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TSN Toronto Maple Leafs Reporter

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The Maple Leafs blew by the Western Conference-leading Calgary Flames on Monday night, powered to a 6-2 win by Tyler Ennis’ first career hat trick and a fantastic 35-save performance in net by Frederik Andersen. Mitch Marner added three points and Trevor Moore, Jake Muzzin and Zach Hyman each contributed two in Toronto’s second straight win, and first on the road since Feb. 14. The Leafs move to 41-21-4 on the season. 

TAKEAWAYS

Best on best

If there’s a definition of a “measuring stick” game for the Maple Leafs, taking on the Western Conference-leading Calgary Flames would certainly qualify. And Toronto subsequently delivered in one of its most complete showings in recent weeks.  

Not only did the Leafs show they can stack up against one of the most veteran, talented teams in the league, they also turned the tide on some recent road struggles (0-2-1 in their last three away games, while being outscored 11-3). 

Both the Flames and Leafs play a similar quick transition game, and there was a lot of chip and chase dotting the early goings of Monday’s outing. Calgary had the edge in possession at 62 per cent through 20 minutes, but the goaltending of Frederik Andersen, a balanced attack and capitalizing on their chances made all the difference for the Leafs.

Tyler Ennis got the ball rolling with his first of three goals on Toronto’s first power play chance. He doubled-down later in the frame with a deflected goal past David Rittich to make it 2-0 Leafs. 

It only took one minute, thirty-six seconds after Ennis’ second score for Zach Hyman to tally his first of two goals, burying a rebound off Mitch Marner's breakaway try to put Toronto up 3-0 after the first.  

Those two would connect again early in the second, when Marner deked T.J. Brodie and found Hyman in front of the net for the tap-in, giving the Leafs a 4-0 lead on 15 shots. 

That was Hyman’s 16th goal of the season, establishing a new career-high. Morgan Rielly also got the 47th helper of his season on that goal, a new career-high. 

Toronto didn’t slow down despite the cushion, staying relatively efficient getting the puck out of their own end and keeping their intensity high. 

It wasn’t until Martin Marincin went to the box for holding late in the second that Matthew Tkachuk finally solved Andersen and cut the Leafs advantage to 4-1.

Calgary had a league-leading 94 goals in the third period entering Monday night, but the Leafs continued holding them off for much of that frame by keeping the pressure ramped up in Rittich’s end. 

Good traffic by the Flames eventually helped Derek Ryan to break through, sending a puck past Andersen off his skate, but Marner responded in short order with his third point of the game and added insurance for Toronto's 6-2 win.

Through the entire 60 minutes, the Leafs didn’t go through too many lulls being hemmed in their own zone, and appeared to treat the matchup against Calgary with a playoff-like relentlessness fitting of the occasion. 

Ennis the menace

Mike Babcock didn’t want to sit Ennis out of Saturday’s game against Buffalo, but newcomer Nic Petan had to get involved at some point, so the Leafs coach begrudgingly made Ennis a healthy scratch despite saying he didn’t deserve to be.

Right on cue, Ennis came back from his one-game absence with a vengeance, tallying his first-ever hat trick in the 532nd game of his career. 

After testing Rittich early with a great backhand chance from the slot, Ennis found mesh the first time with a great move past the netminder on Toronto's opening power play.  That was Ennis’ 10th goal of the season, and third goal in his last five games. 

Later in the period, Ennis took a shot on Rittich from the circle that hopped off a skate and over Rittich’s glove into the net to make it 2-0 Leafs.

His third marker is one Rittich couldn’t help shaking his head at, a long-range shortside strike that cut through the goalie’s arm. Ennis’ 12 goals on the year now are his most in a season since 2014-15 when he played for the Sabres.

The hat trick was a seminal moment for the Edmonton native, not only in the feat accomplished in his home province (mom and dad were there too), but in how he proved Babcock right that he shouldn’t have been the odd man out. It’s not just that Ennis can put pucks in the net, but his chemistry with Gauthier and Moore is undeniable and all three players look at their best together. Petan had only a short audition with that group, but if all players stay healthy, it will be tough for Babcock to give Ennis many more games off. 

Ennis finished with six shots on goal in 11:48 of ice time. 

Andersen on alert

Andersen has enjoyed success against the Flames throughout his career, posting a 7-1-1 record against them going into Monday’s game. He continued his dominance over Calgary in the latest outing with an efficient performance between the pipes. 

The Flames registered good zone time in the first period and could easily have matched the Leafs goal-for-goal in that frame, but Andersen had all the answers to Calgary’s attack. 

Austin Czarnik was especially active in the first, being thwarted by Andersen’s great left pad save on a tap-in try, and then later on a breakaway that Toronto’s netminder read all the way through. That drew the first of many “Fred-die” chants from the pro-Leafs crowd in Calgary. 

Andersen had good patience waiting out some of the Flames’ other good chances, including a shifty shot by Mark Jankoswki that failed to fool the goalie. 

Toronto’s goaltending continued to be its strongest asset throughout the game, even after Tkachuk’s shot slid under Andersen and he failed to corral it before the puck was over the goal line. 

Tkachuk’s goal was the first blemish on Andersen’s night, and he thought he had the puck under him when it trickled over the goal line. 

Late in the third period, Ryan got positioning in tight on Andersen and deflected a puck off his skate and in to double Calgary’s goal total. Andersen kept the door shut from there on. 

It never felt like the result was in doubt for Toronto with Andersen playing as aggressive and intelligently as he was, a playoff-calibre performance against one of the best teams in the NHL. He ended the night with 35 saves and a .946 save percentage. It was Andersen's 103rd victory as a Leaf, too, tying Harry Lumley for sixth place on the franchise' all-time goalie wins list. 

First-line flow

For much of this season, it’s been the chemistry between linemates Marner and John Tavares that has produced some memorable goals for the Leafs. More recently, Marner has been finding Hyman, who’s become even more adept at fighting for positioning around the net and slipping pucks through.

In his last 14 games, Hyman has registered seven goals, four of which Marner has tallied the primary assist on. They would have had one more such goal, but the equalizing score Hyman tallied against the Islanders last Thursday was called back on a toe-nail offside challenge. 

After a dip in production for Marner through some of February, he has emerged once again as the driver of Toronto’s best line. In the Leafs' last six games, Marner has come up with three goals and nine assists, and is currently riding a four-game point streak. 

When he tallied his second assist of the game, Marner reached 80 points on the season, becoming the first Leaf to hit that mark since Phil Kessel did it in 2013. Marner, though, accomplished the feat in 66 games while Kessel took 82, and became just the eighth player in franchise history to need 66 or fewer games to get to the 80-point threshold. 

Tavares has been no slouch on the scoresheet, either, adding four goals and four assists in his last seven games. While Tavares’ unit has seen the least amount of turnover throughout the season, staying mostly intact when all three players were healthy, all signs point to them finding another level at which to play as Toronto grinds through the final stretch of the regular season. 

Blue and White Trending

Tracking Leafs’ trends all season long

Toronto is 9-2-0 this season against Canadian teams.

Next game

The Leafs continue their three-game road swing in Vancouver on Wednesday.