Leafs bounce back and beat the Panthers 6-2: Game Highlights

The Leafs bounced back from their worst loss of the year with a dominate win over one of the NHL’s hottest teams, the Florida Panthers. Auston Matthews struck twice, John Tavares assisted on three goals and Matt Murray broke his six game streak of letting in four goals per game. Below are the highlights from the game.
Toronto got started early with a powerplay goal from Matthews. He beat Sergei Bobrovsky with a perfect wrist shot from the top of the circle to put the Leafs in front…

TONE STRIKES FIRST 🚨 pic.twitter.com/XdiR3zW5ND
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) March 23, 2023

Calle Jarnkrok nearly added an insurance marker halfway through the first. Matthews hit him with speed entering the offensive zone but Bobrovsky denied him in tight…

good drive by Jarnkrok pic.twitter.com/8EbfXnWY5B
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) March 23, 2023

The Panthers barely tied it up with a goal from Matthew Tkachuk. Murray made a sprawling save with his back then somehow gloved the rebound. The review confirmed the puck completely crossed the goal line. 1-1…

Count the goal for Matthew Tkachuk! ✅ pic.twitter.com/dM0tYPJLPU
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 23, 2023

William Nylander put the Leafs back on top early in the second. Him and Tavares did work down low to get the puck to the net. Nylander cleaned it up to make it 2-1…

WILL NY! 😎 pic.twitter.com/m1LJLe3RKQ
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) March 24, 2023

A couple minutes later Matthews did it again with another beauty wrist shot. He circled the net, turned and fired. 3-1 Leafs

💥 DOUBLE DIP PAPI 💥 pic.twitter.com/FkF6WttgYF
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) March 24, 2023

Nick Cousins got the Panthers back in it. The Leafs made some sloppy plays in the defensive zone and he made them pay by scoring a slick backhand from the slot…

Cuz is cookin’ 🔥 pic.twitter.com/zDohH8HHFZ
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) March 24, 2023

Late in the second period Toronto finally got their first 5-on-3 …

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Author: Scott Ony / The Leafs Nation

Turning over Leafs: The March (post deadline) Leafs Player Power Rankings

I’m back for the second last trip through the roster of the season. Next up will be the playoff preview player power rankings. Can you feel the excitement? No. I get it. You’re sitting around reading a blog. Let’s keep things in perspective.
Anyways, here are last month’s rankings for a bit of perspective and with that out of the way, let’s dive into some power rankings that feature some new Leafs but a very familiar top three.
1. William Nylander (steady at #1)
Welcome back to the number one spot, Bill from ‘berta. It really says a lot that not only has Nylander been the best Leaf for much of this season, he’s consistently been one of the best. He’s also done it while doing a lot of the heavylifting, either centering lines, playing on lines centered by Pontus Holmberg or Sam Lafferty, and generally doing a bit of everything. Over the past month Nylander again has been the Leafs top scorer, but if we are going to find some criticism of him it’s that he’s so much more dominant at home than on the road. I wonder if we’ll see Nylander playing with Matthews at home in the playoffs and see Marner replace him on the road.
2. Mitch Marner (steady at #2)
This really …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

back I’m last second through trip

Stop overcomplicating Timo Meier, guessing who’s on the 2023-24 Leafs, and the Kings D: Leaflets

Welcome back to a Saturday Morning Leafs column that absolutely exists. If you’ve been waiting anxiously all week for a collection of hot takes that didn’t find their way into other TLN posts, good news. Here they are. Let’s get to it.
Timo Meier’s situation isn’t as complicated as people make it out to be
Out of one side of the mouth people are saying that Timo Meier is more like a rental because there is a limited number of teams that can afford his qualifying offer or fit him under their cap next season. And out of the other side of their mouths they are also saying that giving up a first or top prospect for a rental is too damned high. The reality is that there is really good news and Timo Meier is not a rental and paying a first or top prospect as part of the package to get him isn’t too high a price because of that. Paying a first for Vladimir Tarasenko is too high a price and the Rangers removed that option, so let’s look at a good option.
Here’s the thing. At least around these parts (meaning the TLN contributors) we all really like William Nylander. He’s added goal scori …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

back column Leafs’ morning Saturday Welcome

Rosie’s back + Recapping Toronto’s beatdown of the New York Islanders: Leafs Morning Take

Back on track.
John Tavares had one and one while Willy Nylander notched four points (two goals, two assists) as the Leafs kicked off their five game homestand with an impressive 5-2 victory over the New York Islanders.
The big story from the game was Sheldon Keefe reuniting the Tavares/Nylander and Matthews/Marner combos. Furthermore, it must be an amazing feeling for Sheldon Keefe to have two lethal duos in his back pocket at his disposal whenever the well runs dry. And that was not the first time his line juggling ignited the offence this season.
Speaking of reunions, after a weekend trip to Vegas, Jay Rosehill was back in the mix today for the Tuesday edition of Leafs Morning Take. After getting back up to speed – including a brief breakdown of Saturday night’s loss in Montreal – we recapped another impressive victory for the Maple Leafs.

