Leafs undefeated when Matthews, Nylander don't record a point
Two games is obviously a trend.
Nineteen- and 20-year-old Auston Matthews and William Nylander are leading the Maple Leafs in scoring, with 10 and nine points respectively. They've only been held off the scoresheet twice - the only games Toronto's won through seven.
The dynamic pair were held pointless Thursday against the Florida Panthers in a 3-2 win, but Mitch Marner, also a rookie, picked up the slack. Another 19-year-old, Marner had the first multi-point game of his career, recording three assists.
Marner has points in both Maple Leafs wins, a goal along with the three helpers he picked up Thursday. He's the engine.
Matthews had four shots against Florida, while Nylander had two. When they're on the ice, they're making things happen. Along with Marner.
| Player | Corsi For (5-on-5) |
|---|---|
| Marner | 51.05% |
| Matthews | 55.45% |
| Nylander | 56.78% |
(Statistics courtesy: Corsica Hockey)
Matthews, Nylander, and Marner are one-two-three in team scoring, while yet another rookie is tied for fourth.
| Player | Points |
|---|---|
| Matthews | 10 |
| Nylander | 9 |
| Marner | 6 |
| Nikita Zaitsev | 5 |
Defenseman Nikita Zaitsev has quickly earned the trust of Mike Babcock. He's playing 22:25 a night, second-most on the club, trailing only Morgan Rielly, and two minutes more per game than Jake Gardiner.
Zaitsev is tied with Zach Werenski and Ivan Provorov for the most points by a rookie d-man in the league.
The kids are leading the way, and Toronto's got points in five of seven games. The rebuild's going great, thanks for asking.