Maple Leafs report cards: Depth scoring comes up big to cap off 2024

By / / Sports / 6 minutes of reading


The Toronto Maple Leafs finally found a way to beat the New York Islanders.

John Tavares’ former team came out ahead in their previous five matchups, but Joseph Woll found a way to outduel Ilya Sorokin in a low-event New Year’s Eve matinee. David Kämpf and Steven Lorentz scored to give the Leafs a 2-1 lead through 40 minutes, and Tavares secured the win with an empty net goal.

The Leafs were outshot and mediocre at best offensively, but it was nice to see some depth scoring. The overall team grade is a B-.

Player grades

Steven Lorentz: A+

Lorentz set up Connor Dewar for an A+ chance on a two-on-one at the end of the first, but his teammate couldn’t beat Sorokin. He showed his teammate how it’s done in the second, as he scored a highlight-reel goal just 16 seconds after the Islanders tied it. Lorentz broke in alone and danced around the usually dependable Scott Mayfield, before firing a perfect wrist shot to beat Sorokin on the glove side. He also deserves some credit for his work on the penalty kill.

Joseph Woll: A

Woll stopped all nine shots that he faced in the first, though his team did well to limit the quality. He was beaten by a point shot to start the second, but the goal was called back following an offside challenge.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau finally tied it up 12 minutes into the second, but the goal certainly wasn’t on Woll, as Noah Dobson set it up with a perfect cross-ice pass. It looked like he was limping around and playing through an injury for a bit, but he stayed in the game and racked up 20 saves through 40 minutes.

The Leafs did well to limit New York’s shot quality while protecting a one-goal lead in the early third. However, Woll was forced to stop Brock Nelson on a short-handed breakaway with four minutes to go, and he finished with 30 saves on 31 shots.

David Kämpf: A

Kämpf jumped up into the top six and rewarded his coach by opening the scoring at the end of the first. He started the play by winning a puck battle in the defensive zone, and he took full advantage when William Nylander set him up in the slot moments later.

Matthew Knies: A-

Knies’ best play came on a disallowed goal in the second, as he fired three straight shots at Sorokin and eventually beat him. He impressed again in the third, as he set up Nylander for a quality chance with 10 to go, then came close to scoring himself seconds later. This was his best game in quite a while.

Chris Tanev: A-

Tanev was on for Toronto’s first goal, and he helped get the play started by gaining the zone. He then picked up a secondary assist on the play by dumping the puck behind the net to Nylander, who proceeded to set up Kämpf. He was their best defenceman.

Philippe Myers: B+

Myers failed to block a shot and ended up screening Woll in the early second, but the goal was called back due to an offside challenge. However, the Leafs spent most of his minutes in the offensive zone.

Jake McCabe: B+

McCabe made a play to block a dangerous shot in the second, but it didn’t end up mattering, as Pageau scored seconds later. He stood out again in the middle of the third, as he kept up with Pageau on a rush and pushed him over.

Connor Dewar and Ryan Reaves: B+

Lorentz was easily the best player on the fourth line, but they were at least serviceable. Dewar came awfully close to doubling Toronto’s lead at the end of the first, but Sorokin slid across and made a great save on a two-on-one.

Reaves threw a couple of solid hits in the first, and picked up a primary assist by chipping the puck up to Lorentz in the neutral zone in the second.

William Nylander: B

Nylander was quiet for most of the first, but he still found a way to make a positive impact, as he set up Toronto’s opening goal by making a beautiful pass from behind the net.

Nylander made a terrible giveaway to start the second that initially led to a goal against, but was bailed out by a successful offside challenge. He worked some magic with Knies to set up a couple of decent chances in the third, and eventually set up Tavares’ empty net goal, but this was ultimately a mediocre effort from him.

Morgan Rielly: B

His play was mostly solid in a boring game, but he deserves some blame for allowing Brock Nelson to get a short-handed breakaway when the Islanders were down a goal in the final minutes. As the lone defenceman on the ice, he needs to ensure that no one can get behind him.

Mitch Marner: C+

Marner was his team’s best forward in the opening minutes, but he didn’t have much competition. However, he was quiet by his standards in the second and third.

The third line (Bobby McMann, Max Domi and Nick Robertson): C+

Little to nothing happened during their minutes. Their best work came while protecting a one-goal lead with five minutes to go, as all three forwards made a strong defensive play, and McMann’s effort forced the Islanders to take a penalty.

John Tavares: C+

He took an offensive-zone penalty in the middle of the second, but the penalty kill bailed him out. He was then left covering no one on New York’s first goal, and while the mix-up was understandable following an impressive passing sequence, it’s his responsibility as the centre to ensure that his team isn’t out-manned around the net. Fortunately, he made up for it by scoring an empty net goal to secure the win.

The third pair (Simon Benoit and Conor Timmins): C+

The Leafs were once again out-chanced with their bottom pair on the ice. Timmins was on for New York’s goal, and he was unable to take away a cross-ice pass. However, it wasn’t all on him, as he was left to cover two guys at once.

It feels like this won’t be a pair come playoff time. If you’re not going to play shutdown minutes in the top four, you need to bring more to the table offensively.

Game score

Editor’s note: At the time of publication, the game stat card was not available. This story will be updated to include it once it’s available.

What’s next?

Heading on the road for a rematch with the Islanders on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. on Sportsnet.

(Photo of Steven Lorentz celebrating after scoring a goal against the Islanders: Nick Turchiaro / Imagn Images)





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About The Author

Fannie Hogan is a writer and editor who covers lifestyle, books, sports, education, and tech. She's always loved to write—from the time she was a little girl writing stories about talking animals to the day she got her first job as an editor at a lifestyle magazine. Her hobbies include long walks on the beach, running, and taking breaks from work to read a good book.

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