‘I Think It Was A Great Response’: How The Maple Leafs’ Five-Forward Adjustment Redeemed Early Power Play Struggles Against Flyers

The Toronto Maple Leafs swept the recent home-and-home set with the Philadelphia Flyers, winning another gitty matchup by a score of 3-2 on Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Arena. But while the two points are what matters, it was clear the Leafs had some early-game struggles and disconnection to address, particularly on the power play.

The opening 20 minutes were anything but smooth for the Maple Leafs. Outshot 10-2 by the Flyers, Toronto failed to generate any meaningful offensive momentum. It took 15 minutes for the Leafs to register their first shot on goal, and their inefficiency on the power play was a glaring issue. Despite two early opportunities with the man advantage, the Leafs were unable to muster a single shot on either chance.

To make matters worse, their power-play units committed three turnovers, handing the Flyers high-quality scoring opportunities. If not for some missed chances by Philadelphia, the outcome could have been far more disastrous.

“I thought we were playing the right way and just missing the net. The power play, I thought, set us back,” explained head coach Craig Berube post-game. “The two power plays we had were not good… I think the power play kind of hurt our momentum in the first period.”

Specifically speaking, the Leafs when holding the man advantage seemed disjointed. Risky no-look passes at the blue line, careless decision-making, and the result?

Dangerous counterattacks by the Flyers.

Recognizing the need for change, the Leafs turned to old reliable. Heading into the second period, on their third power-play opportunity, Toronto rolled out a five-forward unit, removing defenseman Morgan Rielly in favor of forward Matthew Knies.

The lineup now featured Knies alongside Auston Matthews, William Nylander, John Tavares, and Mitch Marner – an equation that has worked well in the past when needed.

And the shift paid immediate dividends.

With the Leafs trailing 1-0, John Tavares capitalized on the new setup, scoring his 20th goal of the season to tie the game at one apiece. For Tavares, it was a milestone marker, as the veteran forward has now reached the 20-goal plateau in 15 NHL seasons – now just 24 shy of regular season goal No. 500.

“I think it was a great response by our power play,” said Tavares. “Obviously, it kind of led the way in the sluggishness in the first, and then got a couple of big goals in the second, and our game kind of built from there.”

“We expect a lot more than what we had in the first period. So we just want to go there and be a lot sharper, and we took advantage of the opportunities we had,” he added.

Knies, who proved to be a key addition to the power play and later scored in the contest, acknowledged the need for the shake-up.

“Yeah, just switch it up a little bit, find some energy, get some urgency out there,” Knies said. “I think we were just a little bit lazy on both of our units so I think we just needed to switch it up a little bit. And you know, it was good that Johnny could score that for us and I think that kind of created momentum for the game.”

Berube echoed Knies’ sentiments, admitting he was looking for a spark from the shuffle.

“Yeah, just change it up and see if we can get a spark going. And it worked,” he explained.

Related: 'The Power Play Is Going To Be A Big Part Of Our Group Success': Did The Maple Leafs Unlock Something In Their Five-Forward Unit Against Wild?

Captain Auston Matthews who tallied a goal and an assist in the win, highlighted the importance of the team’s special teams performance in turning the game around.

“I thought the power play started out slow, but obviously a couple of big goals there. Special teams were big for us tonight, PK as well,” Matthews said, as the Leafs held Philadelphia scoreless on four power-play chances.

Without a doubt, the decision to roll out a five-forward unit proved to be a crucial one and a key shifter in the Leafs’ fifth straight victory. As they prepare for Thursday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes, the club sits tied for first in the Eastern Conference alongside the Washington Capitals with 56 points in 42 games.

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