3 takeaways from Toronto Maple Leafs’ 5-4 win over the Dallas Stars

By Ryan Gagne

Modified Feb 08, 2024 04:52 GMT

On Wednesday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs picked up their fourth win in the past five games, holding off another Central Division opponent, the Dallas Stars, in a thrilling 5-4 victory at Scotiabank Arena.

Fresh off hosting the NHL All-Star Game, Toronto is 1-1-0 since returning to action, picking up their recent win thanks to William Nylander's three points. As one of the top contending teams in the Eastern Conference, the Maple Leafs have held their own recently against some of the best teams in the NHL, improving to 9-5-1 since the start of 2024.

Wednesday's contest was closer than fans would have liked, especially with the home team rallying from a 2-1 deficit and breaking a 3-3 tie in the final half of the third period. Of course, with any Maple Leafs, win or loss, there is always plenty to discuss, so here are three takeaways from their contest against the Stars.

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3 takeaways from Toronto Maple Leafs' 5-4 win over Dallas Stars

#1. William Nylander collects three points, best game in a month

Nylander signed one of the richest contracts in Toronto's history on Jan. 8. Before the signing, he had 30 points, and since then, he's had 32, but only five in the past 10 contests, going into the All-Star break pointless in three games heading the event.

William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs

Besides picking up a win with Team Matthews, Nylander collected a point in a loss to the New York Islanders before he went off on the Stars, picking up two goals and an assist. Considering how much the Swedish forward is about to be paid, tonight is an example of his importance to the offensive attack.

Although Toronto tends to win all their games when Auston Matthews scores goals, Nylander ranks 10th in NHL scoring, the highest spot for anyone in a Maple Leafs jersey. If the franchise is going to make a run for a Stanley Cup, they will need performances like tonight from Nylander and everyone else to make it happen.

#2. Maple Leafs are lethal on the powerplay but still have special teams concerns

After Wednesday night's victory, where the Maple Leafs scored on all three powerplay opportunities, the team finds themselves with the fifth-best powerplay percentage in the NHL at 26.6%. However, before celebrating their achievements tonight, they did beat up on the 13th-ranked penalty kill, with Dallas sitting at 81.1%.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Out of all the teams ahead of them in the powerplay rankings, only the Tampa Bay Lightning have scored more goals (175-169), which means that Toronto doesn't necessarily need the man advantage to get wins, but it's special when they do.

However, there are concerns regarding the Maple Leafs' special teams since they employ the 23rd-ranked penalty kill (77.7%), meaning they must stop giving opponents a chance to get and maintain leads from special teams. Of the 49 games this year, Toronto has given up a powerplay goal in 23 contests (46.8%) while scoring a special teams goal in 28 games (57.1%).

#3. Dallas and Toronto could be a Stanley Cup Finals matchup

The Dallas Stars are considered Stanley Cup contenders in the Western Conference and have a chance at winning the Central Division title. Considering their deep lineup, they are no easy win, as evident in Wednesday's night contest when Toronto barely held on for a 5-4 win.

Toronto vs. Dallas

Even though backup Scott Wedgewood made 26 saves, finishing the night with a .839 save percentage, Jake Oettinger is their star goalie, and when he's on his game, there's no telling how far he can lead this team.

Recently, Toronto swept the Winnipeg Jets, another top team from the opposite conference and Central Divison, meaning the Maple Leafs are 3-0-0 in their last three games against some of the best teams they could face in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Although all this talk is premature, with 30 games to go before the playoffs, Toronto is stepping up at the right time and skating with the top teams in the league. Meanwhile, Ilya Samsonov is 4-2-0 since returning from the minors. He will be a significant reason why Toronto lands a favorable playoff spot, no matter what Matthews and company do on the offense.