As far as tonight, the Leafs really put them on their heels after a strong first, but I found there were a ton of positives.
Monty for one. What a performance.
The amount of talent Hutson has. It is insane to see veteran players get completely humiliated shift after shift. It's no joke being able to fool John Tavares, who's one of the smartest players in the league. Guy reads the game so well and Hutson played him like a CHLer. Hutsons PP work, transition game and abilities in the offensive zone are incredible.
The physical play. Loved Reaves turning down Xhekaj, Dach hitting guys, Savard destroying Domi and Slaf being ready to drop the gloves. Once Tuch and Florian are on the team, the opposition will go through hell.
Matheson should not be on the PP, but he had a very good game. It seems like he's the new Danault, where he's over performing his contract and the trade that brought him here to a crazy degree, yet is the guy who's targeted because of some very apparent turnovers and poor PP work. He does so many good things though.
I thought Slaf and Caufield created quite a bit of offense, despite being rusty.
Man is it good to have Dach back. Guy is so good. Newhook as well played a great game, which again goes to show how useless preseason play is for established players.
I liked Anderson's game. I think MSL likely talked to him and stopped trying to make him something he's not. He played a north-south, crash into the corners and use his speed/reach to get pucks.
Can't wait to have Laine/Demidov on the roster, but for now, the important thing is to beat Toronto, Ottawa and Boston.