Maple Leafs have been dominant since shuffling forward lines
The Toronto Maple Leafs have really hit their stride over the last four games, and it's no coincidence that it transpired as soon as head coach Mike Babcock made a fairly significant lineup adjustment.
This was the Leafs' lineup for their game against the Colorado Avalanche on Jan. 22 - one game before their current four-game winning streak:
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
| Zach Hyman | Auston Matthews | William Nylander |
| Patrick Marleau | Nazem Kadri | Leo Komarov |
| James van Riemsdyk | Tyler Bozak | Connor Brown |
| Matt Martin | Frederik Gauthier | Mitch Marner |
Here's the lineup they've iced for the last quartet of games, in which they've outscored their opponents 16-3:
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
| Zach Hyman | Auston Matthews | William Nylander |
| Patrick Marleau | Nazem Kadri | Mitch Marner |
| James van Riemsdyk | Tyler Bozak | Connor Brown |
| Leo Komarov | Dominic Moore | Kasperi Kapanen |
The biggest change was clearly Marner's promotion to the second line. Not only has it vaulted his own play (three points in four games) but Kadri has also benefited, tallying more points in his last four contests (five) than he did in the 20 games prior (two).
Moreover, replacing Martin and Gauthier with Moore and Kapanen has given the Leafs a formidable fourth line with a nice combination of speed, skill, and defensive awareness.
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