Maple Leafs Powerplay is Unstoppable: The Key Changes Behind Their Dominance
The Toronto Maple Leafs' powerplay has had a stark turnaround from their abysmal start this season. What is the key behind their sudden dominance?
Through their first 12 games, Toronto only managed to score three powerplay goals and many started to wonder what exactly is going on with the lack of production with such a serious amount of firepower.
It led to speculation that perhaps Marc Savard's job was on the line and he wasn't as savvy as initially first thought. It was almost like Toronto heard the rumblings and wanted to protect their assistant coach.
After scoring one against the Wild, Toronto exploded for three goals on the man advantage against Boston, then proceeded to score two more against Detroit the following game.
It was a surreal turnaround that saw Toronto go from dead last in the NHL at 8.9% to now 16th as of Saturday's game with double the production at 18.4%, and showing a relentless attack while on the man advantage. So what's the secret?
It really shouldn't be a secret that the reason for Toronto's success lies in the simplicity of their game plan. For example, Morgan Rielly's powerplay goal against the Bruins:
Rielly's shot had Matthew Knies' 6'3 frame in front of it, ensuring goaltender Jeremy Swayman had zero chance of tracking the puck, leading to a gorgeous goal by the defenseman. They're also getting more shots on goal, which is something Toronto has been allergic to for the past few seasons.
Rielly's been a revelation as well recently, scoring 9 points in his last 8 games, and has five powerplay points already this season his addition back to the first unit has shown a wealth of success after a very rough start.
The combination of having big-bodied players standing firm in the crease and pelting the goaltender with shots on net is old-school hockey, but it works. It's great to find the open man, but often you can find an open net just by virtue of a blind goaltender.
Their engine doesn't stop either. They play a full 200-foot game even on the man advantage, and defense doesn't take a backseat. Keeping pressure on the opponents and making them commit errors will lead to more scoring chances, and it's a key factor in their drastic improvement in keeping possession in the offensive zone.
Toronto's powerplay has completed one of the most stunning turnarounds in recent years. The explosion of offense and confidence the powerplay has now is something to be excited about; and no: It's not because Auston Matthews is hurt.
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