TORONTO – As far as responses go, you couldn’t ask for much better than this.
The Toronto Maple Leafs barely let the Washington Capitals touch the puck during the first period on Saturday night and didn’t let up much from there. The 4-2 victory that followed was worth more than two points in the standings or the day off it earned them from head coach Mike Babcock on Sunday.
This is a team that has developed a penchant for squandering leads – occasionally spectacularly – and spent the time following Wednesday’s 5-4 shootout defeat in New Jersey talking about the need to play better from out front.
“It’s healthy to challenge ourselves as a team just because we know where we want to go,” said winger James van Riemsdyk. “We can’t accept ‘just OK.’ We need to try to push the envelope there and try to be better.”
With the Capitals playing for the third time in four nights, the Leafs knew they had a chance to skate their opponent into submission. They got off to a fantastic start with Matt Martin’s breakaway goal at 2:35 – a play started by a 75-foot Mitch Marner pass – and continued to control the puck for long stretches while drawing four straight minor penalties.
Just like in New Jersey, they built a 3-0 lead thanks to a power-play goal from van Riemsdyk and another from Auston Matthews in the opening minute of the third period.
But they held off a late push from the Capitals to find a more desirable outcome. Baby steps.
“I thought we handled it much better tonight,” said van Riemsdyk. “I thought we stayed on our toes, kept attacking them when we got the lead. You’ve got to learn how to win those tight games because every game’s a one-goal game.”
Added Marner: “I think after New Jersey, giving up that lead, we all wanted to come in here and make sure we played hard and kept a lead all game.”
There is a noticeable amount of urgency building around this team. The playoff race is front of mind among the Maple Leafs, who hit the 20-game mark a few points off pace thanks entirely to the five games they’ve lost already when leading after two periods.
To have any chance to make them back up they’ll have to become better closers – and they took some positive strides against the Capitals.
“It builds our confidence just playing in tight games,” said veteran centre Nazem Kadri. “Being able to hold on to it and put some pressure on – not just receive the pressure – was a positive.”
Where they excel most is in icing a balanced attack.
Kadri, Matthews and van Riemsdyk all scored their ninth goals of the season against Washington and they each skate on a different forward line. That presents serious matchup issues for opponents, especially when Babcock controls last change at Air Canada Centre.
It’s also a far cry from where the Leafs were during a rebuilding season a year ago, or even in the ones that preceded that when a huge majority of the team’s offence came from Phil Kessel.
They are also benefitting from the improved play of goaltender Frederik Andersen, who made some spectacular stops in the third period and saw his save percentage improve to .932 over his last 13 starts.
“I’m back on my game,” said Andersen, referencing a couple shaky performances early on.
Some of Saturday’s best work was reserved for the shifts where Capitals star Alex Ovechkin was on the ice, with defencemen Morgan Rielly and Nikita Zaitsev drawing that assignment along with the Leo Komarov-Kadri-Nikita Soshnikov line.
Each of those players fared exceptionally well in even-strength shot attempts, with Kadri the lowest among the group at 58 per cent.
It was a positive note to sound with a Western Canada road trip looming. The Leafs still have just one victory outside of Toronto this season and will be looking to make hay with visits to Edmonton (Tuesday), Calgary (Wednesday) and Vancouver (Saturday).
“These are games you’ve got to kind of build on and try to keep going the right direction,” said van Riemsdyk.
Babcock was content to live in the moment.
He found some gratification in holding a lead against the reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners and being able to call off Sunday’s practice.
“We won,” said Babcock. “It’s Saturday night, I get a day off tomorrow and so do they because we won. So that’s good.”
