Leafs come out with impressive win vs. powerhouse Jets

Nazem Kadri scored his first of the year and John Tavares sealed it with his seventh as the Maple Leafs got a 4-2 win against the Jets.

WINNIPEG – This is not typically the kind of place you come to find yourself. Just seven teams have walked into Bell MTS Centre in the last 47 regular-season games here and left with a regulation time victory over the Winnipeg Jets.

That fact was not lost on the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“We knew we had to be prepared coming into this building,” said veteran centre Nazem Kadri. “It had that playoff-type like atmosphere coming out of the gates early there. I think we did a nice job getting settled in.”

They bottled up the powerhouse Jets and built a 3-0 lead by the second intermission. They also withstood a massive third-period push before wrapping up a 4-2 win – their most complete and impressive of this young season.

That it came following consecutive losses where the Leafs briefly misplaced their offensive mojo is no coincidence. They were able to take advantage of a three-day gap in the schedule to refocus on breakouts and wound up managing their game much better through the neutral zone in Winnipeg.

“I thought we competed, I thought we skated, I thought we worked,” said Leafs coach Mike Babcock. “I think it’s real simple for us: If you want to play right and you want to play hard, suddenly you look fast again. We looked real slow the last two games coming out of our own zone.

“Tonight, we looked fast.”

Every team is still arranging pieces at this stage of the season and building towards what they’ll eventually become. Toronto (7-3-0) and Winnipeg (6-3-1) have both started strong through a 10-game segment, but each has already faced some uneven stretches and tough questions.

Call it the weight of carrying Stanley Cup aspirations in cities where the love of hockey runs deep.

That’s what made Wednesday’s game so rewarding for the Leafs. It was a night where a lot of guys could feel good about themselves – from Kadri and Tyler Ennis, who both scored their first goals of the season, to little-used Martin Marincin, who stepped in for Travis Dermott (illness) on the blue line and helped keep Toronto playing offence against a team that can roll over you in your own zone.

There was unmistakable relief on Kadri’s face when he beat Connor Hellebuyck to the glove side to make it 3-0. After consecutive 32-goal seasons, it had been an agonizing wait to get back on the scoresheet.

“Well it was [about time],” said Kadri. “Just trying to stay positive, the whole mentality. I’ve been around long enough to try to not get frustrated, but that’s always nice finding the back of the net and contributing to help your team win. Hopefully they come in bunches.”

“He’s an important goal-scorer for us,” added Babcock. “We need him to feel good.”

The Leafs also continued to get production from Kasperi Kapanen, the fill-in for William Nylander who scored his fifth of the year after following up a nice sequence from Auston Matthews.

Then there’s goalie Frederik Andersen, who stood tall when the Jets threw everything but the kitchen sink at him early in the third period. The home crowd alive after goals 90 seconds apart by Nikolaj Ehlers and Mark Scheifele, but the Leafs didn’t retreat into a shell with the score narrowed to 3-2.

“I think we got on our toes again. We made sure that we were playing them and not letting them play us,” said Mitch Marner, who saw a breakout pass lofted high in the air above the neutral zone and eventually find a way to his stick.

He drove hard to the net and danced through big defenceman Dustin Byfuglien in the slot before backhanding a puck towards Hellebuyck. That left linemate John Tavares with a tap-in for his seventh goal of the season.

“I saw Mitch get behind their ‘D’ and had some space so that’s a good opportunity to get it to him,” said Tavares. “Obviously, he’s coming in with a lot of speed and he can sell the shot so well. It’s just so hard for the defenceman to be able to handle him when he’s skating like that.

“Hell of a move.”

Hell of a night, really.

This game was hyped up a lot more than your typical midweek October matchup. Some labelled it a potential Stanley Cup final preview, and it was broadcast nationally in both Canada and the U.S.

The players delivered high-event hockey and plenty of entertainment to justify the billing. The Leafs hope it’s a step forward towards becoming the kind of team that can eventually battle the Winnipegs, Nashvilles, Tampas and Bostons for something more meaningful than two points in the standings.

“We had some really good looks,” said Tavares. “Definitely nice to get rewarded and it definitely gives us a good feeling.”

There aren’t too many visitors who get to walk out of this building saying that.

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