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    Nick Barden
    Nov 12, 2024, 17:25

    Once at the bottom of the league, Toronto's power play has found life throughout the last three games, operating at over 50 percent.

    The Toronto Maple Leafs' power play was sluggish out of the gate, but since Auston Matthews has been out of the lineup with an upper-body injury, the man advantage seems to have found some life.

    Toronto's power play has gone 7-for-13 with Matthews out of the lineup. That's a 53.9 percent power play throughout three games, the best in the league in that span.

    At one point, the Maple Leafs were the worst team in the NHL on the man advantage, but have since moved past half the league, now sitting at 14th with a 20.8 percent success rate.

    One of the reasons for the recent prosperity is that more players have attacked the net.

    "If you look at [the video], you see the two guys at the net inside on all these goals. To me, that's the biggest difference," Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said on Monday. 

    "But also, we're just attacking downhill, and with those two guys at the net and the rebounds and the puck play, like you get loose pucks and you score goals off it, right? So it's just more of an attack mentality downhill, but the numbers at the net are the key."

    [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqAKwi67QAs[/embed]

    Under new assistant coach Marc Savard, the Maple Leafs have stuck with a 1-3-1 formation on the power play. Although it might appear Toronto has changed the layout with the last couple of goals scored on the man advantage, Berube concedes that it's just their power play having a more downhill mentality.

    The head coach adds that John Tavares' goal against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday was a main sign of that.

    "I mean, it's just you're still in a 1-3-1 formation, but it's just kind of a downhill look, right? So then it ends up looking like two guys at the net," Berube said. 

    "It's just a typical goal; Tavares' goal the other night. He's in the right spot, gets the rebound, and puts it in."

    Seven of Toronto's last 11 goals — while Matthews has been out of the lineup — have come on the power play. The Maple Leafs are feeling it on the man advantage, and the hope is that continues on Tuesday night against the Ottawa Senators.