Knee Jerk Reaction: Welcome to the depth parade

The Toronto Maple Leafs threw another fork into former assistant coach Spencer Carbery’s late-season push to get the Washington Capitals to the playoffs in his first season as head coach. After scoring a touchdown and kicking an extra point against them in their home building, the festivities continued for the Leafs with a 5-1 win on home ice.

Auston Matthews had 10 shots, so surely he had at least two of the goals, right?

False. Instead, you can look to Tyler Bertuzzi (times two), Bobby McMann, Connor Dewar, and Mark Giordano. The Leafs did everything they could to get their superstar goals #59 and #60 in the final minutes of the game, coming disturbingly close on a couple of occasions. Ultimately, the depth along with a steady performance in net from Joseph Woll are the reason the team prevailed at home tonight and maintained their four-point lead on the Tampa Bay Lightning in the wildcard race.

Shoutout to Dewar, who picked up his first goal as a Leaf with help from Ryan Reaves and David Kampf, but Giordano’s goal was the easiest to root for by far. It was his first game back after suffering an injury on February 29, and he celebrated the occasion by opening the scoring and pointing to the sky to honour his father, Paul, who passed away only weeks before he suffered his injury.