The Toronto Maple Leafs came away with a 4–2 win over the Minnesota Wild on Sunday night. It wasn’t always certain, but the Maple Leafs built themselves a cushion and then hung on when things got interesting late. Two goals from Benoit-Olivier Groulx led the way, while Morgan Rielly and Matthew Knies chipped in the others. In the net, Anthony Stolarz handled the heavy lifting with 36 saves.
The second period was when Toronto really grabbed control of the game. Rielly opened the scoring, then Groulx scored twice, suddenly making it 3–0. That looked comfortable for a while, but hockey has a funny way of refusing to stay calm. In the third period, Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice in 23 seconds, and the feeling of watching the game suddenly shifted from comfortable to concerned.
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That’s where Knies came in late. With under a minute left, he blocked a shot and then slid the puck into the empty net to close things out. Even better, he sped past one of the best skaters in the NHL, Quinn Hughes. It capped a game where the Maple Leafs did enough good things to deserve the two points. It also pushed them to 2-0-1 in their last three games, which is the sort of stretch head coach Craig Berube has been asking for.
Item One: Groulx Is Earning a Place Moving Forward
Every once in a while, a depth player has a night that makes you take a second look. That was the case with Groulx. The Maple Leafs’ forward scored twice, and suddenly, his stat line since being recalled looks pretty interesting. Since showing up with the big club, he’s played exceedingly well.
In just four games since being recalled from the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League (AHL), Groulx now has three goals. That might not sound earth-shaking, but consider the context. Before this little run, he had just two goals in 68 NHL games spread over a few seasons. That’s quite the change of pace.
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The Maple Leafs are always hunting for players who can give them honest minutes and the occasional bit of offence lower in the lineup. With Auston Matthews out for the season with a knee and quad issue, there’s ice time floating around down the middle. Nobody is suggesting Groulx suddenly turns into a scoring star, but if he keeps playing with this kind of jump, he might just stick around a while.
Item Two: Stolarz Keeps the Door Closed
When the Wild started pushing in the third period, the Maple Leafs needed their goaltender to steady things. That’s exactly what they got from Stolarz.
He finished the night, stopping 36 of 38 shots, and several of those saves came after Minnesota cut the lead down to one. When Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice in those quick bursts, the game suddenly had that uneasy feeling Maple Leafs fans know all too well. Stolarz settled things down.
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The win was also a nice personal bounce-back for him. It snapped a five-game stretch without a win. On the season, he’s now sitting at 8-9-3 with a 3.34 goals-against average and a .894 save percentage. The Maple Leafs still seem content to rotate him with Joseph Woll, and unless someone catches fire, that shared workload is probably how things continue.
Item Three: A Temporary Blue-Line Shuffle
There was also some roster shuffling before the game. The Maple Leafs recalled defenceman Henry Thrun from the Marlies on an emergency basis. The reason was simple enough. Veteran defender Oliver Ekman-Larsson returned to Toronto for the birth of their child, which meant the team needed an extra body on the blue line.
Thrun has spent most of the season in the AHL, where he’s put up four goals and 20 points in 42 games. His NHL chances have been brief so far, with four games and no points. The recall mainly gives the Maple Leafs insurance on defence while Ekman-Larsson is away. Depending on how the lineup shakes out, Thrun could play or simply serve as depth if Troy Stecher gets the nod.
What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?
For the moment, the Maple Leafs will take the two points and move on. This time of season, the standings matter more than style points, and Toronto managed to grab a win against a good Minnesota team. Ironically, the team’s success comes at a time when bottoming out could be the better move. That said, it’s still good to see the team play well enough to win.
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What they’ll be looking for now is a bit of consistency. Berube has talked a lot about compete level lately, and the last few games suggest the team is starting to find it again. The Maple Leafs built a lead, bent a little when the Wild pushed back, but didn’t break.
If the depth players keep contributing and the goaltending holds steady, the Maple Leafs might be able to string together a few more results like this one. And at this stage of the season, it’s good to see the team playing competitive hockey.
