Odds are, Maple Leafs’ Matthews, Marner will find another gear

Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Gabe Vilardi and Kevin Fiala are going to play together.

Last season, Keefe separated Matthews and Marner for a 10-game stretch to turn things around for the team. This season they are not counted on to carry the offensive load by themselves. Tavares currently leads the Leafs with 14 points. He scored his second goal in Wednesday's game. The team was only a couple days removed from a blown two-goal lead in Anaheim. The game against Philadelphia was played in a tight game, which helped the players to get closer together. They have a tough weekend back-to-back against Boston and Carolina. It's the kind of things that build a team closer.

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