3 Leafs who stepped up to secure a win in Matthews' absence

The Toronto Maple Leafs got their first taste of life without super sophomore Auston Matthews on Wednesday versus the Minnesota Wild, and survived the test with a 4-2 victory.

By no means was it the prettiest win, as Toronto was outshot 37-19, but it's a big two points nonetheless.

Here are three players who ensured the victory with Matthews serving as an onlooker.

Frederik Andersen

Andersen was far and away Toronto's best player, making 35 stops to give the Leafs a chance.

The Wild largely controlled play, and produced 32 scoring chances - 10 of which classified as high-danger - at 5-on-5 (Natural Stat Trick), but Andersen stood tall and was able to steal the win in one of his better performances this season.

Nazem Kadri

(Photo Courtesy: Getty Images)

Kadri gave the Leafs an early lead in the first period, while he and his line - featuring Leo Komarov and William Nylander - were the only Toronto forwards to record a positive shot differential at even strength.

If Matthews remains out, Toronto's reliance on Kadri as the No. 1 center, at both ends of the ice, will be of utmost importance.

Nikita Zaitsev

Zaitsev didn't contribute a point, but was noticeably solid alongside partner Jake Gardiner in ensuring Toronto survived Minnesota's onslaught as the game wore on. He was particularly strong on the penalty kill, where he logged a staggering 4:47 of ice-time.

At 5-on-5, Zaitsev led the way among Toronto defenseman with a Corsi-For percentage of 48.5, which, given how tilted the ice was in Minnesota's favor, is a respectable performance on a night that was more about survival than making the highlight reels.

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