trust your skill.”

• Keefe was proud of how his uncommon use of Marner as a defenceman labored out within the third interval Thursday versus New Jersey.

“He’s not out there to defend. He’s out there to spark our offence,” the coach defined. Keefe says RD Marner had three touches within the D-zone, and that these have been a number of the most effective breakouts of the interval. “You’re out there to spark the offence, and he did the job there. We’ve got to sustain the offence, so he doesn’t have to defend.”

Except Marner did need to defend the lethal Nico Hischier off the push at one level:

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“I felt good until Nico decided to take me for a walk there,” Marner stated. “That’s a helluva move by him.”

• Does Marner have a Grey Cup decide for Sunday?

“C’mon. What kind of question is that? I’m going Argos all day.”

More from Sportsnet

Marner extends level streak to 12 video games as Maple Leafs beat Sabres

Breaking down bizarre aim by Maple Leafs’ Giordano vs. Sabres

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