Max Pacioretty, Jake McCabe proving key to Maple Leafs' success: Mirtle's 4 observations

TORONTO It was a game that was set to showcase the Maple Leafs finally getting healthy, with only three players left on injured reserve after a run where they had as many as half a dozen absences for weeks.

It became a good example of overcoming more adversity a first-period injury to early-season MVP Anthony Stolarz and grinding out a 3-2 win over a hapless Anaheim Ducks team Thursday night.

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But it marked a step forward after five games where the Leafs really werent at their best, including a bizarre overtime win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday where Stolarzs heroics stole them 2 points.

Here are a few observations of what Im seeing from the Leafs of late and what to expect as they head into a very busy stretch with six games in 10 days before the Christmas roster freeze.

How you like them apples?? pic.twitter.com/nZ8CKON8Ru Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) December 13, 2024 1.

One key reason the Leafs improved against Anaheim The Ducks are playing a bunch of kids throughout the lineup and are the fourth-worst team in the NHL , but it was still a positive that the Leafs won the territorial battle after some very tough outings on that front lately.

Consider that the Leafs owned only 42.2 percent possession and 38.5 percent of the expected goals at five-on-five over their last five games (30th and 31st in the league), compared to 48.8 and 51.9 (20th and 11th) through the first two months of the season.

A huge reason for that downshift? Jake McCabe missed all five of those games, three of which were against league bottom-feeders.

McCabe was understandably rusty after sitting nearly two weeks since taking a puck off the back of the head against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Nov.

30, but he still logged 20:07 in ice time and reteamed with Chris Tanev to help Toronto win its toughest minutes.

Theres been a lot of hand-wringing over the Leafs five-on-five play this season, and some of its deserved, but theres a formula for this team to contend if it can stay on the right side of the scoring chance count, get more key pieces healthy, and have Auston Matthews start producing closer to what were used to seeing from him.

(Matthews had a ton of chances against the Ducks but couldnt find a way to break through against Lukas Dostal , who has been one of the best goalies in the league this season.) Advertisement If nothing else, those ugly five games showcase just how integral McCabe has become to this teams success, especially considering Oliver Ekman-Larsson s and Morgan Rielly s struggles of late.

The Leafs have shown an ability to overcome all kinds of injuries this season, largely thanks to their goalies , but McCabe (and Tanev) are probably two of the toughest for them to do without.

2.

What do the Leafs do if Stolarz needs to miss time? The Leafs called Stolarzs absence a lower-body injury, and from the video available, it appeared to potentially be a tweak to his right knee.

Hes had an extensive history of knee issues , including missing almost the entire 2017-18 season, so theres certainly reason for concern.

Coach Craig Berube said we could get some clarity Friday at practice (scheduled for noon ET), where I suspect well see one of the three Marlies goaltenders recalled from across the hall at the Ford Performance Centre.

If were taking bets, Dennis Hildeby seems to be the favourite to come up, even though he has the lowest save percentage of the trio, he has a few things going for him.

One is that Matt Murray suffered an injury in his last start in the AHL, and the Leafs are unlikely to want to play with fire given his long road back to playing at all this year.

The other option is 23-year-old Artur Akhtyamov, who has been unreal in his first season in North America, posting an 8-0-1 record with a .929 save percentage.

While only a couple months younger than Hildeby, Akhtyamov is substantially greener, having played only one year in a high-level pro league, as a backup last season in Russias KHL.

Hildeby, meanwhile, has won a Swedish League championship and been in Toronto playing regularly since April of 2023, including two games with the Leafs earlier this season with Joseph Woll out.

Advertisement Whoever they recall, theyre going to play right away with back-to-back games against the Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres this weekend.

3.

Max Pacioretty is becoming more and more important Berube showed a nice feel for rewarding players who were going in this win, especially in dialing up Paciorettys minutes.

He finished with two goals and 3 points in 18:32 of ice time, by far his highest total as a Leaf and the most minutes hes played in an NHL game since April of 2022 when he was a first-liner for the Vegas Golden Knights .

PATCHES DOUBLE DIPS! pic.twitter.com/0y4ojYtWAU Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) December 13, 2024 Pacioretty turned 36 years old a couple of weeks ago, so you dont want him eating that many minutes that often, but with the depth scoring woes the Leafs have had , they also need to reward players who are delivering.

Despite missing nearly half the season, Pacioretty is sixth among Leafs forwards in goals and points and has firmly entrenched himself in the top six even when Bobby McMann returns (which is likely this weekend).

Pacioretty talked a bunch after Thursdays win about how he and John Tavares have good chemistry because they talk plays out together and play some old-fashioned, old-man hockey hard on pucks, hard in the corners, go to the front of the net and that was how he got both of his goals against Anaheim.

Pacioretty may be the second-oldest player on the roster (after Ryan Reaves ), but hes also one of their strongest.

At 6-foot-2, 217 pounds, he outweighs every skilled forward save for Matthew Knies and Matthews, and hes scored 334 goals in his career, which is tied for 20th among all active players.

I covered Pacioretty regularly early in his career when the Montreal Canadiens went on a few playoff runs, and what always impressed me was his mind for the game.

He was a bit of a late bloomer, as he played a bunch in the AHL and didnt break through as an NHL regular until he was 23, but once he did, he put up more goals over the next 11 seasons than all but six other players leaguewide.

Advertisement Those offensive smarts and strength are still there, even as his body has been battered the past couple of years.

But with Berube preaching a slower, heavier style of play, its certainly benefitted players like Tavares and Pacioretty over the likes of Nick Robertson and Max Domi .

And theyre a nice complement to someone like William Nylander , who adds a nice speed/skill element to the old guys and put on a show in huge minutes (21:25) on Thursday.

If he can stay healthy, Pacioretty is a pretty important piece in the offensive puzzle Toronto is trying to solve.

4.

What happens next with the lineup? The Leafs could have everyone up front except David Kampf and Calle Jarnkrok (who could miss the entire regular season) against the Red Wings on Saturday, marking one of their healthiest periods of the year.

If we allow that Pacioretty-Tavares-Nylander is remaining a thing, and note that McMann always seems to be more noticeable with skilled players higher in the lineup, can you really move Knies off Matthews line given the number of quality minutes hes been playing? (The 22-year-old logged an impressive 20:31 against Anaheim.) Thursday was one of the better games for the Leafs depth lines, too, even if it didnt contribute on offence.

That said, its very clear that Reaves should be the next man out of the lineup.

The 37-year-old has no goals, no fights and 1 point through 21 games.

Lately, hes been getting only six or seven minutes in games, to the point hes second last in the NHL in minutes played among skaters with a minimum of 20 games played this season.

The Leafs fourth line is generating just 14 scoring chances per 60 minutes with Reaves on the ice, which is the third-worst mark for a forward leaguewide.

If Pontus Holmberg shifts down onto a defensive fourth line with Connor Dewar and Steven Lorentz , who have emerged as excellent worker bees and penalty killers, that leaves a hole for McMann on a third line with Domi and Fraser Minten that probably has more skill than that part of the lineup has had all season.

Advertisement And if Berube can trust that fourth line to eat tough minutes and defensive zone starts, it should free up Domi-Minten-McMann to do damage in easy minutes and gain confidence this weekend against two teams that have struggled to keep the puck out of their net.

Losing Stolarz, if he misses any time, is obviously going to hurt, but there should be a path to try to fix the offence, carry play a bit better and take some pressure off the goalies night to night.

(Photo of Max Pacioretty: John E.

Sokolowski / Imagn Images).

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