What I’m seeing from the Maple Leafs: Pacioretty smashing expectations and a Marchand problem

Sports

add

Two home games. Two wins for the Maple Leafs.

An already-fascinating series is about to get even more interesting as the series shifts to Florida for Games 3 and 4.

Here’s what I’m seeing so far from the Leafs — and what it means for what comes next.

1. I was high on Max Pacioretty’s prospects coming into the playoffs. He was my pick to play with John Tavares and William Nylander in Game 1 of the first round, a change that didn’t end up coming to pass until Game 6.

I believed that Pacioretty would, with his big hockey brain, remaining skill, and bubbling drive, find a way to make an impact for the Leafs.

What he’s delivered is far beyond what I imagined. This is impressive stuff from a 36-year-old who didn’t play the final two-plus months of the regular season.

In the three games since he joined Tavares and Nylander on that line, Pacioretty has produced two goals, six points, and 18 hits. He is leading the team with 34 hits in the postseason and is tied for fourth in scoring, with more points (six) than Tavares and Matthew Knies (five each). Reminder: Pacioretty was a healthy scratch in Games 1 and 2 against the Ottawa Senators.

Pacioretty has earned those points. He was already rushing to the front of the net in the first period of Game 2 against the Florida Panthers before Morgan Rielly had even gotten the puck at the point. That allowed him to perfectly time his tip on the Leafs’ first goal.

It was a flash of the instincts that led to so many goals earlier in his career.

Nylander’s sixth goal of the playoffs on Wednesday night doesn’t happen if Pacioretty doesn’t beat Seth Jones for a loose puck in the neutral zone. It doesn’t happen either if Pacioretty doesn’t perfectly time his backhand pass just before Jones’ stick snaps to the ice in hopes of an interception.

WILLHIM NYLANDER!!! 😎 pic.twitter.com/OEv5dPVfrP

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) May 8, 2025

2. Pacioretty is throwing nearly 27 hits per 60 minutes in these playoffs.

For context, the NHL regular-season leader in that department, Canucks crasher Kiefer Sherwood, mustered 23.9 per 60.

It was a season-long goal of Pacioretty’s to make physicality a primary element of his night-to-night brand. It was how he would evolve and stay relevant at this late stage in his career. Pacioretty had been told by coaches earlier in his career to not play so physically. They believed it took away from his offence. Pacioretty recognized, though, that with his offence no longer at the level of his peak years, this was an area where he could contribute consistently.

The thing he pointed out in December that has stuck with me since is how difficult it is to crash and bang like that.

“It’s really, really tiring,” he said. “It takes a lot of energy and it’s tough on the body.”

It’s a reminder of what this all means to Pacioretty, who is still chasing his first Stanley Cup.

3. Leafs coach Craig Berube has been shrewd in his deployment of Pacioretty.

Berube played Pacioretty 13 minutes in Game 1 against the Panthers and 12 minutes in Game 2. In each of those games, he replaced Pacioretty in the third period with a speedier left winger for defensive purposes: Bobby McMann in the opener and Pontus Holmberg two nights later.

4. The matchup game gets more interesting now as the series shifts to Florida.

Which pockets of the Leaf lineup does Panthers coach Paul Maurice try to target now with home-ice advantage?

Florida’s third line of Brad Marchand, Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen has hammered the Leafs, driving home all four of their five-on-five goals in the series. The Leafs have had no answer for that group, winning just 20 percent of expected goals in their minutes in the two games.

Marchand, in particular, doesn’t look far off from vintage Marchand right now.

Berube deployed the Scott Laughton line against Marchand’s group in Game 1 and then gave Tavares’ crew a go in Game 2. Nothing worked. Goals are 4-1 for Florida in the Marchand-Lundell-Luostarinen minutes.

The Leafs haven’t figured out how to deal with the Panthers’ third line yet. (Nick Turchiaro / Imagn Images)

Does that line’s success and two-way ability alter Maurice’s plans in Games 3 and 4? Using the Lundell line opposite any group but the Auston Matthews-led top line stands to be a mismatch in Florida’s favour, but does he try to target any one line in particular?

Would it be crazy for the Panthers to move away from matching Aleksander Barkov against Matthews in the hopes of getting more offence — any offence — from that group, which also includes Barkov’s fellow Selke Trophy finalist and former 57-goal man Sam Reinhart?

Reinhart, Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe led the Panthers in five-on-five goals during the regular season. None of them have scored yet at five-on-five in this series. Neither have Matthew Tkachuk or Barkov.

That’s been a big win so far for the Leafs. They’ve held Florida’s top two lines off the board.

5. It hasn’t been a dominant series thus far for the line of Matthews, Mitch Marner, and Matthew Knies. They’re getting crushed in the possession game (29 percent), but shots (9-8) and high-danger chances (5-7) are close. And crucially, the Leafs have outscored the Panthers 3-0 in their minutes.

The line has produced important goals too: Knies’ dagger and eventual game-winner in Game 1 and Marner’s game-winner in Game 2.

Another crucial and often forgotten thing they do: lighten the matchups for Nylander and Tavares with the attention they draw. Nylander has been on the ice against Barkov for all of three minutes at five-on-five so far.

Does that matchup change at all in Florida with how dangerous Nylander has looked in these playoffs?

6. Joseph Woll made just enough saves to get the Leafs the win in Game 2.

One problem spot all night, though, and one that the Panthers figure to try to exploit in Game 3: his puck-handling.

Handoffs from Woll to his teammates were frequently interrupted by the Panthers, often leading to lengthy defending shifts for the Leafs. Was that rust? Or the plain old drop-off in his puck-handling compared to Anthony Stolarz?

7. Incredible but true: Five-on-five shot attempts through two games in this series are 123-66 for the Panthers. Actual five-on-five shots through two games: 39-45 for the Panthers.

Explanation: The Leafs are blocking a million — err, 49 — shots in those spots, led by, you guessed it, Chris Tanev.

8. Low-key, err, key for the Leafs in Games 3 and 4: improvement on special teams.

The power play is 1-8 so far, with the lone goal coming from Pacioretty on PP2. The penalty kill has been hit for two goals on just five chances (one of them a Barkov shot that Woll should have stopped).

That can’t continue. The Leafs need at least one unit to get the job done.

(Photo of Max Pacioretty: John E. Sokolowski / Imagn Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

Share on

email

Previous

trending_flat

Wizards’ 2025 Mock Draft: Evaluating all lottery and draft scenarios

Sports

Next

trending_flat

What the Jets can do differently in Game 2: ‘When we’re on, we’re like clockwork’

Sports