Last night, the Leafs‘ four-goal surge in the second period included two power-play goals, a multi-point period from Mitch Marner, and an even-strength goal from John Tavares. It wasn’t a perfect 60-minute performance by any means, but a better night from the Tavares line, with Trevor Moore swapped onto the left wing in the place of Kasperi Kapanen, and a record-setting four-assist period from Morgan Rielly assuaged a good number of concerns within the fan base.
After a couple of wins over Detroit and Minnesota, the test for the Leafs on the defensive side of the puck should be much stiffer tonight against a deeper forward corps with a much more dangerous power play than either of those teams.