Complete game.
It was what the Toronto Maple Leafs needed entering Thursday night's matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins — and it was exactly what head coach Sheldon Keefe got.
"I just want to see a response in our effort, our enthusiasm, our competitiveness," he told reporters before puck drop. "You know all those things that we know are really important and we’ve talked about a number of times as a team, about it being the foundation."
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So what happened? Across all lines and pairings and between the pipes, from start to finish, the Leafs dominated as they defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-0.
"I don’t think 'frustrating' is the right word," Toronto center Alex Kerfoot said when asked why his team can't be more consistent after the win. "I think maybe it's disappointing, the effort we’ve had at times this year, but whether you're a team who wins games or can't win games, every team in this league can win games. . . . We've just got to find that energy, that bite, that jam that we had tonight and be able to bring that on a consistent basis."
Here's a look at three things that worked for the Leafs in their win
Muzzin: Put up or shut up
After watching the Leafs suffer back-to-back 5-2 losses — to the Sabres on Sunday and then the Penguins on Tuesday — defenseman Jake Muzzin called out his teammates.
“Everyone's got to take a look in the mirror and we have to be better, because that’s unacceptable," he told reporters. "We have to find the urgency, the passion, the love of the game, the love to compete for each other. All of that needs to come. I don’t know why it’s not there. Sometimes when we struggle we want the easy game, and it’s not going to be easy against good teams."
That's all fine to say, but Muzzin is a leader, and leading by example is always critical — and he did just that Thursday. He not only netted the opening goal, he also led the team with four blocked shots and collected assists on the team's third and fourth goals.
"I think the guys played really good, Muzz especially I thought was unbelievable today," said goaltender Frederik Andersen after the game. "Obviously, a great goal and amazing breakout pass for (Kasperi Kapanen's) goal, I think it was. Overall, a really good effort by the guys."
Jake Muzzin gets the leafs on the board! 1-0 🚨 pic.twitter.com/guDmiDxfeh
— Ah yes, the Leafs. (@LeafsAllDayy) February 21, 2020
According to Natural Stat Trick, Muzzin and defensive partner Justin Holl led the team in Expected Goals For — 1.51 for Holl, 1.43 for Muzzin — Scoring Chances For (14 for Holl, 13 for Muzzin) and high-danger chances (nine each) at 5v5. They also led the team in ice time, with Muzzin clocking in 23:02 and Holl at 21:04.
"Just complete. He battled, he was competitive, he shot one into the net, found a way to get a couple of assists," Keefe said after the game of Muzzin's performance. "Just all over the game. He was a real leader for us back there."
Driving to the net
The Maple Leafs dominated the net game. They went to the front and produced 16 high-danger chances compared to four for the Pens at 5v5 and a 53.7 CF%.
Just for comparison, this was the heat map from Sunday's loss in Buffalo, via Natural Stat Trick, where the Sabres had 20 HDCF to the Leafs' 13. The Leafs were also crushed by the Sabres' 60.2 CF%.
It definitely helped that Andersen had a strong game in posting his second shutout of the season. He returned from a neck injury on Feb. 13 and had allowed 13 goals on 79 shots (an .835 save percentage) in his first three starts back.
"He was excellent, he was perfect, he keeps it out of the net," Keefe said of his All-Star netminder's 24-save performance. "He battled, he looked solid there. It was just a really good sign for our team. He made saves on the pucks that they were throwing around the net, but there was also a lot of loose ones hanging out there. Our guys collapsed real hard on the loose pucks to maybe not necessarily get it out like we would have liked, but at least kept away from our net and allowed us to settle the game."
Kapanen proves he's here to stay
There have been plenty of rumors regarding Kapanen's departure from Toronto — after all, he's No. 24 on TSN's Trade Bait Tracker — and there are always questions about the Leafs needing secondary scoring.
Thursday night, Kapanen showed he wants to stick around for the long haul. He not only potted his 12th goal of the season, he also dropped the gloves with Jared McCann after he wasn't happy with a Patric Hornqvist hit on Rasmus Sandin (Hornqvist wouldn't go).
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"It shows emotion. That's what we were looking for," said Kerfoot. "We wanted kind of a little more bite to our group. He’s a fiery guy at times and he had a great game tonight. I thought he was all over the forecheck, he was physical all night. When you see a guy like him drop the gloves, everyone on the bench gets a boost from that."
Kasperi Kapanen: "I don't think anybody's really expecting me to score too many goals or get too many points, but just to forecheck & be a presence out there & that's what I was trying to do. Right off the hop get in their face & let them know it's going to be a long night ..."
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) February 21, 2020
In addition to the physical aspect, Kapanen and his linemates, Kerfoot and Pierre Engvall, dominated the game. They led the team with a 71.43 CF% and a 20.36 CF% Rel, per Natural Stat Trick. Adding Kerfoot to center the line definitely worked in the Leafs' favor and may have given the wingers a kick-start.
"Yeah, I think it really helps us. That line has really been struggling for us to find an identity and to find some consistency," said Keefe. "It's tough for us because I thought Kerf was doing an excellent job with [John Tavares] and [William Nylander] and playing well there. ... I just thought that Alex could bring something back to that line. We wanted to give him a chance to be a center and get that line going. The wingers, Engvall and Kappy, are two guys we think have more to give us. That happened today."
It sure did. Kapanen scored his first goal since Feb. 11 and just his second in his last 18 games. He is on pace for 16 — below his 20-goal output last season — so if the Leafs can get him going, then the secondary scoring will help balance out the lineup.