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Toronto – John Tavares puts the puck into a sleek William Nylander feed.
Mitch Marner then finished a nice setup from Auston Matthews and then found Matthew Knies with a breathtaking stretch pass, which led to a disconnected goal.
The Maple Leafs star offensively scored on Wednesday’s key tilt on the Atlantic division rankings.
Toronto’s big guns also brought it to the other end of the ice for a 3-2 victory over the Florida Panthers.
“That’s the goal early this year,” Manner said. “There are still a lot.”
Matthews, Marner and Tavares had a tense last minute, which made the Visitors Press feel a lot like a playoff showdown between teams in a game, with its design running deep into the spring.
“They’re not only scoring there,” Leafs head coach Craig Berube said. “They’re playing 200-foot hockey there, whether it’s killing, protecting the lead, just playing well.
“It’s OK. Who is this? It takes a sacrifice to play the other side of the hockey.”
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Toronto demonstrates a level of commitment to defending the Stanley Cup title, a back-to-back tail that lacks several key departments, including injured captain Aleksander Barkov.
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In the dying moment, Marner jumped up, scratched and pawed the puck out of the defensive zone in a sequence – an example of Berube has been preaching since taking over from the fired Sheldon Keefe in May last year.
“They will be our horses and they will have to lead offense and defense,” Toronto goalkeeper Anthony Stolarz said.
“To make it even further, these guys will have to commit to a 200-foot race. We are doing a healthy job. As they move forward, everyone else will follow suit.”
The Leafs led Tampa Bay’s Lightning three-pointer at the Normal School and sat four with the Panthers. Lightning handheld game.
Berube won the Stanley Cup in 2019 with the St. Louis Blues, who was brought to Toronto by general manager Brad Treliving to win the playoffs with a series of wins since 2004, in the playoffs in a more north-south, defensive, intuitive, straightforward way.
“Our team has performed very consistently this year and has done a great job of changing their game style and adapting to it somehow and over time,” Berube said. “It won’t happen overnight…it takes a while. But they’ve learned to figure it out in different areas of the game.
“It’s an honor.”
Tavares, who scored his 36th goal of the season, said trying to create an offense while living within the group structure has been a balanced act.
“We want to step up, but it’s the detail and consistency of your game, not getting rid of it just to find a way to play and score goals,” he said. “The process of winning the game in the process of being who we are in the game is very important. You just have to stick with it and work hard for your chances.”
“Win those little fights.”
In the first round of the playoffs, winning the Atlantic crown will evade Toronto away from Florida and Tampa, instead booking a date with GM’s opponent (probably the Ottawa Senator).
“It’s not all and the end,” Beruber said. “Your department is great, but it’s the distance.”
Strars said the victory was achieved after 5-1 and 3-2 losses earlier in the timeline, which was a rise in confidence.
“We know what the dangers are,” he said. “Our goal is to win the department and get the Home-Ice advantage.
“If we want to do what we want to do, it’s a team that we’re going to have to meet in the playoffs.”
Wednesday is an example of the commitment required.
This report by Canadian media was first published on April 2, 2025.
& Copy 2025 Canadian Press
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