Toronto Maple Leafs’ Power Play and Special Teams Show Improvement

In the first quarter of the NHL season, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ power play struggled significantly, even spending days at the bottom of the league rankings. In their first 12 games, they managed only three power-play goals. However, recent games suggest a turnaround, with the power play showing signs of progress. Over the past four games, the Leafs’ power play has been trending upwards, generating consistent pressure even in games where they didn’t score. In their last two contests, the Leafs have netted four power-play goals, a positive shift in their special teams play.

Power Play Heating Up

Head coach Craig Berube has been clear about what the Leafs needed to do to improve their power play—simplify their approach, shoot more, and cut down on unnecessary stickhandling. In their 4-0 victory over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, the team followed Berube’s instructions to perfection. With speculation surrounding power-play coach Marc Savard’s job security, this performance will certainly be a relief, as the Leafs’ power play was productive, scoring three of their four goals with the extra man.

In that game, the Leafs nearly doubled their season total for power-play goals, moving from four to seven. The Bruins provided plenty of opportunities, committing seven penalties, and the Leafs capitalized. Two of the goals came from point shots: Morgan Rielly beat Boston’s Jeremy Swayman clean on the first goal, thanks to a screen from Matthew Knies, while Knies scored the third goal off a deflection of Rielly’s shot. Toronto’s second power-play goal might have been the simplest—William Nylander’s pass attempt through the crease deflected off Brandon Carlo’s shin pad and into the net.

Notably, the Leafs accomplished all this without Auston Matthews, who was sidelined due to an upper-body injury and may miss the rest of the week.

All Special Teams Contributing

While the power play was the highlight against the Bruins, Toronto’s penalty kill was equally impressive, helping secure a shutout win. Despite being shorthanded six times in the game, the Leafs’ penalty killers were perfect, combining solid goaltending with strong execution. Toronto has quietly become one of the NHL’s top penalty-killing teams, ranking sixth in the league in penalty-kill percentage as of Tuesday night.

The success of the penalty kill is especially crucial given how often Toronto finds itself shorthanded. The Leafs are the third-most penalized team in the league, averaging just over four penalties per game, behind only the San Jose Sharks and Bruins. This frequent exposure to penalty-kill situations might actually be benefiting the Leafs, as they get more practice. Associate coach Lane Lambert has certainly made an impact in his first season with Toronto, contributing to the team’s strong special teams play.