Maple Leafs vs. Flyers observations: Tyler Bertuzzi makes an impact, all goes as planned

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 14: Tyler Bertuzzi #59 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates his first period goal against the Philadelphia Flyers with teammates William Nylander #88 and Auston Matthews #34 at the Wells Fargo Center on March 14, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images)
By Nick Ashbourne
Mar 15, 2024

The Toronto Maple Leafs faced the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, coming off a four-game stretch that included two dispiriting losses to the Boston Bruins, two uninspiring one-goal wins against inferior competition and just seven goals scored.

A 6-2 win against the Flyers was just what Toronto needed.

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The Maple Leafs took control of the game early and never let go, even if their grip loosened slightly in the second period, when the Flyers got within two goals. Ilya Samsonov stood tall while Toronto wavered slightly during the middle frame, but the Maple Leafs found a flurry of offence in the third that prevented things from getting dicey.

Outside of a Calle Järnkrok injury in the second period, everything went according to plan for Toronto.

Three stars

1. Tyler Bertuzzi

Bertuzzi did not take long to make an impact in this one. The 29-year-old scored two minutes into the first period and collected a primary assist on the Timothy Liljegren goal that gave Toronto a 3-0 lead later in the frame.

Neither of those plays was his most impressive of the night, though. That honour belongs to a goal that was disallowed due to a hand pass before this incredible tip:

Bertuzzi has always been a gifted deflector of the puck, and the combination of some bad luck and a lack of PP1 time earlier in the season resulted in fewer net-front goals than expected.

The winger appears to be back on track from a finishing standpoint, as he has six goals in his past nine games after managing just seven in his first 55 games with Toronto.

2. William Nylander

This game felt over by the time Nylander scored his 35th goal of the season, but his effort was strong throughout. The winger seemed to have some jump after four days off, and his play on Bertuzzi’s early goal foreshadowed the threat level he would pose all night.

Nylander was on the ice for 55.55 percent of all shots the Maple Leafs took and 61.9 percent of their high-danger chances. He also would’ve had his eighth multi-goal night of the season if it weren’t for the best save of Samuel Ersson’s rough single-period outing.

3. Pontus Holmberg

Holmberg skated a relatively modest 14:19, but he deserves credit for breaking through offensively with 2 points after managing just 3 in his previous 19 games. He got things rolling just under 10 minutes in when an offensive-zone faceoff win led to a clean look for the 25-year-old.

His second point was an assist on the goal that put the game away as he sprung Auston Matthews on the way to his 55th goal of the season.

After Järnkrok went down late in the second period, Holmberg filled in on the first line well, and he was also part of a sturdy effort from Toronto’s fourth line. His group, with newcomer Connor Dewar and Ryan Reaves, outshot the Flyers 3-0 with 72.20 percent of the expected goals at five-on-five.

The Matthews-Bertuzzi combo shows its potential

From the moment the Maple Leafs signed Bertuzzi, he appeared to be a logical complement to their top centre. Not only is the former Detroit Red Wings player a solid forechecker and puck retriever, but he also possesses a pass-first disposition and has a talent for making things happen around the net.

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That’s ideal considering Matthews is a volume shooter who excels with linemates who feed him the puck and creates plenty of tipping and rebound opportunities for those who like to spend time in the crease.

Despite the theoretical fit, the Maple Leafs haven’t seen fantastic results when pairing the two together, and they came into Thursday’s game being outscored 5-4 in the duo’s five-on-five minutes. The underlying number had been good, though, with Toronto earning an advantage in shots (59.38 percent), expected goals (59.50 percent) and high-danger chances (68.42 percent) in its 113:18 of ice time.

The pair demonstrated the ability to sustain offensive pressure against the Flyers and was rewarded. Toronto got three of its six goals when the two were on the ice, without conceding a score.

The Edmundson-Liljegren pair makes a strong second impression

Though the Maple Leafs are in a tinkering phase up front as the playoffs approach, their blue line has a chance to be relatively stable in the weeks ahead. Reuniting Morgan Rielly and Ilya Lyubushkin has yielded strong results, and the team appears to see the T.J. Brodie–Jake McCabe combination as its best hope of icing a shutdown pair.

That leaves Joel Edmundson and Liljegren as two defenders who are likely stuck together for the time being. Putting a veteran stay-at-home lefty with a more imaginative but less experienced right-shot blueliner makes sense, but there’s never a guarantee any two players will click, even if the ingredients appear to be there.

In Edmundson’s and Liljegren’s first game together, against the Montreal Canadiens, the Maple Leafs were caved in during the pair’s five-on-five time, getting outshot 11-6 and managing a pitiful expected goals rate of 16.76 percent.

Thursday, they appeared to work out the kinks nicely, moving the puck far more organically and staying out of trouble. Liljegren led the team in five-on-five expected goals rate (85.27 percent) and made his mark on the scoresheet with a first-period knuckle puck.

Edmundson wasn’t far behind by the same metric (84.26 percent) and even had a rare scoring chance of his own.

Game score

Final grade: A+

There were moments in the second period when this game looked like it might tighten up, but the Maple Leafs dominated on the scoresheet with underlying numbers to match.

Anytime you outscore an opponent — especially a competent one — 6-0 at five-on-five, a top grade is warranted. That’s particularly true when you win the high-danger scoring chance battle 19-2.

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The Maple Leafs looked a bit disjointed at the beginning of the game, icing the puck four times in the first eight minutes, but once they settled in, it was abundantly clear they were the better squad. A determined nitpicker could point out that the Maple Leafs lost the special teams battle by conceding power-play and short-handed goals without producing either.

Even that tortured attempt at a critique would be misleading, as Toronto’s sixth goal was scored just seconds after a Travis Konecny penalty ended, and the short-handed goal it allowed came with 72 seconds left in the game, when the Maple Leafs were playing their fourth line with the man advantage.

What’s next for the Leafs?

On Saturday, the Leafs host the Carolina Hurricanes at 7 p.m. ET on “Hockey Night in Canada.”

(Photo of William Nylander, Tyler Bertuzzi and Auston Matthews: Len Redkoles / NHLI via Getty Images)

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Nick Ashbourne

Nick Ashbourne is a contributor to The Athletic who has spent three years covering the Toronto Blue Jays. His analytically-inclined writing has found a home at Yahoo Sports, Sportsnet, Baseball Prospectus, and Canadian Baseball Network. He was granted membership in the BBWAA in 2019. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickAshbourne