Steve Simmons calls Matthews running the PP a ‘disgrace to hockey’: Leafs Morning Take
Effectively, Toronto’s tilt in Raleigh is a heat check game.
How hot are the Toronto Maple Leafs?
That’s where the conversation started on the Thursday edition of Leafs Morning Take. The victories against Pittsburgh and a depleted Florida squad were great, but the Canes are a different animal. They’re 8-3-1 on home ice, and on top of that, they’re well rested —having not played since Sunday. Joseph Woll will get the call. We debated quite a bit about how the Leafs should deploy their crease, because as we know, these guys can’t play every game anymore. Will Dennis Hildeby play on Saturday night against Montreal? We’ll see!
Meantime, this will be the sixth and final stop on Toronto’s string of road games. Through five outings, they’re 3-2-0, which considering the way they entered the trip, you would take that record every day of the week and twice on Sunday. We talked a lot throughout the episode about Toronto’ terrible power play. Over 26 games, they’re 10-for-65. With all that star power they possess, that’s unacceptable stuff. The power play is killing this team. Having said that, the PK has been a bright spot the past five games since Scott Laughton returned to the lineup. Led by Woll’s awesomeness, the Leafs have killed off 13 of the past 14 penalties. Furthermore, it will be interesting to see how their bottom six plays following their impressive night in Sunrise. The Joshua-Roy-McMann trio is looking to put things together for a third consecutive outing and really gain some serious traction.
After that, Toronto Sun columnist Steve Simmons graced us with his presence. Unsurprisingly, he came ripe with hot takes and candidness. After weighing in on the win against the Panthers, Woll’s great play, and Stecher’s emergence, Steve went in HARD on Toronto’s vaunted power play. He called Matthews running the power play a disgrace, and quite honestly, his reasoning makes a lot of sense. He’s one of the top goal scorers on the planet, he should be utilized in a spot to shoot that puck. Lastly, Simmons hit on the depth pieces, and their overall importance to this team. He wants to see it on a consistent basis from Roy, Joshua, and others. Meantime, he’s a big fan of what Scott Laughton brings to the table.
One more show left for the week. Be sure to join us for the Friday edition of Leafs Morning Take. We’ll recap Leafs/Canes, plus look ahead to Saturday night’s home date with the Montreal Canadiens, Also, the GREAT Scotty Bowman will make another appearance on the show.
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