Maple Leafs' line shakeups show significant promise, potential going forward

The Toronto Maple Leafs' 6-5 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday ended a four-game losing streak and prevented a wave of panic from descending on the city — but it was hardly a flawless outing.

A four-goal first period showed that Ilya Samsonov is still battling to find his way between the pipes, both of Toronto's special-teams units had rough outings, and head coach Sheldon Keefe can't be happy with his squad giving up a game-tying goal with less than three minutes left.

Monday's victory was a resilient effort to gain a positive result rather than a work of art. Considering how badly Toronto needed a win, the team will take that — and there are reasons for the Maple Leafs to be encouraged which go beyond a cumulative effort that was solid but not world beating.

Specifically, the adjustments the team made prior to Monday's contest all paid immediate dividends, giving Keefe a lineup configuration he can confidently deploy when the Ottawa Senators roll into town on Wednesday — and possibly beyond.

Matthew Knies on the top line

Knies entered Monday's game with overall numbers that didn't suggest he was pushing for first-line minutes. The rookie had managed just four points in 11 games with an on-ice expected goal rate of 39.46% at 5v5. He was also coming off a four-game pointless streak that saw him manage just one shot on net.

His numbers were fairly easily explained by him spending much of his time on dysfunctional third lines which the rookie wasn't able to elevate, though. The 20-year-old had his moments prior to Monday, too, scoring two goals in Toronto's other victory over the Lightning, and playing a significant role in the Maple Leafs' signature win of the season in Dallas.

From a stylistic standpoint, the size, hands and nose for the net Knies possesses make him a logical fit alongside Matthews and Marner. Keefe gave the rookie the chance to test that notion on Tuesday — and within four minutes of puck-drop Knies had scored a highlight-reel goal that showed off his impressive hand-eye coordination.

Knies wasn't done there, either. He produced the first three-point night of his career, which included this stellar assist on Toronto's third goal of the night:

His helper on Marner's goal was also a primary assist, and he factored in on another tally from the new-look first line by providing Matthews with a stellar screen in front.

Between Monday's game, the late-season cameo Knies made in 2022-23, and the Maple Leafs' last playoff push, this trio has now played 30:23 together at 5v5.

During that time the Maple Leafs have outshot their opponents 18-12, out-chanced them 18-10, and outscored them 5-1, while holding an expected goal share of 68.26%.

That's too small a sample to pull definitive conclusions from, but it's enough to give this line some more run and see what happens.

The new third line

Toronto's most significant move prior to Monday was shifting Max Domi to center and recalling Nick Robertson in hopes of creating a third line that could provide the depth scoring the Maple Leafs have been missing.

While the line played just 7:58 together at 5v5, they lived in the Lightning zone, producing sustained pressure on a consistent basis. NHL Edge doesn't have game logs for zone-time statistics, but we can get a sense of this from Robertson's numbers because Monday was his only NHL game this season. The 22-year-old spent 46.1% of his ice time in the offensive zone on Monday, which would rank in the 95th percentile among forwards.

As a result of all that pressure, Toronto outshot the Lightning 6-2 when the trio was on the ice, with a more pronounced difference in shot attempts (10-3).

Standing at 5-foot-9 and weighing in at 178 pounds, Robertson in particular isn't the type of player who is often seen as a factor along the boards, but he was consistently strong on the puck — as he demonstrated holding off Tyler Motte in the third period.

One of the line's better forechecking sequences resulted in the game-tying goal from Calle Järnkrok.

The group also provided a little bit of punch on the rush. Although Domi was unable to finish this second-period chance, it was one of his best sequences as a Maple Leaf.

This line will still need to prove it can hold up defensively over a larger sample, but it looked dangerous on Monday, giving the Maple Leafs precisely what they were looking for.

Simon Benoit

After Max Lajoie got a one-game trial with Toronto that resulted in just 4:54 of ice time, the Maple Leafs turned to Benoit to fill in on their injury-plagued blue line.

Benoit didn't exactly dominate the game, but in his 14:41 on the ice, he looked extremely sturdy and reliable.

The 25-year-old's calling card is his 6-foot-3, 203-pound frame, and he used it to great effect, throwing three hits and blocking two shots — including this dangerous chance.

He also showed the utility of his size in less dramatic ways by boxing out Lightning forwards in front of the net, and using his frame to shield the puck from them.

He also showed a little ambition on the offensive end with four shot attempts and a critical pinch that came 12 seconds before Toronto's game-tying goal early in the third that kept the team's offensive-zone attack alive.

By the end of the night, Benoit was by far the Maple Leafs' most effective player from a raw possession standpoint.

During his 5v5 minutes, Toronto outshot Tampa Bay 9-4, and outscored them 1-0 with a ludicrous 86.15% expected goal rate. No other player on the team was above 66.74% by that metric on the night.

The upcoming return of Jake McCabe may prevent Benoit from building on his solid Maple Leafs debut, but he did more than enough on Monday to prove that giving him a shot was warranted.