Mitch Marner extends point streak to 16 games as Leafs continue to shine

It is a little more than one-quarter of the way through the NHL regular season, and the Maple Leafs keep chug-chug-chugging along.

Injuries to a major part of the defence corps and two top goalies have not caused much of a blip as Toronto has rolled to a 13-5-5 record, third best in the Eastern Conference and fourth best in the league over all.

There have been various contributions to chew on – especially Matt Murray and Erik Kallgren’s stellar play in goal – but Mitch Marner has been Toronto’s torchbearer so far.

It took him just 40 seconds to score on a breakaway in Pittsburgh on Saturday – faster even than Alphonso Davies’s header – as the Maple Leafs won their third road game in four days and second in a back-to-back.

Toronto heads into a game in Detroit on Monday with a 9-1-3 mark in November and 6-0-2 record since its last loss in regulation, against the Penguins on Nov. 11.

Marner has registered a point now in a career-best 16 consecutive outings. Besides the goal, he was awarded the primary assist on the game-winner by Pontus Holmberg. The latter has scored twice in three games since he was recalled from the AHL.

Marner has proved to be an exceptional playmaker in his sixplus seasons with Toronto and appears poised to surpass 100 points for the first time. He has 22 points in his past 16 games and a team-leading 27 through 23 over all.

“To me, clearly he has found his game,” Sheldon Keefe, the Maple Leafs’ coach, said after Saturday’s 4-1 victory. The team had Sunday off. “In all regards, he has just been a difference-maker for us. He is really leading the way.”

Marner had 35 goals during the 2021-22 campaign, his most yet. His assists keep piling up at the same time he has discovered a quicker trigger finger. He opened the scoring in Friday’s triumph in Minnesota over the Wild just 3 minutes 43 seconds after the puck drop.

“Our starts have been really good for the last couple of weeks,” Marner said. “We are not sitting back. We are attacking. It is something we have to do and continue to talk about.”

If the 25-year-old right wing registers a point against the Red Wings on Monday and another back home on Wednesday against San Jose, he will equal the franchise record of 18 consecutive games set by Darryl Sittler in 1978 and Eddie Olczyk in 1990.

“It’s cool, but we are just trying to collect wins and do our things,” Marner said. “We are trying to do something special. It’s not just one guy, it’s all five.”

Six when one counts Murray or Kallgren, whoever the netminder might be. Murray has won four of his five starts since he returned from a groin injury, a span in which he has allowed just 11 goals over all. Kallgren made 25 saves against Pittsburgh and is 2-0-1 over the past three.

The patched-up defence has performed better than anticipated with Jake Muzzin, T.J. Brodie, Morgan Rielly and Jordie Benn – all missing with injuries.

And even though scores have been harder to come by, the points are stacking up because fewer goals have been allowed.

William Nylander scored his 12th of the season on Saturday to tie John Tavares for the team lead. Auston Matthews got his 10th – the 200th even-strength goal of his career.

Holmberg got his second off a lovely pass from Marner after the latter stripped the puck from Kris Letang of Pittsburgh.

“What stands out to me is that the guy doesn’t make mistakes,” Keefe said of Holmberg. The Swedish right wing has played eight games. “In a period that long you expect mistakes and corrections. He just doesn’t make them. He is incredible.”

Toronto heads into the second quarter of the season with a head of steam. Marner, meanwhile, leads the charge. He has factored into the team’s first goal in each of the Leafs’ past six games.

“He is buzzing out there,” said defenceman Rasmus Sandin. “He plays with a lot of confidence. I just enjoy being on his team. He is basically flying out there.”