If you were making predictions on NHL units set for an imminent breakout, the Maple Leafs’ fourth line of Teddy Blueger, Brandon Duhaime and Zack MacEwen seemed an unlikely candidate.
asserted
line → make → Blueger
The Maple Leafs trio came into Thursday’s home game against the Rangers with a grand total of zero combined points this season.
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trio → come → points
Blueger and Duhaime are regulars on Toronto’s league-leading penalty kill, better known for defensive responsibility than scoring punch.
asserted
Blueger → lead → punch
MacEwen, a journeyman playing in just his sixth game of the season, has more career NHL fights than goals.
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MacEwen → play → goals
Not only did the fourth line provide a pair of goals — with Blueger and Duhaime both scoring their first of the season — another previously goal-less Leaf was the ultimate hero.
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Leaf → provide → season
Defenceman Troy Stecher potted the winner with 26 seconds left.
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Stecher → pot → seconds
The winning play was symbolic of the evening: Built more on effort than flash, with Nick Paul drawing a penalty and keeping a puck alive before Stecher pounced on a net-front chance and celebrated.
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Stecher → win → chance
“Everybody always loves it when those (fourth-line) guys get rewarded.
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guys → love → it
Because they do the dirty work,” said Leafs coach Jim Hiller.
asserted
Hiller → do → work
“I think that’s what makes tonight extra special.”
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tonight → think → ?
Hiller called the victory, Toronto’s third straight, his team’s best game of the season.
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Hiller → call → season
“We didn’t have those lulls,” Hiller said.
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Hiller → have → lulls
“We kept pushing.”
asserted
We → keep → ?
Maybe Toronto defenceman Jake McCabe set the tone when he arrived at work on Thursday morning wearing a gritty fit: A left eye area coloured various angry shades of purple, black and blue.
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area → set → purple
On Tuesday night he’d taken a high stick to the face in Columbus, which brought with it copious amounts of blood and concern.
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which → take → blood
“Certainly panic for a couple seconds,” McCabe said.
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McCabe → say → seconds
“(Until) I was able to open it up quick and see that I could see still.
uncertain
I → open → it
McCabe did not return to that 6-2 win in Columbus.
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McCabe → return → Columbus
And not only did the veteran defenceman supply his usual high-volume defensive minutes, he provided the primary assist on a goal by Easton Cowan with a nifty pass up the middle.
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he → supply → middle
“He’s a pro’s pro,” Hiller said of McCabe.
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Hiller → say → McCabe
“He’s just been in the league for a long time and it’s just all about winning for him.
asserted
it → ’ → him
And it’s whatever he can do …
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he → ’ → whatever
Do whatever he has to do to help the team win.”
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team → do → whatever
It was a whatever-it-takes kind of night at Scotiabank Arena.
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it → take → Arena
Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky wasn’t particularly sharp, surrendering an inordinate share of big rebounds.
asserted
Bobrovsky → surrender → rebounds
But he allowed one fewer goal against than his opponent, Dylan Garand, and got the victory.
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he → allow → victory
It was the 459th career win for Bobrovsky, which tied Henrik Lundqvist for the most in NHL history by a goaltender born outside North America.
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which → tie → America
Bobrovsky allowed three or more goals for the seventh time in eight games as a Leaf.
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Bobrovsky → allow → Leaf
But Toronto managed to outlast the other guys.
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Toronto → manage → guys
When the Leafs lost three straight games in the wake of losing top defenceman Chris Tanev to an injury in a game in Colorado, there was well-warranted concern about the state of the blueline.
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Leafs → lose → blueline
Felt like everybody contributed,” Stecher said.
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Stecher → feel → ?
“Bob made crucial saves at key times.
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Bob → make → times
It wasn’t pretty the whole way through, but we stuck with it as a group, and that’s what we’ll take away.
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we → stick → what
When we play as a collective, we can find ways to win games that aren’t our best.”
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that → play → games
Toronto got the usual perfect work from its penalty kill.
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Toronto → get → kill
And it got a power-play goal, too, from Kirill Marchenko, to make it 4-3 late in the second period.
asserted
it → get → period
But if Alexis Lafreniere’s wrister through a maze that tied it with less than six minutes to play in the third could have been a deflating moment for the Leafs, they kept up the fight and refused to fold.
uncertain
they → tie → fight
Stecher said the fourth-line contribution was the key.
asserted
contribution → say → ?
“It felt like we were kind of sluggish tonight, and they dragged us back into the fight,” Stecher said.
asserted
Stecher → feel → fight
“Obviously (the fourth line scoring) creates momentum and energy.
asserted
scoring → create → momentum
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
