6 takeaways from Leafs-Blue Jackets: Nylander, Robertson, Knies dominant in comprehensive victory

Here are six takeaways from the Maple Leafs’ victory over the Blue Jackets

• William Nylander can take over games by himself and in a matter of minutes, he picked the Blue Jackets apart. Nylander came alive in the third period, scooping up a Morgan Rielly rebound early in the third period, then repeated himself moments later, where he took full advantage of a poor Blue Jackets line change, skating through the offensive zone with force before ripping a shot past Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins. Nylander won’t catch Leon Draisaitl in the Rocket Richard race, but he’s firmly established as one of the NHL’s preeminent goal scorers, and his line with Bobby McMann and John Tavares is closer to a co-number one, rather than a true second scoring line. Nylander narrowly missed on a one-timer during a third period power play, which would’ve completed a natural hat trick. The chances may be harder to come by in the playoffs, but Nylander is a walking scoring chance, and that ought to translate in cagier game.
• Nick Robertson evidently made the most of his three-game benching and scored twice in his return to the lineup. Robertson capitalized on a bad turnover from Merzlikins, whose aimless clearance attempt was intercepted by Pontus Holmberg. Holmberg dropped the puck back to Robertson and he made no mistake. Robertson added an insurance goal, beating Merzlikins through the pads in the second period, and he was buzzing around the puck. It would be reactionary to say that Robertson clawed his way back into the playoff lineup, but his raw offensive talent outweighs his penchant for turnovers, especially for a Maple Leafs team that often struggles to generate meaningful offence at 5-on-5. You have to figure Craig Berube will keep him in the lineup for Tuesday’s game against the Florida Panthers, and he may be moved back onto the third line with Scott Laughton and Max Domi.
• In a game where Nylander and Robertson each scored twice, Matthew Knies was the most dominant player for the Maple Leafs. Knies started with a dangerous shot off the rush during his second shift, and continued to build from there. He attempted The Michigan late in the first frame, where he relentlessly hounded the Blue Jackets inside the offensive zone and bullied them with his speed and physicality throughout the evening. Knies was working his way into high-danger areas and just missed the connection on two golden chances near the back post on the power play. He clearly irritated the Blue Jackets and drew matching roughing penalties with Dante Fabbro, but he exited the penalty box undeterred and kept driving, eventually drawing a tripping penalty from Merzlikins. And with the result out of hand, Knies drew a penalty, where Auston Matthews scored during the delay. It was a tremendous performance from Knies, and on a night where Matthews and Mitch Marner were locked in, he was the best player for the Maple Leafs overall. Knies finished with a game-best six shots in all situations, along with a 68.6 percent share of the expected goals at 5-on-5 via Natural Stat Trick. “He’s playing playoff hockey, that’s for sure, with how heavy he’s playing and skating and (being) physical, and just on top of things. He’s been playing extremely well for the last couple of weeks,” Berube said post-game.
• Scott Laughton and Max Domi may be stapled together on the third line for the postseason, and it may just be a matter of figuring out who will play on the right wing. Laughton spoke about the tactical importance of having positional versatility on the line, with Calle Jarnkrok, but Robertson may have earned a promotion instead. Laughton and Domi’s line were outshot 6-2 against the Blue Jackets, but they also did a better job of getting into dangerous areas in the offensive zone. It may be worth placing Robertson back on this line, if only to add some genuine scoring pop, while Toronto’s top two lines should get a major uptick in playing time during the postseason.
• Chris Tanev set the Maple Leafs’ single-season record for shot blocks, and led the team again with three blocks. Tanev appeared to appreciate the record, while being unaware of the individual accomplishment prior to Saturday’s game. Nylander spoke about Tanev’s willingness to block shots as a clear reflection of his leadership, and perhaps more than any other Leafs player, Tanev represents the idealized version of Berube’s system. He was excellent in the defensive zone once again, and he was calm with a greater workload, with McCabe out of the lineup.
• Brandon Carlo and Morgan Rielly continue to form a mutually beneficial partnership, bringing out each other’s strengths. Rielly was particularly active in the offensive zone and drew consecutive primary assists on Nylander’s goals, while Carlo facilitated easy exits, while stifling the Blue Jackets with trademark physicality. In an ideal world, this would be Toronto’s second pairing, but it may be forced to operate as the top unit, with McCabe out of the lineup. Carlo drew a particular shoutout from Berube after the win. “The defence was excellent tonight. I thought Brandon Carlo was really good, not that the other guys weren’t, but he stuck out,” Berube said post-game. “I thought he had an excellent game, just eating pucks, killing plays. Simple. (Philippe) Myers did very well, I thought. He’s been out a long time, but he was simple with the puck, made hard plays, defended well. He had a solid game for us.”