The Maple Leafs stars are aligned to beat Dallas in a wild-card finish

Content of the article

If the Maple Leafs' bottom six forwards continue to decline offensively, they will need plenty of strong support roles for their Core Fore scorers.

Content of the article

Like Wednesday's 5-4 win over Dallas, in which Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi were empty again, but the big-ticket duo and fourth-string plumbers contributed after big names drove in five, three power plays. .

Content of the article

Against a Stars team that rolled all the lines while Toronto scored multiple goals in the third and limited ice time in the fourth, the Leafs had the forechecking, penalty kill and goal control to take home a much-needed decision.

Tyler Bertuzzi, who has one goal in his last 29 games, and Max Domi, 1-for-19, missed opportunities that could have given coach Sheldon Keefe and the rest of the bench a breather before demanding a third-period rally. . But the two aforementioned forwards matched Dallas' 5-on-5 intensity. With a patchwork fourth line that usually gets limited ice time, Keefe faced the Stars' more proven power combination.

Content of the article

Content of the article

“Those guys contributed a lot,” Keefe said of center Pontus Holmberg and wings Ryan Reaves and Bobby McMann. “It's a deep team and there are no easy transitions against it (Evgeny Dadonov, Radek Faksa and GTA introduce Ty Dellandrea). I put them in tough spots, we trusted them and they inspired the rest of the guys.”

That helped Mitch Marner and William Nylander quiet the Scotiabank Arena as Dadonov scored on a penalty kick 20 seconds apart to tie the game 3-3.

“We wanted to get back to work, get back in their half (of the ice),” Marner said of the quick response. “We talk about it all the time. When other teams score on us, our bench does a good job of staying in that moment.”

Content of the article

When the power play comes up, Toronto also appears in the win column. Goals from Marner, John Tavares and then Auston Matthews, who scored his league-leading 41st, avenged a late loss to the New York Islanders on Monday as the playoff stretch began.

It was the second time this season that the Leafs' special teams team had that many in a game. The Stars couldn't run away from the game as they threatened after the first period.

In the department of things science can't explain, the Leafs have a 9-2 record in 11 meetings with perennial Stanley Cup contender Texas.

“We had to pick up our intensity, our quickness and the way we handled the puck,” Keefe said of the Leafs' performance in the final 40 minutes, though Wyatt Johnston's 6-on-5 goal with 1:25 left put them ahead. nail biter.

Content of the article

All of the first linemen, including Matthew Knees and Nylander, made short-handed saves, two from too many men in the same minor.

“Guys had big blocks and good clearances,” Matthews said. “When you stop their power, it brings it to your side.”

On a three-point night, Tavares moved into 94th place in league history with 1,014, surpassing Steve Larmer and Pat LaFontaine in career NHL points.

Although Dallas played at Buffalo the night before, it was the Leafs who were on the fence from the first meeting of the game. Toronto scored first on Nylander's extra point goal, his first on the power play since signing a $92 million contract extension with the U.S. and his first since Dec. 29.

Content of the article

Jamie Benn scored the first of the night for Dallas, and teammate Jason Robertson scored a 1-0 win over his younger brother Nick.

Holmberg, subbing for the injured David Kampf, won the draw in his own zone and drew the penalty that moved the game up the ice and led to Matthews' goal.

Ilya Samsonov, whose No. 35 jersey has returned to prominence in the SBA souvenir shop, kept the Leafs in check during his 27 saves.

It was a milestone for Keefe, who surpassed assistant Guy Boucher on the NHL career coaching wins list 107 fewer games into his 192nd career victory.

[email protected]

RECOMMENDED VIDEO

Content of the article