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Leafs-Blackhawks takeaways: Stolarz excels, Minten’s case for permanent spot, Matthews rounding into form
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Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Arun Srinivasan
Dec 3, 2024, 07:00 ESTUpdated: Dec 2, 2024, 23:43 EST
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Auston Matthews opened the scoring with his first goal since Halloween, John Tavares, Fraser Minten and Matthew Knies all added singles as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 in a result that belied the flow of the game. Anthony Stolarz was downright terrific for the Maple Leafs, making 27 saves, while earning a standing ovation.
After the game, Stolarz greeted the Scotiabank Arena audience with a pair of sunglasses on and a souvenir for a lucky fan. And for his efforts, Stolarz was the recipient of the team belt, awarded to Toronto’s best or most impactful player in a winning effort.
It was an evening where the Maple Leafs’ true talent level won out against a young, undermanned Blackhawks team playing on a back-to-back, but there were still more than enough positives, including Matthews’ first goal since his return from an upper-body injury which kept him out of nine games in November. Chicago controlled the shots and expected goals throughout the game, but in the end, superior talent and goaltending won out.
Here are five takeaways from the Maple Leafs’ 4-1 victory over the Blackhawks:
  • Anthony Stolarz was Toronto’s MVP for the evening and a deserving recipient of the team belt, saving 2.21 goals above expected in all situations, but throw away the stat sheet and it was readily apparent as well. He made a terrific save on Ryan Donato, who was following up his own rebound during the second period, and was constantly using his huge frame to block out the net when the Blackhawks pushed their way into high-danger areas, including a slick save on former Leaf Ilya Mikheyev, and an incredible pad save on Craig Smith. Toronto submitted a lacklustre effort through the second period, while Stolarz quietly shut the door. Although Chicago controlled nearly 72 percent of the expected goals at 5-on-5, it never felt like Toronto was in real danger and that’s due to Stolarz. What a luxury it is to boast two excellent goalies!
  • Auston Matthews was quietly efficient for the Maple Leafs during his return to action Saturday — relative to his own heightened standards, adding two assists, two takeaways, while winning 16-of-24 faceoffs, and he followed it up with another solid performance, where it seems apparent that he’ll be approximating his top form in the coming weeks. Matthews scored the opening goal of Monday’s game against Chicago, where he separated from multiple defenders and broke in alone, then tucked it past Arvid Soderblom for a neat finish. Chicago’s defence fell asleep when accounting for Matthews — surely, through blue-and-white lenses, you could suggest it was the reverse gravity effect with three defenders occupying Matthew Knies skating through the middle, but it was the combination of two elite forwards linking up against a young and underwhelming team. He won 7-of-9 faceoffs, tracked back well and while it wasn’t a Hart Trophy-level performance, it was more than encouraging and more than enough against the Blackhawks.
  • Fraser Minten is making a strong case for his permanent inclusion in the lineup. In an ideal world, the organization would love to have Minten continue to develop with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, but we’re not in an ideal world, and Minten now has four points in five games after punching home his second goal of the season. Minten is known to be a defensively responsible player, you can easily grasp his sense of calm, control and innate ability to track back when F1 and F2 are playing too deep. He’s already a legitimately better offensive option than David Kampf, he’s been way more impactful than Connor Dewar on both sides of the puck and while he may not be a long-term fix to the team’s secondary scoring woes, he’s been much better than several internal options presented thus far. As for the argument about his development: he’s already such a cerebral player and if he helps the Maple Leafs accomplish their ultimate goal, then you need to re-design the intended development curve.
  • It was a polarizing night for Philippe Myers. He played well alongside Morgan Rielly and there’s a strong argument to be made that they were Toronto’s best pairing on the evening, on the ice for three goals. Myers was aggressive offensively, finishing with a team-best four shots, a quality that lends itself well to a team that needs some more offensive punch from its blue line. Unfortunately, Myers committed a rough turnover which directly led to Lukas Reichel’s goal, where he had more than enough time to make a clever exit. Berube didn’t seem to mind too much and Myers still received a regular shift for the duration of the game. It’ll be compelling to see whether it’s enough to stick in the lineup, or function as a true No. 7 when Jake McCabe returns — even during an off-night for the Simon Benoit-Conor Timmins pairing, that unit is completely locked in.
  • This isn’t a grand takeaway but Mitch Marner was largely excellent throughout his 600th NHL game. Marner didn’t dominate opponents at 5-on-5 but he was outstanding on the penalty kill and he finished the game with two assists — his ninth multi-point game in 11 contests. Marner hit a cross-bar in the opening minutes of the game and perhaps the story would’ve written itself. Instead, here’s a note of quiet appreciation for his outstanding campaign to date, where he’s pacing towards a 113-point season and appears to be a lock for Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off roster.

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