“I can’t say enough about Nylander & Tavares this year, it just seems like they’re like brothers out there.”
– @Jay_D_Rosehill
Leafs Morning Take – Jan. 24 @TLNdc
Full Show: https://t.co/yuM6y85WbL@PointsBetCanada | @MontanasBBQ #LeafsForever 5 #Isles 2 pic.twitter.com/yrSvMBDKPQ
— Nick Alberga (@thegoldenmuzzy) January 24, 2023

Before a well-deserved nine-day break (All-Star + Bye Week), Toronto has four games left —all at home.
As per usual, we wrapped with the PointsBet Canada bet of the day. We’re looking for Vancouver to make some noise in their first game under Rick Tocchet.

.@thegoldenmuzzy & @Jay_D_Rosehill are feeling Vancouver tonight in Rick Tocchet’s debut behind the bench. 👀
💰💰💰@PointsBetCanada is live in Ontario!
Details -> https://t.co/uvEnShfFwr#ad #pointsbetcanada
Full Show📱: https://t.co/MQHdN6VNxQ pic.twitter.com/ZLL3CZ9ykP
— TheLeafsNation (@TLNdc) January 24, 2023

Join us at 11 AM ET on Wednesday as we preview Leafs and Rangers from Scotiabank Arena.
Don’t forget to subscribe, like, and leave us a review wherever you’re checking us out. …

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Author: Nick Alberga / The Leafs Nation

back Nylander Tavares track John While Willy

Should Raptors regret signing Otto Porter Jr. in free agency?

When the Toronto Raptors decided to bring back both Chris Boucher and Thad Young in free agency, Masai Ujiri needed to make sure that he used his remaining cap space on a proven veteran winner. He appeared to strike gold when he lured Otto Porter Jr. up to Canada. Porter, a former No. 3 overall […]
Should Raptors regret signing Otto Porter Jr. in free agency? – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

back bring decided Raptors Toronto when

Marner and goaltenders have driven the Leafs success: December Leafs Power Rankin’s

We’re back for yet another installment of the Leafs player power rankings. I have to say that I’m pleased that I’m not just writing Auston Matthews in at number one every month and I get to spice things up a little bit. That said, we can probably forget about a repeat of the Hart Trophy unless he finds yet another gear for himself. It’s not that he’s been bad, it’s that his supporting cast is sooo good.
Also of note is that most of this was written before Saturday night and it’s probably a good thing as recency bias could have impacted a few players both positively and negatively based on the game against the Flames.
Let’s kick things off with a new number one…
1. Mitch Marner (up from 6th)
For the second month in a row the top ranked player jumped from number six to number one. It’s interesting that when the Leafs have goaltending going their way it’s entirely possible for about 8 players or so to have a legitimate spot at number one.
Marner grabs this spot fairly easily, well… actually not that easily, it’s hard not to be impressed with what Matt Murray has done since he’s returned from injury and that’s why he’s at number two. Marner setting a franchise …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

another back installment Leafs’ player we’re

Looking back at Fred McGriff’s Hall of Fame career and the epic trade that he was a part of

