The Toronto Maple Leafs won their second straight game against the New York Islanders, sealing a tight 2-1 win on the road to keep them in first place in the Atlantic Division.

The objective two stars of the show on Thursday night were Bobby McMann and Joseph Woll. The former scored both Leafs goals, including the game-winner with less than three minutes to play, and the latter stood tall and made big saves all game to keep his team in the game. Also having himself an excellent game was Max Domi, who assisted on the game-winner and brought playoff-style energy through 60 minutes of play, including starting the play that led to McMann’s first goal even though he didn’t assist on it.

Speaking to reporters postgame, Domi brushed off the reverse hit and forwarded the praise on the goal to his linemates.

“It’s part of the game, right?” Domi said. “Gotta be physical and get in the forecheck, separate the body from the puck, and Robby [Nick Robertson] and Bobby [McMann] did the rest.”

On the topic of the tight, low-scoring games that typically happen on Long Island, Domi said that it’s the type of game the Leafs need to be ready to play, especially down the line.

“It felt like a playoff game at points. Those are games you gotta be comfortable in and gotta find a way to win. We found a way.”

Domi also received praise from head coach Craig Berube, who knows all too well the way you need to play if you want to succeed in the playoffs. He credited Domi’s physical play as a key part of the Maple Leafs’ ability to seal the win.

“When Max is engaged like he was tonight, and last game when he was engaged with his skating, being physical when the time is right, he’s a difficult guy to play against.”

The line of Domi, McMann, and Robertson has unlocked a level of depth scoring the Leafs have sorely lacked all season. McMann cites trust in his linemates and the fact that they all know their role on the line as reasons for their success so far.

“I think we all have a lot of trust in each other and we know that we’re different players,” McMann said. “I’m a different player than Domes [Domi], different player than Robby [Robertson], we all kind of bring something different to the table, we’re trying to bring our best to the table. I think it works really well that we’re all different.”

Domi wasn’t shy about giving his linemates credit, either. After all, his reverse hit on George allowed Robertson to scoop the puck and find McMann streaking into the zone with lots of space to line up his shot.

“He’s a pure goal scorer, man,” Domi said in reference to McMann. “When he has the opportunity he doesn’t miss often. It’s our job to get him the puck.”

The Maple Leafs will be in action again on Saturday when they host the Boston Bruins in a pivotal game to maintain distance between the other teams in the Atlantic Division.

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