The vibes are immaculate right now. The Leafs have won four straight games.
That’s where the conversation started on Monday’s edition of Leafs Morning Take. Auston Matthews and company showed up in a big way in Edmonton on Saturday night. The Oilers were the hottest team in hockey, and Toronto went in there and pumped the wheels off them, 7-2. Toronto improved to 12-2-1 all-time at Rogers Place. They own that barn.
We talked about the chemistry and swagger surrounding this squad right now. They’re feeling it. Easton Cowan had another big night, while the bottom six continued to pull its weight. Both Vinni Lettieri and Zack MacEwen scored their first goals as Leafs. We also highlighted Jack Roslovic’s consistency. That Cowan-Matthews-Roslovic trio has been money in the bank.
We loved Hiller’s decision to go with Anthony Stolarz, who was very steady in making 30 saves. The special teams continued to be electric, too. If you can believe it, the Leafs surrendered their first power-play goal since October 6 against Nashville. When you’re playing McDavid and Draisaitl, that’s going to happen from time to time. All in all, we felt the Leafs did a really solid job containing Edmonton’s big boys. It was a quality effort, with 13 different Leafs picking up at least one point in the rout.
We also touched on Dakota Mermis, who looked steady in his season debut. Along those lines, we dissected Ben Danford’s viral hit/fight clip from over the weekend. We’re all excited to see him arrive in the NHL one day, but for now, it’s great to see him playing top minutes and making an impact at the AHL level.
And so, the Leafs are set to visit the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary for the final time. Is this a trap game? Sergei Bobrovsky is expected to get the call, while Calgary is rolling with the red-hot Devin Cooley. Don’t sleep on William Nylander, who was born in Calgary. He netted a hat trick there last February and has 13 goals in 26 career games against the Flames.
Plenty to look forward to on Tuesday’s edition of Leafs Morning Take. We’ll recap Leafs-Flames, plus NHL Network analyst Jason Demers is scheduled to join us, too.
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