Make it three straight wins for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Leafs dominated the first period, scoring two goals before the Los Angeles Kings registered two shots on goal. Bobby McMann’s second goal of the game extended the lead to three heading into the first intermission, and the team never looked back in a 6-2 dismantling of the Kings.
Morgan Rielly and William Nylander scored in the second, and the resulting 5-0 lead led to a stress-free final frame. The bottom six and third pairing weren’t great, but the overall team grade is still comfortably an A.
Player grades
The second line (McMann, Max Domi and Nylander): A+
This was an easy A+, as this line was outstanding. McMann opened the scoring seven minutes in, taking advantage of a great set-up from Domi. He wasn’t done there, as he capitalized on an excellent pass from Nylander at the end of the first.
McMann tried to return the favour by setting up Nylander on a two-on-one in the second. While Nylander wasn’t able to finish off the play, he did manage to score on the power play minutes later.
Domi also picked up a secondary assist on Rielly’s second-period goal, while McMann stood out yet again for throwing a big hit on Mikey Anderson. Nylander played a role in his team’s first and fourth goals, even though he didn’t pick up a point on either.
Jake McCabe: A+
McCabe helped to set up the game’s first goal. While secondary assists aren’t always overly impressive, this one was, as he made a great cross-ice pass to start the play. He then picked up a beautiful primary assist on Toronto’s fourth goal, setting up Rielly in front for a deflection.
Mitch Marner: A
Marner was excellent in the first, making a wicked pass to set up a good chance three minutes in and later picking up an assist by setting up Matthews in the slot. He was gifted a secondary assist on Rielly’s second-period goal and added another nice helper in the final minutes.
Anthony Stolarz: A
Stolarz stopped all 23 shots he faced in the first two periods, although most were of the low-danger variety. The Kings finally scored on him to start the third, as Alex Turcotte beat him with a perfectly placed shot. He was beat again halfway through the third as the puck bounced around in the crease and ended up in his net.
While he wasn’t spectacular or anything, he does deserve a strong grade for stopping 32 of 34. He sure looks like a starting-calibre goaltender to start the season.
Auston Matthews: A-
Matthews scored his first goal of the season 8:49 in. Marner set him up in the slot and while he fanned on the initial shot, he promptly recovered and took full advantage of the A+ opportunity. His line had a great shift at the end of the second and he drew a penalty that led to a Nylander goal. I wouldn’t say he was amazing by his standards, but it’s tough to complain about a three-point game.
Auston Matthews scored his first goal of the season less than 10 minutes into the game. (Dan Hamilton / Imagn Images)
Oliver Ekman-Larsson: B+
He picked up two secondary assists in the first and the top power-play unit looked much better. It wasn’t a perfect game from him as he was on for quite a few shots against, but it continues to look like the Leafs have a much-improved top four on the back end.
The first pair (Rielly and Chris Tanev): B
Rielly scored his first of the season halfway through the second, tipping home a fantastic pass from McCabe. However, Rielly wasn’t exactly driving the team’s strong results offensively and this was just an average game for him. Tanev wasn’t overly noticeable, but he continues to be a steady stay-at-home partner who can also effectively break the puck out.
Matthew Knies: B-
Knies looked like more of a passenger on the top line, but he stood out with an excellent shift at the end of the second. He didn’t pick up a point in a high-scoring game, but he played OK.
The third pair (Simon Benoit and Timothy Liljegren): C
Liljegren made his season debut after being a healthy scratch for the first three games. He took a cross-checking penalty in the second, but the opposing player went down pretty easily.
Neither player stood out on either end. That’s not the worst thing to say about a team’s third pairing, but just about all of the positive events came when the top four were on the ice.
The fourth line (Steven Lorentz, David Kämpf and Ryan Reaves): C-
They were due for a bit of a tough night after excellent results through the team’s first three games. They generated nothing offensively and were caved in for a couple of shifts in the second. They were also on for the Kings’ first goal.
The third line (Pontus Holmberg, John Tavares and Nick Robertson): D+
They generated next to nothing offensively, which is unacceptable for a line with Tavares and Robertson. They were on for a goal against, but this was a blowout, so their poor performance didn’t really matter. Tavares deserves a bit of a pass since he was sick earlier in the week, but it certainly didn’t look like he had some sort of magical amulet that healed him. To his credit, he did score a power-play goal in the final minutes when the game was already out of reach.
The Holmberg-Robertson duo continues to struggle in terms of expected goals. They both work hard, and that line should do much better if Tavares stays there, but I won’t be surprised if either player becomes a healthy scratch.
Game score
What’s next?
Staying at home to play the New York Rangers on Saturday at 7 p.m. on Hockey Night in Canada.
(Top photo of William Nylander: Claus Andersen / Getty Images)
