Here are five takeaways from the Maple Leafs’ loss to the Panthers

• Chris Tanev returned to the lineup and was a steady presence throughout the night, making easy exits during the contest. Tanev was skating and directing traffic with his usual fluency, and he wasn’t at fault on Sam Bennett’s first power play goal. Although he was previously considered a game-time decision, Tanev submitted 18 stellar minutes for the Maple Leafs, and you have to wonder how the defensive structure may have collapsed without his steady presence. It’s certainly not the result he wanted, but Tanev is generally exempt from criticism during a solid return to the lineup.
• I’m a proponent of using numbers to back up what you’re seeing on the ice, but it’s difficult to look at Auston Matthews registering an 88.8 percent share of the expected goals at 5-on-5, with a plus-four shot differential (via Natural Stat Trick) and view it as a true portrait of the game. Matthews had a few looks, and Mitch Marner was looking to set up his linemates throughout the contest, but the Maple Leafs’ superstars didn’t elevate their games when they needed it. Defensive impact is cool, but Sam Reinhart is the Selke favourite this season and still finished with two assists, you don’t need to make a sacrifice. Perhaps this note changes tonally if Matthews has some better shooting luck, or Marner’s cutting passes directly lead to a goal, but there’s no need for excuses. Aleksander Barkov didn’t even need to have a vintage game, as Bennett scored twice, and this is a Panthers team that was without Matthew Tkachuk and Aaron Ekblad. It was a crucial game when it came to the Atlantic Division standings and the raw numbers don’t match the eye test on Thursday night.
• Max Domi may have submitted his best effort with the Maple Leafs, and it’s too bad it came in a losing effort. Domi threw a massive hit on Carter Verhaeghe, then promptly fought Nate Schmidt, getting an uproarious response from Scotiabank Arena. Domi scored off the rush during the third period, cutting through the Panthers with blazing speed. He was hunting his offence off the rush, and earned a promotion to a line with John Tavares and William Nylander with four minutes left in the contest, and was an assist away from the Gordie Howe hat-trick. The Passion was clearly in full force, and it’s too bad it’ll be a footnote in the regular season.
• Sam Bennett bullied the Leafs at the net-front for two power play goals. Bennett isn’t forgiven by the Leafs fan base for a questionable hit on Matthew Knies two playoffs ago, but he would be one hell of a target in unrestricted free agency, as The Sheet’s Jeff Marek posited this week. Bennett beat Auston Matthews by a half-step on his first goal, and he took advantage of Simon Benoit puck-watching on his second goal. The 28-year-old simply knows how to get to the hard areas of the ice at all costs, and he was an irritant for the Maple Leafs’ defenders, time and again. Professional sports aren’t a popularity contest and Bennett was better than any of the Maple Leafs’ headliners because of a simple, pragmatic approach to the game.
• When it comes to deadline acquisitions, with Brad Marchand still recovering for the Panthers: Seth Jones and Nico Sturm outplayed Scott Laughton and Brandon Carlo by several miles. Jones fended off Laughton at the blue line, which directly led to Bennett’s game-winning goal, and he made clever reads with the puck throughout the game. Sturm threw four hits, blocked two shots, and had three shots on goal in just over 10 minutes. Laughton and Carlo both had shaky stretches on the penalty kill and perhaps they’ll benefit from some further minutes within Berube’s system, but it’s difficult to take approach when the Panthers’ deadline acquisitions made a direct impact on winning.

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