Big W in Big D

This Leaf team is sure hard to predict.  The flop like seals against the Black Hawks, then take the next week off and come out like gang busters against the Preds and then the Dallas Stars.

Leading the way again was netminder Freddie Anderson, whose rebound control, which has been absent, came back last night.

Also of note, William Nylander scored his 24th goal of the season to put the Leafs ahead 4-2 before Dallas scored to make it tighter.
Andreas Johnson stole the puck like stealing a runaway chicken, then high tailed out out of his own zone, and deposited the biscuit into the basket.

The Leafs for the most part of the game were in control, and limiting Dallas chances to shots from the point or to the outside.

“We’ve definitely been starting strong on the road, you score the first, you more often than not win,” said Zach Hyman. “I don’t think you change home or road, you have to play consistent, play your style. We’re an up-tempo, high paced team so we have to stick to our strengths. Make sure while we’re doing that, we’re picking our spots.”

The two hottest Leafs scored, Auston Matthews with his 36th as he battles David Boston’s Pastrnak among others for the league lead, while William Nylander made it five games in a row with a goal, one off Matthews’ team high of last season.

But it was a 200-foot tic-tac-toe tally that defined the evening for Toronto at American Airlines Center.
In the second period from behind his own net, defenceman Travis Dermott surveyed the landscape and spotted Matthews hanging around centre. Matthews knocked down the stretch pass with an eye to Mitch Marner coming through neutral ice, Marner delivering a blind backhand pass to an open Hyman.

“Just a beautiful hockey goal,” said Nylander of his prime view on the bench. “We were all just smiling watching that.

“We need to keep doing that on the road. We’re chasing in the standings, pushing for a playoff spot (still not there after their pre-break slump), so we have to be sharp every game.”

Leafs next opponent is Ontario rival, The Ottawa Senators, and make no mistake, these two do not like each other. But it will be an important test for the Leafs, taking on the lesser talented, but hard working Sens at home.  Let's hope they do not fall back into old habits and decide not to out work their  challenger, but just to rest on their talent.