Written by James Mirtle at The Atlantic
“That line is a load,” Mike Babcock said.
If you watched the Maple Leafs play – and dominate the end of Game 3 – against the Washington Capitals on Monday night, you knew which line he meant. It was his three rookies, one of the youngest trios in the league, with a 19-year-old phenom in the middle of a 24-year-old former fifth round pick who spent four years in college and a 20-year-old converted centre.
They have been good all season, but they were great this night. They’ve been great all series, in fact.
So great the best team in the NHL doesn’t yet have an answer for them.
Zach Hyman, Auston Matthews and William Nylander were pointless in the first two games of this series, but a breakthrough on the score sheet felt inevitable. Whenever they were on the ice, they had the puck and were charging down the ice, unhindered. Capitals coach Barry Trotz’s countermeasures – the Karl Alzner and John Carlson D pair – were overmatched.
With Nylander on the ice, the Leafs had 53 per cent possession in Game 1 then 68 per cent in Game 2’s double overtime win.
Monday it went to another level. Alzner was hurt, and Nate Schmidt came in. But Babcock had last change, and he fed his “load” of a line some easier minutes, with plenty of shifts in the offensive zone and against Washington’s second, third and fourth lines.
So the Leafs’ Kid Line went to town.
They were all over the ice, holding the neutral zone and pushing the play down low. They out shot Washington 9-2 at even strength and out attempted them 23 shots to only five for the Caps.
The Leafs were at 67 per cent possession with Matthews on the ice. With Nylander, it was higher: 79 per cent.
“I just thought they were good all night,” Babcock said. “Today they were totally in control of the play. They had a lot of possession time. I thought they were dangerous. I thought they were skating. I think Matty’s been good right through. I thought this was Willy’s best game, and the best legs he’s had. Hyman’s just the same every day. It was just another day for him. But that line was good.”
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