NFL
By: Joe Cardoso
Welcome back, Maple Leaf fans. Four games, four wins, and 21 goals scored. I’ll be honest, I’m still smiling. The games are done, so NO recaps here. Let’s talk about who played well, who needs to tighten up, what’s next on the schedule, and who takes home my first player of the week.
Who Had a Strong Week
Kirill Marchenko had a point in all four games. He assisted on Matthew’s power play goal against San Jose, scored versus his old team in Columbus, scored on the power play against the Rangers, and added two dimes in Edmonton. Gavin McKenna scored the first of many game-winners on a power play. Last week he was benched; this week he answered.
Easton Cowan was a beast in Columbus with a goal and two assists. Jack Roslovic matched his three-point night in Columbus and scored in Edmonton. William Nylander reached goal No. 300
Have to shout out Troy Stecher. He got the game-winner with under 30 seconds left versus the Rangers.
Morgan Riley had a big week from the back end too. Three assists in Columbus and another on the Rangers. That’s a defenseman with four helpers in two games. When he can get the puck moving, the forwards get to eat.
Some under-the-radar dudes I think that need to be mentioned are Brandon Duhaime, who lit the lamp and had two assists; Colton Sissons was a faceoff beast in the San Jose game, 15 to 21; that might not be flashy, but it kick-starts the offense with possession. Between the pipes, Anthony Stolarz made 35 saves in Columbus and 30 in Edmonton, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 30 in San Jose. All four lines produced when called upon.
Player of the Week: Auston Matthews
Dan Hamilton-Imagn Image
I wrote in week one that Matthews had questions to answer. He’s answering them. A goal and two assists against San Jose, including the pass to McKenna on the game-winner. He scored in his 700th game in Columbus, his 436th career goal, which tied Pavel Bure for sixth most through that milestone. Three goals, a three-point night, and a captain that is driving this bus.
Who’s Struggling
Wins can hide a lot of problems, and we have a few. The biggest is the puck management. We gave it away 23 times against the Rangers and 18 times to Columbus. For sure, Jake McCabe blocks shots and is a warrior, but he also gave it away 7 times in four games. Troy Stecher scored that game-winner in New York; do we just forget the 5 giveaways?
Darren Raddysh needs a little more. Had an assist in San Jose, and the other games were pretty quiet, while losing the puck five times across the three games. Leaf fans saw upside with him coming from Tampa. I’m still waiting for him to show up nightly. The penalty killing bailed us out, having stopped 40 of 41 opposing power plays; that won’t last forever.
Then we have to talk discipline. Twenty penalties in four games, with 8 in the Blue Jackets game. Zack MacEwen, are we good, homie? 17 penalty minutes in one game? A fight can fire up the boys on the bench, but better teams will make us pay for extra trips to the box.
What’s Next
Here’s the schedule for the coming week:
-Monday, Oct 26th, in Calgary, 8:30 p.m. ET
-Wednesday, Oct. 28th, in Seattle, 10 pm ET
– Saturday, Oct. 31st, in Vancouver, 7 pm ET
It’s a western road swing. Calgary and Vancouver sit in the bottom half of the West, but Seattle is 7-4 and will be a real test. Don’t sleep on any of them. Then we are home Tuesday the 3rd to play Utah, which beat us 5-4 earlier this month.
Four wins are great, but the standard is higher. Clean up the giveaways, stay out of the box, and keep riding the confidence. Let’s go, Leafs.
