3 Leafs-Blackhawks picks: A two-game story for Auston Matthews in comeback win

Oliver Ekman-Larsson reduced the deficit to 2-1 before Auston Matthews leveled the match before celebrating as if asking the crowd if they had enjoyed themselves enough. And sometimes you need a little bounce. Dakota Joshua took advantage of a huge rebound from Spencer Knight and tucked it in for the game winner eight seconds after Matthews’ equalizer, sending a sleeping Scotiabank Arena crowd into a raucous explosion.

It was a rather quiet start to the match, with both periods dealing with low-level hockey. Wyatt Kaiser opened the scoring for the Blackhawks, deflecting a point shot from Dominic Toninato, where he was given enough space to finish. And on a much-maligned power play, William Nylander committed a brutal turnover on the entry, which was pounced on. Louis Crevier sent Ilya Mikheyev in transition, who found Jason Dickinson for a 2-0 Blackhawks lead. It appeared that Craig Berube’s challenge to his leadership group was soundly ignored, and on broadcast Berube shouted at his team after registering one shot on target in the first twelve minutes of the match.

Berube and Matthews rejected the premise that the Leafs started slowly, despite their shot total or the boos from factions of the crowd.

“Actually, part of the first period wasn’t a bad start. It was a good start to the game. We conceded a short-handed goal. A difficult one. The second period was a little better and the third was our best period,” Berube said after the game.

“It’s a nice win,” Matthews said after the match. “I think other than maybe the last ten minutes of the first period, we played pretty solid. I think after ten minutes and a couple of bad breaks, it just got away from us.”

Joshua received the team belt, which was given to the Leafs’ best or most impactful player in a winning effort.

Toronto was completely outplayed for most of the match, and this cannot be considered an afterthought after staging a comeback that may have given the crowd whiplash. There are several things the Maple Leafs need to clean up, although the group seemed relieved to secure the two points and advance to Thursday’s game against the Washington Capitals.

Here are three takeaways from the Maple Leafs’ 3-2 win over the Blackhawks:

A tale of two games for Auston Matthews

It was a tale of two games for Auston Matthews. For large parts of the game, Matthews appeared to be going through the motions. A particularly lax effort during the second period drew some boos and frustration from fans and the press alike. The TSN broadcast showed during the second intermission that Matthews had possession of the puck for eleven seconds during the first two periods. It was shocking to watch, and it certainly spoke to the idea that Matthews was either playing through injury or completely disconnected from the stakes.

And then came the flurry of the third period. Matthews won a face-off, and with ten minutes left in the third period, Ekman-Larsson fired the ball through traffic and into the net. It may have taken a deflection, but at least it boosted the Maple Leafs’ comeback efforts.

With just over three minutes left, with the Leafs on the power play, William Nylander stole the puck from Ilya Mikheyev. Matthews grabbed the loose puck, turned and fired it past Spencer Knight for the tying marker. The Toronto captain then gestured to the crowd, as if to suggest he would turn off the noise, a suggestion he rejected after the game.

“It was great, it was great to see, it was great for him, and it was great for our team. I thought that line drove the game tonight. That’s what I wanted to see, whether they scored or not,” Berube said of the Maple Leafs’ top line.

“The boo birds came down, rightfully so. I think after that first goal the crowd really got into it, which is great, and after the second one the place was rocking,” Matthews said after the match.

While you could look at the stat sheet to find evidence that Matthews and his linemates caused turnovers, it is disproportionately inflated by the third-period blowout. Toronto needs more from Matthews and the rest of his leadership group, three points out of a playoff spot at the time of this filing. It was a tale of two games for Matthews, and he ultimately did just enough to secure victory for his club.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson is the Leafs’ best defenseman and most consistent player in December

Oliver Ekman-Larsson has been the Maple Leafs’ best defender all season, and you could say he’s been the team’s most consistent player in December. Ekman-Larsson opened the scoring, showing the determined strength the group often lacks, and he does all the little things well for a Maple Leafs team that tends to struggle with the smaller details of the game.

“I think his play has been very consistent from the start. There haven’t been many dips in his play. He’s been very consistent and defends and produces everything we ask of him,” Berube said after the match.

“I’m really just trying to help in any way I can,” Ekman-Larsson said. “Trying to defend hard. Trying to play when I have to. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. I think it also helps my game a lot if I try to make the team play well and win games.”

Ekman-Larsson has shown the veteran leadership the Maple Leafs need, with some Stanley Cup pedigree. It was another great performance from the 34-year-old defender, during a season in which he was one of the few consistent players.

Joseph Woll was great in his return

Wyatt Kaiser scored the opening goal of the match through traffic, but it was certainly a goal that Woll could have stopped, although no one would blame him for Jason Dickinson’s short-handed marker.

“I thought he got better as the game went on,” Berube said of Woll after the game. “A little bit more comfortable in there, but it was good to see him hold us there and we got a win. We got a win and a big part of that was him.”

Woll has been great all season and if he can operate as a true No. 1, Dennis Hildeby could also get into the rotation with an increased number of starts, perhaps in a true tandem lineup. Berube indicated he wants to see both goaltenders play more often, with Anthony Stolarz out indefinitely. Perhaps we’ll see the blueprint for this rollout all week as Hildeby looks set to start Thursday’s match.

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