Tip of the Tower
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Andersen, Marner Lead Toronto Maple Leafs Past Florida Panthers

By Chris Okrainetz

Oct 27, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen (31) is congratulated on their victory by defenseman Connor Carrick (8) against the Florida Panthers at Air Canada Centre. The Maple Leafs beat the Panthers 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 27, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen (31) is congratulated on their victory by defenseman Connor Carrick (8) against the Florida Panthers at Air Canada Centre. The Maple Leafs beat the Panthers 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Behind the strong play of Mitch Marner and Frederik Andersen, the Toronto Maple Leafs (2-2-3) defeated the Florida Panthers (3-3-1), 3-2, on Thursday night and ended their four-game losing streak.

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Thoughts and Observations

  • Frederik Andersen has taken a lot of heat for his early season performance, but Mike Babcock has stuck with Freddie and the Dane came through on Thursday night with a 29 save performance. After the game Babcock called Andersen the Toronto Maple Leafs best player, which is high praise for his struggling goaltender.

    • It wasn’t easy for Andersen, but he made a few crucial saves to maintain the lead and he even endured a scary moment when he took a

    Colton Sceviour

    stick blade to the face.

    Overall, Andersen battled on Thursday night and turned in his best performance of the year. You can use a bunch of clichés to describe his performance, which was no doubt great, but the key going forward will be consistency. Was this just an outlier in what has been an ugly sample size? Or is this a sign of things to come from Andersen?

    More from Tip of the Tower

    Mitch Marner was sensational. What more is there to say than that? His elite hockey IQ was on full display against the Panthers and it looks like he has really jelled with linemates Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk.

  • The Leafs surrendered a number of quality scoring chances, particularly against Florida’s top line of Aleksander Barkov, Jaromir Jagr and Jonathan Marchessault. Toronto’s defence is clearly a work in progress and likely will be for most of the season.

    • Despite allowing a power play goal, the Toronto penalty kill was better tonight. The unit was 1-for-3 on the night and is now 20-for-25 on the season, with three of those five goals allowed coming in their last two games.

  • Zach Hyman‘s compete level is awesome. “Compete level” is a bit of a coaching buzz word, but it’s a fitting way to describe a player like Hyman who seems to never take a shift off and always gives max effort.
  • Making his Leafs debut, Seth Griffith had a great chance to score on the power play when he was playing with Auston Matthews and William Nylander. Griffith finished the night with a 72 percent Corsi For in all situations and had a 70 percent Corsi For in 5-on-5 situations. Although he only saw 9:09 of ice time, I think he’s earned another chance to prove himself.

    • The Leafs held onto a third period lead! Man, does that feel good to type. Holding a late lead has been a problem for the Maple Leafs this season, as they’ve entered the third period with a lead in four of their first five games, but have lost four of those games. It’s crazy to think that the Leafs’ record could easily be 5-1.

    Stock Up, Stock Down

    • Marner’s stock is sky-high after Thursday night’s three-point outburst. If you thought Leafs’ fans were high on him before, you haven’t seen anything yet. There’s still a few seats left on the Marner bandwagon, but it’s filling up fast.
    • Andersen’s stock is going up after his performance, but the 27-year-old still has a lot to prove.
    • Connor Carrick‘s stock received a nice boost Thursday. Paired with Nikita Zaitsev, Carrick logged a season-high 21:59 of ice time and even saw 2:01 second of time on the power play. He’s been a bit inconsistent this season, but it looks like Babcock is slowly trusting Carrick, as his minutes have increased in each of the last three games.
    • Although he didn’t play due to an injury, Matt Hunwick‘s stock is on the decline. It’s no secret fans haven’t been pleased with his game this season, which is putting it mildly, but with Roman Polak and Martin Marincin nipping at his heels, perhaps Hunwick will see a reduced role going forward? It’s a big if, but it’s a decision I’m sure fans would be thrilled with.

    Stat of the Night

    Mitch Marner: 3 assists, +3, 2 shots, 16:04 TOI, 61.29 CF%

    Andersen put up solid numbers as well, but without question this was Marner’s night. The crafty 19-year-old displayed his entire game against the Panthers and setup all three of the Leafs goals.

    What’s Next

    The Maple Leafs will travel to la belle province to take on the Montreal Canadiens (7-0-1) Saturday night in what should be an entertaining tilt. The Canadiens have started the season red-hot — much like they did last year — and will be a tough opponent for the Leafs, especially with Carey Price likely between the pipes.

    Next: Leafs: The Curious Case of Benjamin Smith

    What did you think of the Maple Leafs 3-2 victory over the Panthers on Thursday night? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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