From the moment new coach Craig Berube first sounded his whistle at training camp through an impressive and defensive 3-1-0 kick-off to the season, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ top and bottom forward lines have been firmly established.
It’s the middle six that has looked mushy and muddled.
Up for debate and up for grabs.
Lines 2 and 3 have frequently been in flux due to inconsistency, injury, illness, and the absence of a bona fide third-line centre in the system.
Well, Berube certainly seems to have stumbled upon a secondary scoring unit ready to attack after Auston Matthews’ top line comes to the bench for a breath.
The trio of Max Domi, Bobby McMann, and William Nylander — a combination borne of a John Tavares sick day — has been a match meets lighter fluid since being slapped together as Plan B for Saturday’s home opener.
And they were buzzing early Wednesday in Toronto’s 6-2 cruise over the splendidly sweatered Los Angeles Kings, sparking the Leafs’ third regulation win in as many games.
“We got a lot of speed, creating a lot of chances,” Nylander said, following a multi-point night for every member of his new line. “I think we’re playing great and love the chemistry that we have.”
McMann, who is averaging a goal per game since getting scratched on Opening Night, believes the formula for success is simple.
“We’re just skating. We’re just hard on pucks, pushing their D back, trying to get first touch a lot,” McMann said. “And obviously I’m playing with two really good guys that were able to make plays, and fortunately a couple found the back of the net.”
As a recipient of the richest contract in club history, Nylander’s positive impact on his linemates should go without saying. He’s an elite puck carrier, a one-man zone entry who can dish and dart and snipe.
So, it’s the performance of McMann and the adaptability of Domi that is more interesting.
McMann has swiftly earned a promotion out of the press box and up from the fourth line to a power forward role alongside two of Toronto’s better-scoring chance creators.
“He just looks hungry out there, and he’s making plays, making good on his opportunities,” Matthews observes. “He works extremely hard.”
It’s telling of McMann’s character that he was able to shrug off last week’s scratch and a public challenge from his new coach, dismissing what could be a blow to the ego as part of the business.
“Just trusting that it’s part of the process,” McMann reasoned. “There’s a lot of good players on this team, and maybe some guys fit better in certain scenarios than others. And just knowing that my opportunity would come.”
Well, it’s here. With veteran Max Pacioretty now the odd man out and Calle Järnkrok still on LTIR, this is a prime window for journeyman McMann to take hold of a spot.
“Didn’t know a thing about him before I came here,” confessed goalie Anthony Stolarz, after another solid outing. “But just watching these games, he’s a great two-way player. He’s extremely physical and moves really well. Has a good shot. He’s a key player for us in our depth. I was really happy for him to get those two goals tonight. He works his butt off.”
Berube’s take: “He’s a power forward. That’s how he should think the game, night in and night out…. He doesn’t have to complicate the game. Just go in straight lines and bang bodies and score goals around the net.”
Berube has seen some improved work out of Domi, too, since he shifted the forward to centre.
“It’s an important spot,” Berube said. “He moves a lot better in the middle, I would say. He’s moving his feet. He’s a very good playmaker. So, when he gets open ice and gets some speed going, he can really skate. He’s dangerous, can make plays. In saying that, he should shoot more.”
Berube says Domi, who has only put two on net this season, needs “constant reminders” to fire the puck. And yet, if he’s serving pucks to Nylander and McMann, who can convert at a decent clip, maybe it’s not the worst idea to have a disher on the line.
“It’s a habit, right? Habits take time to break,” Berube said. “I think in practice it’s important that he’s probably overshooting at times. So, just trying to get out of those habits.”
Domi maintains that he is “equally comfortable” at centre or wing. Now in his 10th season and on his seventh team, one senses the versatile forward finds the conversations around line juggling and position flipping a tad tiresome.
That’s fair.
But it’s equally fair to stress the need for Berube to find second and third lines that work well together.
Granted, none of Domi, Nylander and McMann would circle defence as their calling card — and leaving a shooter like Tavares without a certified playmaker raises another set of questions — but in their short time together, something has clicked.
They’re winning the shot share, outscoring the competition, and delivering bursts of fast, fun hockey.
“They had a good game overall, all three of them,” Berube said. “That’s important for us, putting the puck in the net too.”
