Maple Leafs report cards: John Tavares' hat trick helps the Leafs end Jets' streak

By / / Sports / 6 minutes of reading


Tonight was a warm return to the style of hockey the Toronto Maple Leafs need to play at five-on-five in a 6-4 victory against the Winnipeg Jets.

The first period was the response the Leafs needed. They were quick, physical and heavy right off the bat, outshooting the Jets 18-7 and winning their minutes in abundance at five-on-five, including a different but better-looking set of power play units. The new second line showed off results quickly with William Nylander and John Tavares putting the Leafs up 2-0 before the period was out.

Winnipeg used their power play to get back in the game with Kyle Connor scoring on two of their three second-period opportunities. Tavares answered back with another goal, making it 5-2 heading into the third.

Discipline became the focus once again as Mark Scheifele made it 5-3 on the delayed hooking call to Nylander in the third. Simon Benoît’s tripping call put the Leafs shorthanded for the fifth time, but a good clear with a lack of O-zone time for Winnipeg took care of it. Connor completed his hat trick with a little under four minutes to go and as hard as the Jets tried, they couldn’t get a fifth goal to tie it before Tavares got the empty-netter for his third of the night.

The shots and chances were one thing, but the traffic in front of and around Hellebuyck was something else. The Leafs were the better team at five-on-five and stifled a lot of the Jets’ offence. If not for another parade to the penalty box, the Jets may not have gotten much for themselves offensively.

Even though special teams made it closer than we’d all like, this was a A- game for the Leafs.

John Tavares: A+

That makes hat trick number 13 for Tavares. His first was likely one of the easiest goals Tavares has scored, but he still knows where to go to capitalize. He now has points in five straight games.

His second of the night was of a similar flavour, winning the battle against both Dylan Samberg and Neal Pionk to get his stick on the puck while Hellebuyck was down.

Max Pacioretty: A+

The star of the first period with assists on both goals. He was physical and his work along the boards extended O-zone time for the team, especially in his new spot on the top unit. Pacioretty didn’t shy away from contact one bit and that put him in the position to one-touch the puck to Tavares, and cutting off Logan Stanley’s pass shows he still has the skill and smarts to play in the top six.

Pacioretty kept it going in the second as his line continued to generate offensive pressure.

Chris Tanev: A

There was a rare and blatant giveaway from Tanev to Mason Appleton. Luckily nothing came out of it. Cleared the loose puck that got through Stolarz on the penalty kill.

Jake McCabe: A

I’m glad McCabe eventually got an assist on it because the first Tavares goal doesn’t happen without him long before the shot on goal. The Jets tried to clear the puck twice and McCabe stopped it both times at the point.

Matthew Knies: A

His goal started with him and sums up the player Knies is. He’s first on the forecheck, wins the battle against Samberg, pokes the puck off Rasmus Kupari and gets it to Marner for the initial shot. When it was all said and done, Knies had an empty net to shoot on.

Auston Matthews: A

Very strong game offensively matching up against the Scheifele line, which didn’t have much going for them at five-on-five. Despite the focus on containing the stars, Matthews still got his looks and the whole line finished the game with an expected goals for of 91.4 percent.

Mitch Marner: A

The most dangerous amongst forwards who didn’t score given the location of his shots. He was creating more chances from his shots than passes, including the flurry in front of Hellebuyck hacking at the pass from Matthews.

William Nylander: A-

The new power play looked a bit iffy to start with turnovers on zone entries, but it evened out well. His shot was quick and perfectly placed and he was letting them fly in the second period along with two assists.

He got caught in no-man’s-land in the third with the Jets scoring on the delayed penalty call he caused.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson: B+

The dump and chase was working wonders against the Jets because of Ekman-Larsson’s stretch passes. His ricochet shot off the boards earned him the primary on Tavares’ second of the night.

Morgan Rielly: B+

Rielly used the time and space he got from the second line on a laser beam that beat Hellebuyck. He did, however, take the team’s third straight penalty of the period which the Jets used to cut the lead in half.

Anthony Stolarz: B

Stolarz had a quiet first but needed to turn things up in the second. He had a bit of a one-on-one battle with Connor, getting beat twice but also making a solid stop.

Four goals allowed is nothing to ignore. However, I don’t think Stolarz could do much against the last three even though he was down early on the first.

Bobby McMann: B

Much more engaged and had a pair of steals he tried to find his linemates on, and a chance himself that went off Hellebuyck’s mask in the second.

Max Domi: B

Domi finished the game with two shots and another impressive performance in the faceoff dot, making tonight his third straight game at least 60 percent.

Steven Lorentz: C+

Nice job sacrificing the body to win pucks back to the point.

Connor Timmins: C+

Timmins was playing like a defenceman who doesn’t want to be healthy scratched again. He was very noticeable and quick with the puck, especially with his decisions to throw it on net.

Pontus Holmberg: C

Good positioning defensively. A pass to Morgan Barron in the slot was stopped as he circled back and stayed low in his own end to stop it from becoming a scoring chance in a dangerous area. Has to stay out of the box when his roster spot isn’t a lock though.

David Kämpf: C

The fourth line didn’t get much ice time, including Kämpf who finished the game at 7:49.

Ryan Reaves: C

Tanev had to bail Reaves out after giving the puck away to an advancing Nikolaj Ehlers. Reaves played the fewest minutes and finished the night with five hits.

Simon Benoît: C

There was too much chasing on the second Connor goal, from the entry to the block-turned-screen on Stolarz.

Game Score

Screenshot 2024 10 28 215447

What’s next for the Leafs?

The choice is yours: trick-or-treat or watch the Leafs as they’re back at home to take on the Seattle Kraken on Thursday at 7 p.m. on TSN4.

(Photo: Jonathan Kozub / NHLI via Getty Images)





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About The Author

Avatar of Traci Russell
Traci Russell is a writer from News Trolley. She writes about arts, construction, automotive, travel, and fashion. She has a deep love for anything related to art, so it's no surprise that she loves writing about the world of photography and its impact on contemporary culture. When she's not writing, she can be found at her local coffee shop reading up on the latest news in construction or remodeling.

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