MR. MATTHEWS, SHOW ME THE MONEY!

Say what you want, the Toronto Maple Leafs are not the greatest defensive team, but they are fun to watch.  With a 6-1 record and a blistering  33 goals, they lead the NHL. That is nearly five goals per game. They put the fear of diety into opposition goalies. The Maple Leafs arguably have the best top six in the league.

John Tavares and Auston Matthews have started the season as superstars. The arrival of John Tavares (a villain or a hero, depending on whether you are coming from New York,) seems to have lit a fire under Auston Matthews, who has erupted as a team leader.  Matthews has 16 points in 7 games; he leads this team by example.

At the beginning of the season, Morgan Rielly was given a great honour, as he was given an A. (For those who don't know that means, he was made one of the assistant captains.) He has responded with three goals and ten assists, for thirteen points. He has shone thus far. Some players fade and cannot handle the pressure, but Morgan has done the exact opposite, responding with all-star calibre play.

It is Garret Sparks' time to shine as Frederik Andersen (Freddy) is injured.  Mr. Sparks has answered his critics clearly. He was solid against the Kings Monday night. He might not have been busy, but when called on, he was there. It might be only his first start, but so far, so good.  Andersen's injury is thought to be serious; the Leafs have called up Eamon McAdam, who came in the trade of Matt Martin.

Do not take a penalty while playing against the Leafs! The Maple Leafs have one of the best powerplays in the league with a 47.4 percentage. Matthews and Tavares are deadly together, resulting with Matthews at 16 points with a pace too high to count. The key point is Morgan Rielly. He has been consistently getting his shots from the point to the net.  The Leafs have been magical with the puck and have fans wondering what is next.

There is still concern with the defensive play in their own zone.  In fairness, they knew this was how they were going to win. But with the Andersen's injury, the Leafs played their best defensive game of the year in front of Sparks. That tells me that they are capable of shoring up the defensive play in their own zone.  As long as they can be average defensively, their offence will be more than enough to cover up the mistakes.

Randy