Justin Williams thinks the Leafs need to bring the ‘not going to be denied attitude’ into the playoffs: Leafs Morning Take

The Toronto Maple Leafs are now 6-4-0 in the second game of a back-to-back this season.

After what transpired in Philadelphia on Tuesday night, Sheldon Keefe’s squad delivered a terrific bounce-back performance in Washington.

We kicked off the Thursday edition of Leafs Morning Take by discussing the big ‘I Quit’ match from AEW Dynamite in Toronto where friend of the show Adam Copeland edged best friend Christian Cage to win the TNT title. Of note, the two wrestling legends found a way to implement a Leafs and Bruins jersey into their match. It was awesome.

After that, we got into the Tom Wilson slash on Noah Gregor. Weirdly, maybe because Gregor didn’t really react, not much was made of the situation. It will be fascinating to see if Wilson, who’s got quite the resume when it comes to funny business, gets a call from the league on that one. Bizarre. The intent seemed there —that’s for sure.

Presented by Door Dash, The Appetizer focused on Toronto’s impressive 7-3 victory in D.C. Auston Matthews notched two goals and three assists while Max Domi tallied four helpers. Meantime, William Nylander – thanks to another three point outing – became the seventh player in the NHL this season to hit the 90-point plateau. Also, John Tavares had a goal and two assists. The captain now has eight points over the past three contests.

Thanks to Tim Hortons, we discussed Sheldon Keefe’s decision to finally make T.J. Brodie a healthy scratch. It was long overdue. The 33-year-old pending UFA has had a rollercoaster season. He was in dire need of a reset, especially after his tough outing in Philadelphia on Tuesday night.

 

Courtesy of Douglas, we were joined by Mr. Game 7 Justin Williams, who’s been doing some broadcast work with Sportsnet this season. We hit on everything from Auston Matthews, Keefe’s constant line juggling, Brodie’s healthy scratch, and the clutch factor. Is someone born with it?

 

Lastly, we got to our Great Clips inbox question of the day. We were asked who we think John Tavares will retire with it: The Leafs or the Islanders? Easier answer from both of us.

Anthony Stewart will fill in for Jay Rosehill on the Friday edition of Leafs Morning Take. Join us at 11 AM ET as we preview Toronto’s back-to-back this week against Edmonton and Carolina, respectively.