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'They're Dogs': How Maple Leafs' Fourth Line Stepped Up Massively In Win Over Rangers
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- 'They're Dogs': How Maple Leafs' Fourth Line Stepped Up Massively In Win Over Rangers
The Toronto Maple Leafs ' fourth line played their best game of the season on Thursday against the New York Rangers in a 5-4 dramatic win at Scotiabank Arena.
The trio made up of Brandon Duhaime, Teddy Blueger, and Zack MacEwen isn't deployed specifically to get on the scoresheet, but they are the story of Toronto's sixth win of the campaign.
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Duhaime recorded his first-ever three-point performance with a goal and two assists. MacEwen and Blueger both registered multi-point outings, too, with MacEwen earning two assists and Blueger with a goal and a helper.
"Yeah, awesome night for those guys," defenseman Morgan Rielly said post-game. "They worked extremely hard there. They're dogs on the forecheck, and had their fingerprints all over this one."
This was the first time all season that any member of the fourth line got on the scoresheet this season. They feel that their play has been ramping up with the more opportunities they get to play with each other.
"I think the past maybe four or five games we've been doing well on the forecheck and, you know, creating a few opportunities where maybe we haven't been rewarded in that aspect," Duhaime said. "But we've just been playing the right way, simple, hard, just kind of to our identity. And, yeah, I thought tonight was no different."
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"I don't know if it's worked great at the start, but I think the last couple games we're supporting each other better," Blueger said of the fourth line. "We're closer to each other on those forechecks. It's important to get that puck stopped right away, and then the next two guys are in the battle. So I think just a couple little details, some improvement in chemistry, just getting to know each other better, getting used to each other better. That's how it helps."
Indeed, chemistry is such an important factor in any good team and how they function. The entirety of that fourth line was brought in this passing off-season as free agents, meaning they had a lot to learn from each other coming to Toronto.
But as some of those players alluded to, they are finding a rhythm that works and have been effective, not only against the Rangers, but in the past few contests.
"You know, they've been really good since they've been put together," Leafs head coach Jim Hiller said. "Haven't scored as much, but they've been playing in the offensive zone. Everybody always loves it when those guys get rewarded with goals and points and stuff like that because they do the dirty work. They're blocking shots, getting all the forechecks going. So I think that's what makes the night extra special."
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That specific fourth-line trio has had a good chunk of games together to this point, and they've been able to create the identity of a hard-checking line that is tough to play against.
"Yeah, I think it's just fast, predictable, hard hockey," MacEwen said of how the fourth line operates. "We know what each one of us are going to do with the puck. We want to get it behind their D. We want to wear D down. We want to set it up for the next line. When we get rewarded, that's great. We know what our job is, and I think we're doing a good job of clicking and figuring that out."
As mentioned, these three players haven't played a game with each other before this season. But they appear to be fairly effective in their limited role, and work well off one another.
"Well, we weren't sure," Hiller said about the plan to construct the fourth line and how they ended up together. "Mack came off a big injury last year, so we weren't quite sure where he would go. Certainly with Dewey (Duhaime and Blue (Blueger), that was part of the plan that John (Chayka) had, I think. And some penalty killers, too, to add some specific role players. But, yeah, the three of them have looked really, really good together and really give us something. I don't know what you want to call it, but it's something."
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