Maple Leafs’ Jake McCabe credits increased physicality as key to OT win vs. Sabres

“I  think it’s been a little lacking here this first little while. I’m certainly guilty of it too through the first five, six games,” McCabe said to reporters after the game. I  think at the beginning of the year, sometimes you kind of dip your toe in the water rather than jump full in. Made an admission here the last couple of nights to bring that side of my game out a little bit more, cause I’ve certainly played better and I know my teammates feed off it as well.”

While it didn’t lead to a power play goal, it did help bring some jolt to the team that they started to build off of as the game progressed. McCabe’s energy and competitiveness seemed to rub off well on his teammates because it was an overall better showing from the team that was desperately needed in quite some time. As a result, he was deservedly awarded the belt as team MVP on the night.

John Tavares also could have grabbed the honours with a solid night of his own from an offensive standpoint. He helped set up a goal for Matias Maccelli while nabbing the OT winner to get him one away from reaching the 500 club.

“ He’s certainly made me a lot better pro,” he said. “ Just being around him, watching him how he goes through his process, it’s quite impressive.  I know we always talk about it, but I just study every single year.  And to have that in your room as a leader is super crucial for our team.”

One regular-season win won’t define the year at large, but the overall process is more in line with what type of team the Leafs want to be and gives them a much-needed step in the right direction. No doubt it was far from perfect, and McCabe would attest to that, but you have to start somewhere to propel your team to establishing an identity.

If nothing else, McCabe was motivated to play well against his former team and get the victory for his current team.

“Typically, you’re always kind of looking around.  My record against Buffalo hasn’t been great since I’ve left them, so I was eager for two points tonight,” he said.