Arun Srinivasan

@Arunthings

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For all the warranted discussion about the Leafs lines, Knies-Matthews-Marner and McMann-Domi-Robertson are the team's two most-commonly used units. Matthews line up 6-0 on shots, Domi line up 7-1. Encouraging results, with only 15 more games to experiment.

1:35 AM · Mar 18, 2025

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Here are five takeaways from the Maple Leafs’ victory over the Flames:

• Auston Matthews often hasn’t played up to his standard throughout the season, but he was outstanding on Monday. Matthews scored two power play goals in a three-minute window during the second period, he constantly won puck battles, skated through contact and created chances for his star linemates. Matthews won board battles, and he narrowly missed getting on the end of two potential breakaway chances, before roofing the puck on a second-period power play to open the flood gates. He ran a strong two-man game with Matthew Knies, while Mitch Marner was at his best as a playmaker, emboldened by Matthews cutting to the net and seeking open shooting lanes. This was a much-needed dominant performance from the Maple Leafs and it started with Matthews, who finished with five shots, three blocked shots, two takeaways, a plus-eight shot differential in all situations, a 77 percent share of the expected goals, and two actual goals. “I’m very happy. I thought our guys came through tonight, our big boys came through tonight. Led the way we needed to play,” Berube said of Matthews, post-game.
• Knies-Matthews-Marner are Toronto’s most-commonly used unit, by far, and while there’s been a demand for change, it’s nights like these that will convince Craig Berube to run this line as the top line entering the postseason. It’s contingent upon Matthews looking like one of the world’s best players, but there’s more to it, as Matthews’ shot still commands a tremendous gravity effect, which allows Marner more space to get audacious passes off, while Knies can run over and bully opponents en route to the net while drifting off his captain. You could view it cynically as an excellent game against an inferior opponent, but this type of performance could be instructive.
• Toronto’s second-most commonly used unit was paired together again, as Max Domi centred Bobby McMann and Nick Robertson. Domi is better suited to the wing than he is a centre, but you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise on Monday. He was excellent in all facets, cleaning up a rebound from a Simon Benoit point shot to open the scoring. With the Leafs holding a 2-1 lead, Domi raced down the ice to puck a loose puck, and found Robertson in front for the insurance goal. It changed the tenor of Robertson’s performance, as he took two undisciplined penalties earlier in the contest, and head coach Craig Berube made his displeasure known on the bench. It was a redemptive moment for Robertson, and then McMann scored his first goal in 13 games. There are only 15 games left for Berube to tinker with his lines, but this is exactly the type of performance he’s been searching for. “You get a little combination, you get a little speed on the wings right,” Berube said of the Domi line, post-game. “Robby finishes, he finished tonight. Max made some plays, but the line to me tonight, they had the hound mentality. I thought they were all skating, working, in the face of the other team, didn’t give them time and space and that was key to the line tonight, in my opinion.”
• The entries can be frustrating at times, but the Maple Leafs’ power play converted on all three chances Monday night, and have converted 24-of-74 attempts (32.4 percent) of their opportunities since January 1, which ranks as the fourth-best total in the NHL during this span. Toronto’s power play works best when it takes advantage of good looks, rather than overthinking in pursuit of the optimal look, and it certainly helps when Matthews looks like the best shooter alive. “The biggest key to me (were) the resets to the top. Not forcing it through the seams, not forcing it. It’s clogged up there, but we moved it around, moved it around, attacked when we could, shot it and capitalized on some plays. The resets at the top are very important,” Berube said of the power play.
• Brandon Carlo and Scott Laughton submitted polar opposite performances on Monday. Carlo was awarded the team belt, given to the Maple Leafs’ best or most impactful player in a winning effort, finishing with a 73 percent share of the expected goals at 5-on-5. He’s allowed Morgan Rielly to activate in the rush, was stellar on the penalty kill, and facilitated easy reads the entire evening. Laughton on the other hand, barely made a dent on the ‘identity’ fourth line, finished with the second-lowest share of the expected goals on the team, and a minus-one rating. We’re not going to make sweeping declarations after five games, but Carlo has found his footing with the Maple Leafs, operating as a stellar, stay-at-home defenceman that has mitigated some of the rushes Rielly was susceptible to this season, while Laughton struggles to impact the game at the level he was expected to, following the trade deadline.

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