The Toronto Maple Leafs are trying to turn one statement win into a streak, and Tuesday’s matchup in Utah feels like a night where one player could tilt the board.
Toronto heads into its road finale against the Utah Mammoth after a huge victory over the Colorado Avalanche last Saturday. The Leafs have spent the opening stretch of the season bouncing back and forth between wins and losses through their first five games, so there’s an obvious chance here to change that rhythm.
It won’t be simple, though. Utah has already shown it can beat quality opposition, too, including a recent win over the Buffalo Sabres, even if it also took a heavy 6-1 loss to the Boston Bruins last Thursday.
That’s where Kirill Marchenko comes in.
The forward acquired as the return in the Matthew Knies trade has been steady for Toronto so far, piling up a goal and four assists for five points in six games. He enters Tuesday on a four-game point streak, but he still hasn’t had that one breakout night in Maple Leafs colors. Given the matchup, this could be the spot.
Marchenko has been excellent against Utah every time he’s seen them. In three career games against the Mammoth, he’s picked up points in all three, finishing with one goal and four assists for five points. That kind of history matters when the margins are this tight.
And the margins really are tight. Toronto has won three of the four all-time meetings between the teams, but Utah took the most recent one in January, rolling to a 6-1 win.
This time around, the numbers suggest another close fight. Toronto is scoring 3.33 goals per game, just behind Utah’s 3.67, which ranks in the top five in the NHL.
On the other side of the puck, the Maple Leafs are giving up 2.83 goals per game, while the Mammoth sit at 2.50, good for a spot in the league’s top eight.
With Toronto on the road and the game projected to be this evenly matched, the Leafs will need their best players to show up. If Marchenko keeps doing what he’s done against Utah, Toronto has a real chance to leave with another win and head home with momentum before facing the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.
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