10 Game Check In: Games 21-30

 

 Highs:

Fraser Minten:

What else can you say about Minty Fresh Fraser?? The Kid came up and was thrown to the wolves as the #3 C. Fans all were beyond worried that the depth was about to be exposed and lack of it, highlighted. Minten stepped in and instantly made us all think, “hmmm, maybe this is the solution”. Mints has 2 goals and 4 points in 11 games, has played very well defensively & hasn’t looked awful on the draw (yes I know sub 50% isn’t amazing) for a 20 year old. One of the most noticeable things about this kid that stood out though.. He hits. Everything that moves. If you on the ice & so is Minten, you’re going to be hit, or bodied & shoved. The battle level on this kid had made myself & others question if his ceiling is higher than we realize.

Goalies:

We’re SO close to a Leaf tandem being 1-2 in Save% in the NHL. Woll’s last game has hurt that a little, but still. Stolarz is rocking a .927 & Woll is sitting at a very nice .918. Is there anything else you could ask from a tandem?? No. We’ve spent SO long suffering with goaltending that was either a world beater, or sub AHL caliber. Seeing these guys just steadily stay where they’re at, bounce back if/when they do struggle & not stay stuck has been absolutely glorious.

JT:

I feel like I’ve had him in the highs more often than not this season. Maybe once when he was slumping? Regardless, the captain who is no longer the captain continues to have a resurgence of a season by potting 6 goals and 8 points in his last 10 games. He also clipping by on his faceoff% & has had another very steady stretch of defensive play. JT may not wear the C anymore, but he continues to lead by example night in and night out.

Marner:

4 goals, 14 points in his last 10 has him in the top 10 for scoring. Currently on pace to drop around 10 more points than his previous career high & has been dominant all season. This does suck in the sense that his next contract is likely going to go through the roof, but it’s nice to see because he’s taking over in ways that he hasn’t been taking over before & has continually shown some snarl to his game. He also seems to be a bit less testy with the media & the Maple Leafs PR team has done a good job highlighting his relationships with different teammates throughout this season, specifically this 10-game span.

Lows:

Overall Play:

They continue to rack up the points, but they also just.. aren’t the most fun to watch some nights. I understand that this is the type of hockey we want them to win now & learn more about how to win them later, which they seemingly have under Berube, but this can’t be a recipe for success can it? They’ve one 6-4-0 in this stretch of 10, which is successful, but how much longer can they get away with relying so heavily on the goalies? They’ve been outshot by 30 total & outscored by 2 over the last 10.. That NEEDS to be corrected. ASAP.

The one thing I will add that's a positive to this, is that the continue to be a stingy ass defensive team. Over the last 10 games, even while playing poorly, they're averaging under 3 goals against per game. They're also averaging less than 30 shots per game. Those are very good numbers. They just need to balance out that great D with some actual/better offense than what they've been getting, which I'm sure will come eventually. 

Reaves:

I’m not usually someone who really piles on Reaves. I’ve played sports (primarily hockey & baseball) my whole life. I’ve won on teams who had no business winning, and lost on teams who have had no business losing. I know that sometimes you need players who aren’t “flashy” & need glue guys. I’ve gone to bat online for Reaves more often than not, but his usage just cannot continue. He has yet to fight, even when it’s been called for. He doesn’t shoot, he doesn’t score & he’s just kind of.. there. His saving grace is that he hits everything, and they’re usually thunderous. At 1.35.. there is a ton more value to be had, whether it’s on the 4^th line or anywhere else. There are guys on the Marlies who could use those minutes to showcase themselves. Something needs to give, and soon. Thankfully Berube hasn’t been using him game in and game out like he used to.

In-Between:

Matthews:

Once again listed in the In-Between. Matthews is having one of those weird seasons where he’s actually quite good, but not as good as he should be. Not.. Auston Matthews’ good. Since returning from his injury, he has quietly produced 5 goals & 10 points in 9 games, which loosely translates to roughly a 46 goal, 91 point pace, which is fantastic considering how he looks prior to his injury. He’s going to be fine, but we sort of need to temper out expectations a little. 60+ goals is unlikely every single season, and if he drops 40-50, we need to not be so hard on him. I have no doubt that he will rebound from this and go on on of those stupid tears where he scores 20 goals in like 16 games, but on the off chance he doesn’t, we have to not become blinded by the (stupid) salary cap & remember that he’s still the best goal scorer on the planet & he’s a Maple Leafs.

 

Maybe he’s saving that stretch for the Playoffs..

The Next 10: Games 31-40.

Over the next 10, The Leafs play 4 on the road, 6 at home with 2 sets of back to backs. I’m cheating a little because they’ve already played, and won, one game. Considered how they have played as of late, and some injuries in net, I wouldn’t but shocked if their record isn’t as good as it has been, but I’m going to go with a record of:

5-2-3, which would take them to 23-12-5 (51 points) & hopefully still in 1^st place, with a shot at the Battle of Ontario in the 1^st round in sights down the home stretch!

Again, I’ll once again say that this team seems very different. They aren’t blowing teams out of the water, but they also aren’t being slouches either. They’re winning games they would have lost in the past. They’re not collapsing and blowing leads like they have in the past. They aren’t being pushed around like they have in the past. Everything they’re doing seems.. different. Lets hope they can add some extra offence and continue the stingy D over the next 10. If they can do that, they can easily have a better record that what I’ve predicted. Lets hope that’s the case too!

Cheers, folks!

Leafs’ Guy!                                                                                                    GO LEAFS GO!