Maple Leafs performed sensible hockey and with urgency in Sunrise, Fla., to enhance to 4-7-0 on the street
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If you’ll be able to’t beat ’em within the playoffs, ship ’em to the basement.
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Eliminated by the Florida Panthers within the Stanley Cup playoffs in two of the final three years, the Maple Leafs put the two-time defending Cup champions in an embarrassing spot on Tuesday evening.
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Toronto beat Florida 4-1 to maneuver out of final place within the Eastern Conference, on the similar time leaving the Panthers scraping alongside the convention backside.
The Leafs performed sensible hockey and with urgency to enhance to 4-7-0 on the street. They’ve received two in row for the primary time since successful three in a row from Nov. 1-5.
“Solid recreation throughout,” coach Craig Berube advised media at Amerant Bank Arena afterward. “Goalie (Joseph Woll) was good, checked exhausting, bodily, lots of good issues. It was good to see.
“It was most likely one of many fastest-paced video games we’ve performed all yr. We closed on folks and after we had pucks we skated and attacked and our forecheck was good.”
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The Leafs are 3-1-0 on their journey, which finishes on Thursday evening in Carolina in opposition to the Hurricanes, however nonetheless have a hill to climb.
Toronto is three factors out of third place within the Atlantic Division and 4 factors shy of the second wild card spot within the convention.
Three takeaways:
You full me
Top to backside, that was the Leafs’ most full win of 2025-26.
Driven by the bottom-six forwards and capped by captain Auston Matthews and John Tavares teaming up for an empty-net objective, the victory got here as a result of the Leafs labored, received puck battles and didn’t give Florida a lot area within the defensive zone.
If you’re considering that it’s about time the Leafs performed this manner, you aren’t alone.
The third line of Nicolas Roy between Dakota Joshua and Bobby McMann had one other robust outing, setting a aggressive tempo. It’s a big trio that ought to put on the opponent down constantly with physicality, and as we noticed on Tuesday, there’s little that may be carried out when Joshua goes to web with scoring on his thoughts.
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That’s what Joshua did for the successful objective at 7:54 of the primary interval, 2 1/2 minutes after defenceman Troy Stecher opened the scoring. It was the third recreation in a row that the Leafs scored on their first shot on objective.
“They’re simply on it,” Berube mentioned of the Roy line. “Joshua and McMann have been actually good on the partitions in our zone and Roy does a terrific job being beneath in assist.
“They’re heavy on the forecheck. They dangle on to pucks within the offensive zone and attending to the online and doing the job.”
Roy received 12 of his 15 attracts because the Leafs dominated within the circle, successful 39 of 54 faceoffs.
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Two objectives, two firsts
The first objective of the season had totally different meanings for Stecher and Scott Laughton.
For Stecher, whose level shot received via a display screen set by Roy, it was a pleasant complement to the best way he has performed because the Leafs claimed him on Nov. 15 off waivers from Edmonton.
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Laughton can cease squeezing his stick. His objective got here off some decided forechecking from Nick Robertson, who battled veteran defenceman Gustav Forsling within the nook for the puck.
“It felt good,” Laughton advised TSN’s Mark Masters afterward. “Little little bit of aid.”
No one expects Laughton to attain each recreation, however that was simply his third objective in 28 regular-season video games because the Leafs acquired him from Philadelphia final March.
Toronto may use slightly manufacturing from Laughton because it continues to try to ascend again right into a playoff spot.
The Leafs held on to a lead within the third interval and Laughton’s objective put a comeback out of attain for Florida.
“Big win for us,” Joshua mentioned. “We must hold it going.”
Power play fizzles
No recreation is ideal, and for the Leafs, it was a five-forward energy play (Matthews, Tavares, William Nylander, Matthew Knies and Easton Cowan) that had some ugliness.
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The Panthers took benefit and scored a short-handed objective when Sam Reinhart beat Woll at 14:43 of the second interval.
It was one factor when Mitch Marner was manning the purpose on the five-forward energy play. It’s one other when Matthews has been requested to do it and the Leafs received burned on Tuesday.
Matthews seemed out of kinds enjoying in opposition to a Panthers odd-man rush and the Leafs have been in all places however in the correct spots as Reinhart discovered open ice to attain.
The Leafs didn’t rating on three energy performs. They’re twenty seventh within the NHL on the person benefit.
Matthews will not be getting used correctly if he’s quarterbacking the facility play. His shot belongs on the flanks. He acknowledged this week that it’s “an enormous adjustment” to be the PP QB, which was about as vital as he was going to get.
Matthews has to understand it’s not the perfect spot for him.
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