» TAKEAWAYS: On Tavares, McMann’s case for the Maple Leafs and Stolarz

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Talk about putting on a show on Broadway. The Maple Leafs did that on Thursday night, posting a 4-3 victory over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

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Not only was it a start-to-finish, 60-minute victory by the Leafs, who won their third consecutive game in regulation, it was a significant night for several individuals.

John Tavares had three points to reach 1,100 in his National Hockey League career. Wiliam Nylander had two assists, putting him past 600 career points. Matthew Knies scored again to mark his first 25-goal season in the NHL. And defenceman Jake McCabe had three assists in an NHL game for the first time.

Our takeaways from the Leafs’ 20th road win of 2024-25:

TAVARES IN TOP FORM

Was it coincidence that Tavares became the 68th player in NHL history to reach 1,100 career points after Bobby McMann was put on the left wing on the second line?

Whether it was or not, McMann should be kept in the top six alongside Tavares and William Nylander. More on this in a minute.

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The only question after Tavares scored his second goal at 4:16 of the second period was whether he would record the 15th hat trick of his NHL career. It didn’t happen, but he shared the Leafs lead with McMann and Knies with four shots on goal.

As everyone gets wrapped up in the future of Mitch Marner, Tavares is not so quietly having another fine season for the Leafs. In a contract year, the 34-year-old hasn’t so much turned back the clock as he has just continued to steam ahead with 29 goals in 62 games. Last season, he finished with 29 goals in 80 games. And Tavares has 60 points, five shy of his total in 2023-24.

“You don’t take it for granted,” Tavares told the media in New York in reference to reaching the 1,100-point milestone. “It has been a great journey, a lot of hard work and I’ve played with two great organizations and a lot of great teammates have been a big part of that, helping me along the way and making me look good a lot of the time.

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“Very proud of the commitment I try to make and the passion I have for the game. Just try to go out there and execute and play well, be effective and be counted on offensively.”

Leafs coach Craig Berube noted Tavares’ impact on the victory.

“I thought he was really good,” Berube said. “An older guy like that on back-to-back nights, pretty quick team over there too, he was solid. He was so strong on pucks tonight, won all of his battles, faceoffs, he does all the little things right. He has that knack to score goals, I’ll tell you that.”

BOBBY MCMANN CAN

After moving McMann to the second line during the Leafs’ 2-1 win over Colorado on Wednesday, Berube left him there in New York. And there’s no reason to take McMann off the line going forward. At 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, McMann is more than just another piece on the line. With his speed, strength and net-front presence, he’s built for what Berube wants in the playoffs. In other words, he brings a lot more to the unit than Pontus Holmberg, who belongs somewhere in the bottom six.

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McMann not only scored his 19th goal on a fine deflection of a McCabe shot late in the first period, he also had an assist, giving the Tavares line a total of seven points.

“The line needed speed and some size, and that’s the reason I changed that line,” Berube said. “Bobby is skating right now, he is on top of things and he is playing a good brand of hockey.”

On his goal, McMann outworked Rangers defenceman K’Andre Miller in the corner and then beat him to the net. On Tavares’ second goal, he was a menace in front of New York goalie Igor Shesterkin.

“The way he was making it difficult on their defence and their goalie, and a lot of puck battles, he was really heavy,” Tavares said. “Not just in the offensive zone, but in all three zones. A lot of sustained pressure, keeping sequences going and getting out of our end when we had to.”

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What was the message from Berube after the switch against Colorado and keeping the line together in Manhattan?

“I think the message are pretty unanimous from how we played to end the last game,” McMann said. “That’s just hunting pucks, being hard, being competitive and trying to generate in the offensive zone. I think we did that well.”

We would agree. There’s every reason to keep McMann in that spot in Nashville on Saturday and beyond.

STOLARZ RIGHTS THE SHIP

If any of the Leafs needed to shine in this one, it was Anthony Stolarz. He had not won a start since Feb. 28, which happened to also be in New York against the Rangers, losing his previous four decisions.

Meanwhile, Joseph Woll has rebounded and been sharp since he was pulled against Vegas on March 5.

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With every game crucial and each Leafs goalie trying to prove he should be the starter in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs, Stolarz had to step up on Thursday.

He did that, making 27 saves. After Artemi Panarin tied the game 2-2 early in the second period, Stolarz didn’t allow another goal until Chris Kreider scored with 35 seconds left in the third period and Shesterkin on the bench in favour of an extra skater.

Was it a confidence-boosting performance for Stolarz? You bet.

“It’s huge,” Stolarz told Sportsnet’s Shawn McKenzie after the game. “I think I lost, what, four in a row there? But at the same time, I felt like I was still playing some pretty strong hockey. I wasn’t really too discouraged with my starts.

“I think it boiled down to making one extra save and I thought tonight I was able to do that and keep the score a two-goal lead for most of the third period.”

It’s too early to say with certainty who will be the Leafs’ playoff starter in net. With 13 regular-season games left, the best-case scenario is that both Woll and Stolarz give Berube and his staff plenty to chew on.

tkoshan@postmedia.com

X: @koshtorontosun

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