Robertson logged 11:34 of ice time and picked up an assist on Calle Jarnkrok's tying goal in the third period against the Tampa Bay Lighting.
Robertson logged 11:34 of ice time and picked up an assist on Calle Jarnkrok's tying goal in the third period against the Tampa Bay Lighting.
Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe was in dire need of finding some secondary offense.
Called up the morning of the game and with no time to practice with the group, Nick Robertson stepped up after getting called up from the Toronto Marlies earlier in the day and helped provide an energy boost to a new-look third line.
"I thought he gave us something here tonight," Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said of Robertson. "He was moving his feet. (The) puck came on his stick, he made a play. I thought he helped get (Max) Domi going as well."
Domi centered a new-look third line alongside Calle Jarnkrok and Robertson, who helped set up their tying goal in the third period. Robertson snapped Domi's feed through traffic with a quick release before Jarnkrok beat Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Jonas Johansson on the rebound.
The line of Robertson-Domi-Jarnkrok was effective throughout the game. They were the second-best line on the ice for Toronto with an expected-goals rating of 62 percent according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
"I thought our line was good the whole game," Jarnkrok said. "Rob is quick. He’s got a good shot on him and I think our line played pretty good today."
The only line that was better for Toronto was the top line of Matthews Knies, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner who had an expected goals rating of 64 percent. The trip accounted for four of Toronto's 5-on-5 goals for the evening.
Robertson began his season with the Marlies and got off to a hot start with five goals and six assists in nine games. Under head coach John Gruden, he spent that time getting maximum minutes on a top like with Dylan Gambrell and Alex Steeves.
Despite not making it to the Leafs roster out of camp, the forward spent that time building himself up so he can show up to a Leafs roster when needed with full confidence in his game.
Before Monday's 6-5 overtime win against the Lightning, the Leafs didn't score a goal from a forward outside of their top four (Matthews, Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares) in over two weeks.
Robertson also made sure his line was responsible from a defensive standpoint.
"He played a helluva game tonight," Marner said of Robertson. "At the same time making sure he wasn’t making any risky plays or making the right play at the right time. So, it was great to see out of him. He was moving his feet tonight. He was great defensively as well and that’s what you want to see."
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