Toronto Maple Leafs: 3 observations from 4-3 comeback win over the Blackhawks

After it looked like the Chicago Blackhawks were going to escape with a win, the Toronto Maple Leafs earn their first comeback win in impressive fashion.

As Canadians celebrated Thanksgiving with their families, Toronto Maple Leafs fans were giving thanks for Auston Matthews as the gift that keeps on giving.

After scoring seven and eight goals in their first two games, Toronto decided to change their tune securing a 4-3 comeback win over the Chicago Blackhawks.

After losing both games to the Blackhawks last season, it is safe to say that the Leafs were not going to let Chicago have their way this time. When the Leafs went down 3-1 halfway through the third period, it was encouraging to see the team put that behind them and find a way to get the win.

1) Connor Brown makes his presence known

Brown’s move to the fourth line was a tough one not because he was playing poorly but because there was no place for him on the other three lines. He is also dealing with a rotation with the fourth line center so his only consistent linemate has been Matt Martin.

Against the Blackhawks, it appears as if Brown is realizing how to make an impact even if he does not have the offensive talent that the other three lines have. It started with the first goal of the game which was set up by Brown.

It was a nice play by Nikita Zaitsev to see the open lane to the net and beat Anton Forsberg especially with the way he shut down the Leafs highly potent offence. While the effort from Zaitsev should be applauded, Brown was the architect of the play. He deceives the Blackhawks into thinking that he was going to take a shot on net which opened up the passing lane and he made no mistake with the pass to Zaitseb.

Then with the Leafs `down two goals with under 10 minutes to go, Zaitsev returns the favour as he passes to Brown who get his first goal of the year. It was a big goal because Forsberg was shutting the door for most of the night.

While he may deserve a spot higher in the lineup, Brown brings a stabilizing presence to the fourth line and hopefully he can find a way to generate offence there too. It could also come to a point where he gets promoted to another line if there is an injury or if Babcock is looking to shakeup his top nine forwards.