The National Hockey League (NHL) All-Star break has concluded, and Leafs fans had the opportunity to watch Mitch Marner fail to score on retired goaltender Roberto Luongo. This also means that the second half of the regular season is officially underway. The first half of the season was a roller coaster with injuries plaguing the entire defence core. However, the team rallied behind their young defenders and came away with a winning record. The team was also unable to get a healthy goalie tandem to split duties in the crease, but has now seen Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov ease into their roles between the pipes. These are all indicators of a resilient team, ready to tackle any challenges they faced head on.
There’s a big difference starting off the second half of the season though. The difference is the absence of superstar Auston Matthews from the lineup. The team’s second leading goal scorer was sidelined with a sprained knee for a minimum of three weeks just before the All-Star break. Matthews was having a healthy season so far, with 25 goals and 28 assists in 47 games played. Prior to his last game, he was also riding a ten game points streak. Since his injury absence, the Leafs have lost by three or more goals twice in three games. The resilience of this team is being tested. Much of their resistance against injuries to their defencemen and goaltenders was due to the explosive offense of Matthews, Marner, and Nylander. However, with a core piece of the offence missing for another couple of weeks, it seems as though the Leafs are struggling to generate enough offence to keep them afloat in games.
Regardless of this injury setback, it is not time for the Leafs to panic just yet. The Leafs are second in their division with a five point lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning. The first five games after the break are also against teams currently at the bottom of their divisions: Columbus, Chicago, and Montreal. Coming away in points in these games may ease the pressure on Matthews to make a quick return to the ice, and will help create separation in the division as well. The Leafs have handled adversity extremely well all season, and it’s time for them to lace up and do it one more time.
