The Toronto Maple Leafs’ first game against an Atlantic Division playoff threat on Monday went as well as they could’ve hoped.
In a 5-2 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Maple Leafs got plenty of offence from their core, significant contributions from the biggest names added to their forward and defence groups (Chris Tanev and Max Pacioretty) plus a rock-solid performance from red-hot goaltender Anthony Stolarz.
Tampa Bay established some momentum after earning a 1-1 tie in the first period, but the Maple Leafs scored four goals in the second to run away with the game. Late penalty trouble allowed the Lightning to score their second goal and apply pressure in the final minutes, but they weren’t able to put the game in doubt.
An A+ is best served for a truly dominant effort, but the Maple Leafs deserve an ‘A’ for the decisive victory.
Player Grades
William Nylander: A+
Not every three-point night will get you this grade, but most do. Nylander opened the scoring and gave the team a two-goal lead in the second on two shots that that found their way through Andrei Vasilevskiy.
His most impressive point of the evening might have been his second assist on the Auston Matthews goal as a one-touch backhand pass created the space Mitch Marner needed to get off the shot that create the goal.
PAPI POKES IT HOME. 👉 pic.twitter.com/ZP2VDkWofH
— Sports on Prime Canada (@SportsOnPrimeCA) October 22, 2024
Chris Tanev: A+
Tanev blocked more shots (8) than the rest of the Maple Leafs blue line combined (5), highlighted by stonewalling a Nikita Kucherov blast when Toronto had two men in the penalty box.
another Tanev block pic.twitter.com/CyHUGW6Evl
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) October 22, 2024
Tanev didn’t just serve as a physical impediment to the puck — he also regularly made composed, positive plays with it. The Lightning produced very little when he was on the ice.
Anthony Stolarz: A
Only one puck got past Stolarz besides the one pushed in by his own defenceman. He made 32 stops, including a spectacular save snatching the puck from the line in the second.
Stolarz pulls it from the goal line!
What a night for him! pic.twitter.com/2tZqFVNTpO
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) October 22, 2024
His heads-up play with the puck also played a significant role in Toronto’s second goal.
4th assist Anthony Stolarz pic.twitter.com/D3BqFbKTQ5
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) October 22, 2024
Auston Matthews: A
His poke-in goal won’t make his career highlight reel, but he made his presence felt all over the ice. Matthews led the Maple Leafs in shots (6), individual expected goals (1.17), and five-on-five expected goal rate (86.60 percent).
Matthew Knies: A-
After scoring in the second, Knies has four goals and eight points in six career games against the Lightning.
KNIES OUT. 🗡️ pic.twitter.com/vG8sRJBRQ8
— Sports on Prime Canada (@SportsOnPrimeCA) October 22, 2024
He also carried and distributed the puck well on Monday and continued to put in strong work along the boards.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson: B+
OEL exploded out of the gate against Tampa Bay and while his early offensive activity wasn’t rewarded on the scoresheet, he settled in on the way to a solid night. The 33-year-old gave his team 21:40 of solid two-way play, leading the way in hits (4) while drawing and taking a penalty.
Max Domi and Bobby McMann: B
Domi and McMann play entirely different brands of hockey, but their impacts were similar as each had a primary assist on a Nylander goal. Domi accomplished it with a crisp pass, while McMann took a big hit to spring his linemate.
McCabe gives McMann a pat after that one pic.twitter.com/fwF76T8NMc
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) October 22, 2024
The duo’s lowlight came in the second period when they wound up in the box simultaneously, but their teammates bailed them out. When Domi found himself in the box again late in the third, Toronto shut the door.
Mitch Marner: B
Two assists is nothing to sneeze at, but the first came on a basic shot and he passed up a couple of good scoring chances to make an additional pass that didn’t work.
It was far from a disastrous game for him, but he was the third-best player on the first line.
Max Pacioretty: B
Coming off two healthy scratches in a row, Pacioretty was reinserted into the lineup in hopes he could help get the third line (and PP2) going. By scoring in the second period, the 35-year-old indisputably completed his mission.
PATCHES POTS ONE – make it 4-1 Leafs. pic.twitter.com/7UmBbjIpZb
— Sports on Prime Canada (@SportsOnPrimeCA) October 22, 2024
That’s a goal Vasilevskiy should have, though, and it would be hard to claim the veteran made much of an impact outside of it, apart from a big hit early in the first:
Pacioretty says hi pic.twitter.com/LJ2q8kZu94
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) October 21, 2024
Morgan Rielly and Jake McCabe: B
While these two weren’t paired together on the ice, they are grouped together because neither made a massive positive or negative impact.
Both were absent from the scoresheet and quietly produced strong on-ice numbers that didn’t leap off the page. McCabe deserves credit for leading the Maple Leafs blue line in ice-time (22:09) and showing up on the penalty kill, but this wasn’t a standout game for him.
John Tavares: C+
Tavares hasn’t looked sharp since missing Toronto’s third game of the season to illness, but he was a bit livelier on Monday — and earned his first assist of the season on the Pacioretty goal. A penalty late in the second period added a demerit to an otherwise acceptable outing.
Conor Timmins: C+
It’s tough to give Timmins a better score than this when the Maple Leafs were outshot 8-1 in his five-on-five minutes with a putrid 8.66 percent expected goal rate. That said, the blueliner had a few impressive moments with the puck, and his excellent transition from the defensive zone led to the Pacioretty goal.
Nick Robertson: C
Robertson had sterling possession numbers, but tangible production remains elusive for him. His most significant moment of the game came when Nylander set him up for a Grade-A chance he couldn’t convert.
another odd-man rush for the Leafs
Robertson nearly got his first pic.twitter.com/EV2jPeqrWM
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) October 22, 2024
The fourth line (Pontus Holmberg–David Kämpf– Steven Lorentz): C
Without Ryan Reaves, this line had a touch more speed and skill than usual, but it was unable to convert that into any form of production. The group was given 8:17 of five-on-five time in which the Maple Leafs rarely looked dangerous. Tampa Bay didn’t hem them in, but it did score its only five-on-five goal on their watch.
Extra credit goes to Pontus Holmberg for some strong work when the Maple Leafs were down two men.
Simon Benoit: D+
Because Benoit provides no offensive value whatsoever and lacks impressive puck movement skills, his value is tied up in making subtle defensive plays — and occasionally throwing a loud hit.
Unfortunately for Benoit, it’s almost impossible to make enough safe, responsible plays on the margins to make up for an own goal.
Nick Paul’s breakaway is stopped by Stolarz but Benoit ends up pushing it over the goal line 😬#GoBolts pic.twitter.com/EMoFlvY4Wb
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) October 22, 2024
It also didn’t help that Toronto was outshot 10-4 in his 13:36 at five-on-five.
Game Score
What’s next?
Heading to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. on TSN.
(Photo of William Nylander: Chris Tanouye / Getty Images)
