Maple Leafs power play looks rejuvenated under new coach

"The last two games, the win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night and the tough overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday night, have brought the Maple Leafs' power play back to life. The reanimation is akin to the scene in which Dr. Frankenstein yells, "It's alive!" as the creature regains life. Indeed, the Maple Leafs' power play looks rejuvenated. But then again, it looks like Steve Sullivan is a genius for getting back to basics."

"Now, I'll be honest. I thought the Leafs had removed Auston Matthews from the one-timer position because his shot was gone. But it seems that was simply a mistake. On Sunday night, Matthews' shot looked like it returned from the depths of the abyss. Matthews got a couple of good looks, including one where he nearly took Simon Edvinsson's foot off."

"The team has gone back to moving the puck around, trying to set up Matthews' shot. That's a huge shift from trying to get point shots through and hoping for deflections and rebounds. Moving the puck has resulted in better looks and, of course, goals. By allowing Matthews to get the one-timer, opponents have to defend against it. As such, that opens up other spots for said rebounds and deflections. The return to basics has essentially added more dimensions to the waning Leafs' power play."

Marc Savard was dismissed and Steve Sullivan took over the Maple Leafs' power play coaching duties. The Leafs produced three power-play goals in the last two games, including a Matthew Knies goal against Detroit. The unit shifted from relying on point shots and deflections to moving the puck to create Auston Matthews one-timer opportunities. Matthews' shot regained effectiveness, creating better looks and scoring chances. The coaching change acted as a wake-up call and the return to basics added more dimensions to a previously struggling power play.

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