It was another quiet week for the Toronto Maple Leafs, with only two games on their schedule, both on the road against Atlantic Division rivals.
The storyline heading into Week 8 was whether Auston Matthews would return against Florida or Tampa Bay. He was deemed a no-go against the Panthers on Wednesday, but after a tough defeat to the reigning Stanley Cup champions, the three-time Rocket Richard winner returned to the lineup against the Lightning, helping his team bounce back with a 5-3 win to go 1-1-0 last week.
3rd Star: Chris Tanev
Week 8 stats: 2 GP – 1 G – 1 A – 2 PTS
Season stats: 23 GP – 1 G – 5 A – 6 PTS
For the first time this season, Chris Tanev earned a spot as one of the three stars of the week for his efforts against the Lightning over the weekend.
Tanev is not particularly well-known for his offence — he is among the best defensive defencemen in the league and is always at the top of the leaderboard in blocked shots. The 34-year-old entered Saturday game with four points in 22 games this year and quickly added two more with a primary assist on Matthew Knies’ first-period goal. During the second period, he ripped his first goal as a Maple Leaf off the post and in past Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Along with his first multi-point performance of the season, Tanev recorded a combined six blocked shots in the two games last week and was not on the ice for a single goal against at five-on-five with his partner Jake McCabe.
Tavares and Marner got to work winning that battle for the puck pic.twitter.com/JJgMKCex0Z
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) December 1, 2024
2nd Star: Joseph Woll
Week 8 stats: 1 GP – 1-0-0 – 3.05 GAA – .927 SV%
Season stats: 8 GP – 6-2-0 – 2.13 GAA – .923 SV% – 1 SO
With only two games on the schedule for the Maple Leafs, Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll each received one start in the state of Florida. Woll, who was between the pipes against Tampa Bay, had a fantastic performance, earning his fifth straight win as he stopped 38 of 41 shots.
Woll’s efforts on Saturday not only improved his record on the season to 6-2-0, but he has ascend through the leaderboards, as Woll and Stolarz currently rank inside the top five in both save percentage and goals against average.
Since entering the league, the 26-year-old netminder has found success against Lightning, with a 4-1-0 record, a 2.43 GAA and a .927 save percentage.
well-tracked blocker save pic.twitter.com/FUOmxWSwsm
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) December 1, 2024
1st Star: Mitch Marner
Week 8 stats: 2 GP – 1 G – 2 A – 3 PTS
Season stats: 23 GP – 9 G – 22 A – 31 PTS
Mitch Marner was on another level when Auston Matthews was out of the lineup nursing his injury. He recorded seven multi-point games during that stretch — 15 points — and was one of, if not, the Leafs’ best player, helping them go 7-2-0 in the absence of their captain.
Matthews returned Saturday and when the lineup came out, Marner and Matthews were on separate lines. Despite the split, Marner continued to do what he’s been doing this season: look dominant and put up points.
In two games last week against the Panthers and Lightning, Marner scored his ninth goal of the season as the lone goal in a 5-1 loss to Florida and followed that up with two assists in a 5-3 win over the Lightning, bringing him to a total of 31 points in 23 games this season.
the patience pic.twitter.com/KQ9fiEaBsf
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) November 28, 2024
Who were your three stars from week eight of the Maple Leafs’ season? Let us know below!
