Good to see Marner look like magic again. I know it was an empty net point and a lucky bounce for Zaitsev, but Marner made so many plays that I feel like a three point night was deserved in the end.
The Matthews line was rather quiet, but that's our strength. If one line is quiet, there's three more who can deal damage. Or should be, but unfortunately our third line is... well, you know.
It's not even that Marleau and Brown individually are that bad offensively, but there's just a compounding effect that kills offense. And the reason they are there is because Babcock doesn't trust Willy, no matter what. He won every single puck battle in the first period, had three slot pass interceptions, stayed tight to his man at all times throughout the game, and got the puck out of our zone every time but one when he got hold of it. He doesn't need two babysitters. He was probably our strongest player in the defensive zone tonight, and that's generally been his area of weakness before.
At some point it's time to utilize him properly. He's looked terrific for a month now, but is used like a complementary player. Coming into this season, he was a top 10 PP player. We barely use that. He's been a top line producer at even strength, but keeps getting saddled with guys who can't help create offense.
Marleau-Kadri-Kapanen has been an excellent line. Kadri brings out the best in Marleau, and Kapanen has that ability to create offense on his own through his ridiculous speed. Willy creates offense by control, by combining with linemates. He's better used with other high-skilled players.
This is sort of random but I really hate how the Leafs put Zaitsev on the PP for one year which resulted in a higher perceived value in contract negotiations. So unnecessary.
Yeah. He was the third best option at that point too. If they hadn't held Rielly back like that, Zaitsev would be a $2M player today.