Leafs Takeaways: Getting past a scary-looking injury, winning by committee

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You can’t call it a winning streak, but it sure beats the alternative. 

The Maple Leafs took their time getting consecutive victories, but did what was needed in 48 hours versus two offensively challenged teams. After defeating San Jose at home, they revved their offence higher in a 6-2 win Tuesday night in Columbus. 

Now improved to a record of 5-4-2, they just hope defenceman Jake McCabe won’t miss any time with a facial injury that took him out of the game in the first period.  

Our takeaways from an impressive offensive show in Ohio: 

Defence delivers minus McCabe 

The Leafs don’t even want to think about life without both McCabe and Chris Tanev, his partner out week-to-week with an upper-body injury, but on the mend. 

McCabe was bleeding from Kent Johnson’s stick blade that accidentally jabbed under his visor. 

‘We’re grateful, it looks like it wasn’t as bad as we originally thought,” defenceman Marshall Rifai told media in Columbus.   

Rifai was one of those who stepped up Tuesday, from a couple who were question marks on the depth chart when the Leafs didn’t get a true defensive defenceman in the summer after going all in for Darren Raddysh’s offence. 

Troy Stecher played a team high 26:25 in McCabe’s absence and Rifai, who was plugged in after sitting against San Jose and had been used a seventh blueliner recently, played close to 20 minutes. Veteran Morgan Rielly showed his rush smarts which usually boosts his controversial defensive acumen in the latter years of his career.   

“You do it by committee,” said Rifai. “Everyone steps up when a leader like (McCabe) goes down.”   

The sixth Toronto goal was Rifai’s first in the NHL after a wrist injury prevented him from filling in on defence last year when it sprung leaks. 

Hey, that’s not Knies 

For all his politeness before the game, new Leaf Kirill Marchenko must have known he wouldn’t get a hero’s welcome from the team and city he wanted to move from. 

But just as the booing started when he touched the puck, Auston Matthews gave him a much-needed assist by banking the first Toronto goal off of his skate. Marchenko was later belted by one-time linemate Adam Fantilli and deflected a Charlie Coyle wraparound for the last Columbus goal, but got through a difficult evening. 

“It’s fine, I was ready for that,” Marchenko said of the jeering. “I can’t control that. I appreciate the fans here when I played and it doesn’t matter. 

Knies, meanwhile, had three shots on goal and a couple of hits, but missed some scoring chances and now has gone six straight without a point. While a deal of this magnitude won’t be judged in full for a few years to come, Marchenko has 11 points in 11 games and is finding a rhythm on a high powered offence so far, versus Knies not yet seizing a bigger role. 

Cowboy rides the range 

The Leafs will be fine if their young gun forwards, Gavin McKenna and Easton Cowan, take centre stage on alternating nights. 

After McKenna had his first power-play and game-winning goal on Monday, Cowan kept pace with linemates Auston Matthews and hot hometowner Jack Roslovic in Columbus. It was the second-year Leaf’s first three-point NHL game and first short-handed strike. He’s getting penalty kill time with the league’s top unit at the very end of each assignment, designed to jump on the other team’s second power play unit with William Nylander. 

While McKenna has shown deference to his seniors in passing, Cowan looked off Nylander during their 2-on-1 shorty and fired his fourth of the year and 10th point in 11 games. 

Lhornby@postmedia.com 

X: @sunhornby      

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