Jake McCabe left the game following his first shift of the evening and did not return.
Jake McCabe left the game following his first shift of the evening and did not return.
It was a strong all-around game from the Maple Leafs against Dallas with McCabe missing for the entire night.
The defense had plenty of time on the ice and made the most of it given they looked exhausted towards the end of the game. A big goal from Mitch Marner late in the second period helped give Toronto the extra boost heading into the third.
A power play goal from Tyler Bertuzzi would seal the deal with the Maple Leafs defeating the Stars 3-1 and improving to 3-1 on their road trip thus far.
Here are a few observations on Toronto's strong play in Dallas.
Joseph Woll continues to shine
Another appearance, another great game for Woll.
The 25-year-old has looked sharp in all areas of his game to start the season, making big saves for the Maple Leafs when they need them most. I wonder when the net will be Woll's if he continues to play like this.
Woll stopped all but one shot for his third consecutive win on the season. If he continues to play like this, could he be Toronto's number-one goalie down the stretch?
It's possible, but Ilya Samsonov will definitely have a say about that.
First line makes an impact
Mitch Marner said on Thursday morning that his line hasn't and won't get frustrated about the lack of five-on-five production early in the season. And they definitely won't be frustrated after their game against Dallas.
Marner found the back of the net late in the second period, giving the Maple Leafs the lead heading into the final frame. It was a big goal for the 26-year-old, but more importantly, a huge goal for that line.
The line consisting of Marner, Auston Matthews, and Calle Jarnkrok had six points at five-on-five this season, according to NaturalStatTrick.com. With that goal, the line is now up to nine points at five-on-five.
The pair of Matthews and Marner have always played well with Jarnkrok on their line, so I wouldn't be too worried about their future production as a trio.
William Nylander's confidence and consistency
The 27-year-old is looking like one of the NHL's best wingers at the moment.
Every time he stepped onto the ice — whether it was in the offensive or defensive end — Nylander was involved. He found Morgan Rielly for his first goal of the season, which was a hell of a play from the 27-year-old.
From his edge work to his silky hands to his ability to find Rielly for the goal, Nylander is having quite the start to his season. His 11 points in seven games leads the Maple Leafs, as does his seven-game point streak to start the year.
More than half of his points this season have come at five-on-five, per NaturalStatTrick.com.
If Nylander keeps this production up for most of the season, he's going to get paid, plus establish himself as one of the NHL's best wingers, if he hasn't already.
The other observations
- John Tavares found the empty net to seal the game for Toronto. That's a seven-game point streak for the Maple Leafs captain and his third consecutive game with a goal.
- Tyler Bertuzzi scored his second goal of the season during Toronto's four-minute power play in the third period. A nice tip from the 28-year-old who's struggled early on in the season.
It's also worth crediting Matthew Knies as he keeps the puck in the Stars' zone before finding Rielly to take the point shot which is eventually deflected by Bertuzzi.
- Speaking of Rielly, he had an impressive game. Both on the production side (scoring two points) and the time on ice side (playing 26:13) on Thursday. That's now four points in two games for the 29-year-old.
- John Klingberg looked good against the team he was drafted by. No points on the night, but the defenseman had a big stop during the second period for Toronto.
Given how much he played in this game, it was an all-around great night for both Klingberg and the entire Maple Leafs team.
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