After collecting just 169 votes back in 2019 (coming in at 39.8% and well below the 75% threshold), former Blue Jays first baseman Fred McGriff’s chances at making the National Baseball Hall of Fame would have to wait. After ten years on the ballot, McGriff’s opportunity to make it into Cooperstown would have to come via Era committee voting.
That chance came rather quickly, as the Florida product would be named to the Contemporary Era ballot this offseason and yesterday, he was the only member on the ballot elected into the Hall of Fame, receiving votes from every person on the 16-member panel for a unanimous decision.
Known as “Crime Dog”, McGriff was drafted by the New York Yankees back in 1981 and had a 19-year career that he spent with the Toronto Blue Jays, San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves, Tampa Bay Rays (x2), the Chicago Cubs, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Through 2460 games, McGriff earned a .284/.377/.509 slash line with a .886 OPS and a 52.6 bWAR. His 493 home runs have him tied at 29th in MLB history with Lou Gehrig, with his 1550 RBI placing him at 47th, flirting with current Hall of Fame members’ tallies. Defensively, McGriff spent most of his time at first base, amassing a .992 fielding percentage through 19402.0 innings.
Fred McGriff is elected to Cooperstown just a day before the anniversary of his trade from the Blue Jays to the San Diego Padres
By the time he retired, McGriff had won a World Series with the Atlanta Braves (1995) while also collecting three Silver Slugger Awards and five All-Star appearances.
POINTSBET IS LIVE IN ONTARIO

Traded to the B …

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Author: Tyson Shushkewich / Blue Jays Nation

2019 after back collecting just votes

Where Does Alek Manoah Stand Among Baseball’s Elite?

Back in July, I wrote about the similarities between Alek Manoah and Sandy Alcantara and how Manoah can use that blueprint to improve in the future. Now, nearly four full months later, Manoah’s first full season in MLB has come to a close. How did Manoah do in the last few months of the year, and where does he stand moving forward? Strap in. It’s time for a deep dive.

We’re not going to start with baseball. They say talk is cheap, but Alek sure gets his money’s worth. During his appearance on former Raptor Serge Ibaka’s show, “How Hungry Are You?”, Manoah called AL East rival Gerrit Cole the “worst cheater in baseball”, then went on to briefly discuss illegal substances, which he says Cole uses. His comments definitely didn’t go unnoticed by Yankees fans, who brought out their Twitter fingers to let Manoah know what they thought about him as a pitcher.

Alek Manoah’s ERA being over 3.5 next season is going to feed families man https://t.co/NRy46cqMQJ
— Ryan Garcia (In the Lab) (@RyanGarciaESM) November 21, 2022

It’s the offseason though, so Manoah had time for some Twitter fingers of his own, firing back with some emojis…

— MANOAH (@Alek_Manoah6) November 22, 2022

Talk may be cheap. But despite what Yankee fans may think, Alek Manoah’s next contract won’t be. Let’s get into the pitching, and take a look at Alek Manoah’s season by month.

With an ERA of 2.24 before I wrote my previous piece, and a 2.25 mark afterwards, Manoah was nearly exactly as good before and after. He certainly wasn’t on Sandy Alcantara’s Cy Young level, but he played incredibly well. His Fielding Independent Pitching, which takes defence out of the equation, hung higher than his ERA, but e …

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Author: Tate Kispech / Blue Jays Nation

about back between July similarities wrote

Stock up, Stock down as Raptors finally return to full health

Pascal Siakam is officially back with the Toronto Raptors, which could give this team the energy and drive they need to prove they can be a viable long-term contender. Toronto managed to go 5-5 without their unquestioned best player, a showing most teams in the league would be unable to mirror. The Raptors came into […]
Stock up, Stock down as Raptors finally return to full health – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

back officially Pascal Siakam Toronto with

Karlsson as an option, trades before firings, and who is on the block: Rumours

Nothing is better for getting people back to talking rumours than completely tanking what should have been a positive road trip experience. Normally the west coast equals a few easy wins, some fun Instagram pictures, and Leafs fans complaining about late start times. This time we were just treated to the start time complaints.
In the spirit of finding the answer to the Leafs’ problems through trades, let’s dive into what is out there:
Erik Karlsson is available
Last week TSN ran an Insider Trading segment basically saying that anyone not named Tomas Hertl was fair game on the Sharks. A friend of the site, @KeithWhipp, is strongly lobbying for Timo Meier as the player the Leafs should be focusing on with the Sharks. I tend to agree with him on this. As for what has been put in digital print by Toronto Media, they are a bit more focused on the blueline and Erik Karlsson’s name is the one that came up from Kevin McGran:
The Sharks, I’m told, are already in selling mode, which brings us to Erik Karlsson. He looks like his old self and looks as if he’s auditioning for a trade. He’s a right-handed puck-moving defenceman who may be trending back to elite status. He’s only 32 with five years remaining on a cap hit of $11.5 million (U.S.). Say that in an ironic way and make a joke about how that cap hit would fit right in with the Leafs. That said, if the Sharks could retain half … and take someone ba …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

back better getting nothing people talking