Here are seven takeaways from the Maple Leafs’ victory over the Avalanche:

• Joseph Woll was excellent throughout the contest, in his second consecutive start for the Maple Leafs. Woll made 38 saves, and was flashing his glove with confidence throughout the night. He made a good stop on Valeri Nichushkin early, and kept the Maple Leafs in the game through the first period. Woll continued to heat up, and made two outstanding saves on MacKinnon at the net-front to close the second period. He was constantly getting hit by Avalanche forwards and played through contact without incident. In the final frame, Woll made several awesome glove saves on Sam Malinski, Brock Nelson and Nichushkin again. “He was excellent,” Berube said of Woll post-game. “Made some real good saves, held us in there in the first period, I think we were on our toes in the first period. It looked like we were a little tentative, not aggressive enough. He’s played excellent, the last few games he’s been really good.”
• Auston Matthews was terrific again and scored for the third consecutive game. Matthews fought through contact, which may be the differentiation point from earlier efforts this season, and he may be shaking off a lingering upper-body injury that has seemingly persisted throughout the season. Matthews finished with three shots at 5-on-5, eight shots in all situations, two shot blocks and won 14-of-26 faceoffs. Matthews worked a strong two-man game with Matthew Knies, and if it weren’t for some poor finishing luck from Knies, he could’ve been in for a three-point night. Matthews hit the cross-bar in the second period while dragging Brock Nelson to the net with him, and fired a dangerous shot that Mackenzie Blackwood got his blocker on at the last possible moment. The combination of speed, playmaking, winning puck battles and elite playmaking is enough to suggest that Matthews may have turned the corner. At least for one night, with MacKinnon as his counterpart, Toronto’s resident superstar was the best skater on the ice.
• Steven Lorentz and the fourth line were having a tough night, so it’s only fitting that he scored the game-winner on one of the strangest sequences of the season. It may beget further confidence for Lorentz, who was all smiles after the game, speaking about how surreal it is to be contributing to his boyhood club. Perhaps it will be the catalyst for some better performances from the fourth line, who struggled throughout the game, even when Calle Jarnkrok was bumped up to the second line.
• William Nylander, the Creator. Nylander was held off the scoresheet in the 2-1 win, but he was constantly creating chances throughout the night, and was the engine on a line with John Tavares and Pontus Holmberg, with some Jarnkrok shifts sprinkled in. Nylander used his speed and playmaking to his advantage, while turning defensive wins into scoring chances. It wasn’t perfect, though. Nylander was stripped three times on the rush, when waiting for teammates to get into shooting lanes, or trying to dangle through several Avalanche defenders. The confidence and the creation was fully evident, and it has to be lauded, on a night where the scoresheet may belie the Leafs’ true offensive impact.
• Matthews may have been the best skater on the ice, but MacKinnon is a walking scoring chance and presented a sense of perpetual danger. MacKinnon’s first step is unmatched and he one-tapped a pass to Nichushkin that was both subtle and surreal. Toronto constantly had to keep track of where MacKinnon was at all times and Chris Tanev jumped a passing lane, where the reigning Hart Trophy would’ve otherwise tied the game, late in the third period. Woll robbed MacKinnon a few times as well, but if this was a down game for the Avalanche star, the rest of the league is in deep trouble entering the playoffs.
• Although the Maple Leafs were outshot throughout the game, there were several defencemen to highlight. Tanev and Jake McCabe won minutes against MacKinnon, but Morgan Rielly was a standout as well. Rielly and McCabe were active off the rush, and the former is playing with confidence, with Brandon Carlo’s stay-at-home style allowing him to play his game. The rush defence overall was tremendous, against an Avalanche team that dominates opponents with superior pace and speed. If the rush defence reverts backt to chaotic form, this is the tape Berube will want to show Rielly for the remainder of the year.
• We don’t want to close this notebook out on a negative note, but Scott Laughton continued his brutal six-game stint with the Maple Leafs. Laughton has been demoted to the fourth line, and didn’t make a single positive play in the winning effort. Toronto’s fourth line was out-chanced 10-0 before Berube shuffled the bottom of his roster. You still make the Laughton trade, considering where the Maple Leafs are in their contention window, and he’ll have time to make an impact, but so far, Laughton and Carlo have provided diametrically opposite results through March. “I think he’s trying to probably play the game without making mistakes and he’s overthinking things. Be aggressive, do your thing, and that will come around, I do believe that. He wants to do well and he just has to loosen up,” Berube said of Laughton post-game.

Sponsored by bet365