The Toronto Maple Leafs ought to get a greater concept of how far they’ve rebounded from their current droop after they host the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday evening.
With captain Auston Matthews main the best way with two power-play targets and an help, the Maple Leafs thumped the visiting Calgary Flames 6-2 on Monday.
The end result got here as a reduction to the Maple Leafs, who had an alarming tendency to give up leads in dropping 5 of their earlier six video games.
After a lackluster effort in a 4-2 residence loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, the Maple Leafs (40-24-3, 83 factors) confirmed extra urgency on Monday.
“We got here out with the precise depth, the precise angle and focus, and I believed it translated all through the entire sport,” Matthews stated. “Simply the life and power that I believe all 20-plus guys dropped at the rink (Monday) was nice.”
Max Domi began the scoring for Toronto and added an suave help.
“We knew we would have liked this one,” Domi stated. “Been going by way of the grinder a bit bit proper now. We actually had everybody going. There wasn’t one passenger (Monday). And after we’re like that, we’re a tricky workforce to beat, man.”
“Max Domi’s sport has gone to a different degree,” Toronto coach Craig Berube stated. “He is far more aggressive. He is being the participant like we would like him to be, the place he is in individuals’s faces, he is disrupting issues, he is utilizing his pace. And he is a playmaker. The man can cross the puck.”
The Avalanche are on an 8-0-1 run and may present a sterner check for the Maple Leafs. They’re coming off a 4-3 extra time residence win over the Dallas Stars on Sunday.
“We all know this week’s going to be a difficult one,” Matthews stated. “It isn’t straightforward to win, particularly whenever you’re going by way of adversity. So, we’ll get pleasure from this, and we’ll prepare for a very good workforce coming in right here on Wednesday and simply attempt to preserve this rolling.”
The lack to carry a 4-2 lead led to the Maple Leafs’ 7-4 highway loss to the Avalanche on March 8. Toronto was nonetheless forward 4-3 midway by way of the third interval earlier than Colorado scored 4 instances, twice into an empty web.
The Avalanche (41-24-3, 85 factors) had their very own issues holding a lead on Sunday. They took a 3-1 benefit into the third interval however the Stars scored two targets to tie. Cale Makar scored in extra time to present the Avalanche the win in opposition to their Central Division rival.
“You knew that they have been going to present every thing they’d within the third,” Makar stated. “However I felt like we closed the interval very nice with the final two minutes there and located a method in extra time.”
“I believed we performed an incredible hockey sport till we coughed up these couple pucks within the D-zone,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar stated. “And I suppose whenever you take a look at all three targets they acquired, they have been D-zone turnovers. However nice effort. We have been skating, taking part in on each side of the puck.”
The Avalanche will once more be with out defenseman Josh Manson (lower-body damage) on Wednesday. He left the 4-2 win at Calgary on Friday and didn’t play on Sunday.
“He is been checked out already,” Bednar stated. “He is getting different opinions and making an attempt to determine what the rehab course of is like. I haven’t got a timeline, however once more, it is not day-to-day.”
Nathan MacKinnon leads the NHL with 76 assists and 103 factors. He netted a pair of targets within the March 8 win over Toronto.
–Subject Degree Media