We’re already 11% through the Toronto Maple Leafs’ season after their four-game schedule last week, which brought some ups and downs. Following a 1-1-0 record in week two, picking up a win against the Kings and dropping a hard-fought game to the Rangers, the Maple Leafs didn’t find much success last week, going 1-3-0 and picking up their lone victory at the beginning of the week at home against the Lightning.
3rd Star: Anthony Stolarz
Week 3 stats: 2 GP – 1-1-0 – 2.97 GAA – .912 SV%
Season stats: 6 GP – 3-2-1 – 2.18 GAA – .927 SV%
For the third consecutive week, Anthony Stolarz has found his way among the week’s three stars and deservedly so. Despite his worst game of the season coming in Saturday night’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Bruins (.882 SV%), Stolarz has been among the reasons the team has recorded four wins thus far.
He opened up the week with an impressive 32-save performance (.941 SV%), which helped lead his team to a 5-2 statement win over their division rivals from down south.
Stolarz has given everything and more to this team through his first six starts. According to moneypuck.com, he’s tied for fourth in the league among goalies with Detroit’s Alex Lyon with a GSAx (goals saved above expected) of 5.0. Among the many saves he has made so far in this young season, he might have one that contends with the save of the year after pulling off this spectacular robbery, swiping the puck off the goal line, and robbing Jake Guentzel of a sure goal.
Stolarz pulls it from the goal line!
What a night for him! pic.twitter.com/2tZqFVNTpO
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) October 22, 2024
2nd Star: Matthew Knies
Week 3 stats: 4 GP – 3 G – 0 A – 3 PTS
Season stats: 9 GP – 4 G – 1 A – 5 PTS
It was a rough week for Toronto’s top line of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and Matthew Knies, especially against the Blue Jackets and Blues after the trio combined to be a – 18 in both games, but they’ve shown glimpses of things that other players can’t do.
Knies opened the week with goals in back-to-back games against the Lightning and Blue Jackets followed by an overall frustrating game against Craig Berube’s old club, the Blues, registering just a single shot in 14:22 of ice time.
However, the 22-year-old rebounded with his third goal in four games with his fourth tally of the season to give Toronto a 1-0 lead over Boston early in the second frame. His efforts that night earned him 19:03 of ice time, his second-highest total this season, and he now ranks fourth on the team in scoring, tied with Oliver Ekman-Larsson with five points.
MATTHEW KNIES 🚨
Matthews takes it to the net and Knies buries it pic.twitter.com/zLPldhyHy8
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) October 27, 2024
1st Star: Mitch Marner
Week 3 stats: 4 GP – 0 G – 5 A – 5 PTS
Season stats: 9 GP – 1 G – 9 A – 10 PTS
It hasn’t been a perfect start to the season for Mitch Marner, who is currently playing out the final year of a six-year, $65.41 million contract. But the 27-year-old leads the Maple Leafs in points with ten through nine games (one goal and nine assists) and has yet to consistently look like the Mitch Marner we’re all familiar with.
The trio of Auston Matthews, Marner, and Knies hasn’t been at their top level yet. They’ve shown flashes of brilliance on the ice in some games thus far but have recently run into some tough matches, including two last week against the Blue Jackets and Blues when it seemed like they were fishing the puck out of their net more often than not.
But putting those two games aside, Marner put together a productive week point-wise with five assists – two against the Lightning and three against the Bruins, including this stellar primary assist to Morgan Rielly Saturday night, who scored his second of the season to give his team the 2-1 lead at the time.
Marner made use of that extra ice and found Rielly perfectly pic.twitter.com/WbfE3IwAGY
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) October 27, 2024
His third assist of the night was also a primary one after he fed Matthews a dart of a pass to the front for the game-tying redirection past Jeremy Swayman.
Marner and his line will look to help steer the ship after a disappointing week (1-3-0) with another four-game schedule this week, beginning Monday in Winnipeg against the 8-0-0 Jets.
Who were your three stars from week three of the NHL season? Let us know below!
(Stats from hockey-reference.com)
