The Toronto Maple Leafs are coming off an important win against the Dallas Stars on Wednesday and have the third line to thank. In a game where Toronto didn’t have much going on offensively, their depth scoring gave them a huge boost in their 5-3 victory. The Leafs had less than 10 shots each period, adding up to 19 to finish the game. After the first period, Toronto took just four shots on Dallas’ goaltender Jake Oettinger. After two periods, the shots were 12-25 in favour of the Stars. However, by that point, Toronto had a 4-2 lead. As a result, the Leafs chased Oettinger and handled business in the final period and that third line of Bobby McMann, Max Domi, and Nicholas Robertson took centre stage in the contest.
Depth Scoring and Hope
This win in Dallas was the second straight game where the Maple Leafs ran with this specific third line of McMann, Domi, and Robertson. It was tested for the first time on Sunday against the Buffalo Sabres and was just as effective as Thursday. Against the Sabres, all three forwards combined for Toronto’s first two goals of the game. The goals scored by Domi and Robertson were important for the team to keep them in the game. However, the tallies were even more important to the players given their run of form heading into that game.
For instance, Domi potted his first goal of the season and his first since last season’s playoffs. It was clear how much the goal meant to him in his goal celebration. Domi was getting himself into boiling water, scoring no points in 16 straight games before their win against Buffalo. Now, in the last two games, the 29-year-old has two goals and three points, suggesting he’s back to his old self.
The same applies to Robertson as well. Given his success in the preseason, there was plenty of excitement and hope around Robertson going into this season. However, he’s had a terrible first quarter of the season. In the opening 20 games of the season, the 23-year-old had just two goals and zero helpers to show for it. But in each of the last two games, he matched his season totals. He scored two goals and recorded two assists in back-to-back games with Toronto. This sheds some light and gives the team hope that Robertson can step into the player that he is supposed to be.
The Formula to the Third Line’s Recent Success
Toronto head coach Craig Berube had great things to say about his third line in the last couple of games. About Domi, Berube said that the difference is he has been way more engaged with the game. This season, he has been invisible and forgettable at times. Although, lately he’s been on the puck, hunting on the forecheck and using his crafty skill to his advantage.
The third line’s left winger McMann said that the reason they’ve been able to play the way they have recently is simple. “We’re just competing. That’s number one, is competing to get pucks back and pucks on our stick,” he said. Domi, Robertson, and McMann are great forecheckers and even if they haven’t scored plenty lately, they know how to create turnovers. He also admitted that the chemistry on this line has been clicking because they trust each other to do their jobs. Trusting teammates goes a long way and it has paid off for this line.
Another factor as to why this line has been effective might have something to do with urgency. Individually, these three forwards haven’t had the best campaign. However, because of the slumps they have been in, putting them all on the same line created a click. There’s that feeling that they’re all in the same boat and that could be a source of motivation to ultimately work together.
Main Photo Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
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