Last night during the 1st night of the NHL playoffs, the Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t take the pedal off the medal on Tampa Bay, winning 5-0 at home! I posted a Cool Sports Network episode yesterday about my NHL playoff predictions and NBA playoff talk and mentioned that the Maple Leafs would win a championship because of Auston Matthews. To learn more about that check out the #19 Cool Sports Network episode. But, seeing the Maple Leafs core of Matthews and Mitch Marner get 2 of the 3 stars of the game, not to mention that Jack Campbell put up a shutout in Game 1 against a team that has had one of the most deadly offenses during the last 6 seasons. What we saw last night shows that the Toronto Maple Leafs will win the 2022 Stanley Cup!
Last night, Auston Matthews had 2 goals and 1 assist, being awarded with the 2nd star of the game because of it. I have been praising Matthews since I had my first NHL episode on the Cool Sports Network. I believe Matthews should win the Hart Memorial (MVP) and Jack Adams. Matthews was 6th in the NHL in points this season with 106 and was the leading goal scorer with 60 goals! He also has an ability to set up his teammates, a reason why Mitch Marner had nearly 100 points. Matthews also showed that his value helped his team statistically, as he ranks top 5 in the NHL in win shares.
Speaking of Mitch Marner, he’s another big reason why the Maple Leafs are going to win the Stanley Cup. Marner had 97 points in 2022, putting him 10th in the NHL in points. Marner is a fast, athletic wing that can facilitate the puck very well. He ranked 12th in the NHL in assists. Marner’s overall ability makes him the 2nd best player on this team. Boy he’s a good #2!
The Maple Leafs also have the best rookie in hockey this season, Michael Bunting. Michael “bunted” his way to 63 points, which I may add was the top in the NHL for all rookies this season. Bunting’s sneaky ability to get rare points helps him stand out in Toronto. The Maple Leafs also have Timothy Liljergen, who ranked 20th in the NHL in points. While he’s not a goal scorer, he can pass the puck affectively.
The Leafs have veteran star power with John Tavares, who still put up 76 points at 31 years old. While Tavares does not run the first line anymore, his role in Toronto is perfect for his style of play. As Matthews and Marner set each other up with opportunities, Tavares sets up the rest of Toronto. He brings a sneaky ability and Toronto uses the 6x All Star perfectly.
They also have good goaltending that no one talks about. After getting rid of Frederik Anderson, they replaced him with Jack Campbell who is an underrated goalie. He only allowed around 2 and a half goals on average this season with a 91.4% save percentage. Campbell is a very underrated goalie and his showing last night proves that. Toronto may not have the best goalie in the world but they got someone that get the job done when they need him to.
I think you get it by now. The Maple Leafs have all of the talent in the world. I think after years of waiting during their developing process, the Toronto Maple Leafs will win their first Stanley Cup since 1967 in 2022!
Chase Coburn
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