Tanev The Tank: Leafs Defenseman Shot Blocking Heroics Steal the Show

There was a scary moment during the second period, but Chris Tanev returned to Tuesday’s game and steered the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 3-1 victory over the New York Islanders.

Tanev took a puck to the face during the second period and skated to the locker room immediately, but returned after getting repairs. The 35-year-old leads all players in blocked shots, and he continues to be an outstanding presence for the Maple Leafs. Tanev isn’t known for his offensive flair, but he kept pucks alive, generated a secondary assist, and kept the Islanders’ attack at bay throughout the contest.

Let’s hear it from his teammates and coaches:

“No surprise from him. Tough guy, competitor, ultimate type of warrior, albeit impressive,” Maple Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly said of Tanev.

“He’s old school for sure and he’s a gamer, all around,” Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube added about Tanev post-game. He lays it on the line. I was expecting him back sooner than later. He’s a special player with just how he thinks the game and plays the game, not a lot of those guys around anymore. We’re very fortunate to have him.”

“I don’t think I’ve seen a d-man block as many shots as he does. Composure, he never panics with the puck. If he doesn’t have a play, he eats it. Grinds it out of the zone, or grinds it to make a play later. He never panics, his head is up. He’s a very intelligent player, I’ll tell you that. His ability is his ability, but his ability is right here (pointing to his head) and right here (pointing to his heart).”

“You guys see it out there. He’s very underrated, I think, even when people talk about how good he is defensively,” Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll said post-game of Tanev. “He’s so poised with the puck, he makes great plays, and he blocks a lot of shots, he’s a goalie’s best friend back there.”

David Kampf, Steven Lorentz and John Tavares scored for the Maple Leafs, while Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored the lone goal for the Islanders. Matthew Knies appeared to get on the board for the Maple Leafs, but his goal was called back due to goaltender inference, as William Nylander lightly touched Ilya Sorokin on way to the net.

Lorentz earned the team belt, awarded to the Leafs’ best or most impactful player in a winning effort.

Here are five takeaways from the Maple Leafs’ 3-1 victory over the Islanders:

Chris Tanev’s shot-blocking excellence was the story of the game, especially after returning to action without further incident. Tanev is the NHL’s premier shot blocker, but he exits the zone with fluency, and he’s provided a level of stability and poise that this era of the Maple Leafs have been sorely lacking in the past. Tanev broke up the Islanders’ attack, he kept pucks alive in the offensive zone and gained a secondary assist on David Kampf’s opening goal, while blocking two shots on the previous sequence. He kept the Islanders away from the net-front, in a game where the Islanders tried to get as many bodies in front of Woll. Tanev is now up to 106 blocked shots on the year, and no one would blink twice if the Maple Leafs elected to load manage him during the second half of the year, but he’s been essential to this team, and the 2024-25 Maple Leafs, in some ways, have been defined by Tanev and the goaltenders changing the identity of the team.

William Nylander can create with whoever he’s paired with, which weighs two ideas against each other: is the answer to Toronto’s secondary scoring issues simply sprinkling in a few shifts for Nylander with the bottom-six, or should the Leafs consider moving him to centre, so he can get overflow minutes? Nylander set up David Kampf’s opening goal with a fantastic pass from behind the net, after establishing the zone with a good burst of speed, working the puck back to Tanev at the point. We don’t want to be overly critical of Kampf after tonight’s game, especially when he scored his second goal in three contests, but he’s not optimally suited for a top-six role, but Nylander can elevate his ceiling. Nylander also helped get an ice-cold Matthew Knies back on track, looking to put the burgeoning power forward in positions to attack the net-front and play to his strengths. Knies finished a game-best five shots, Nylander finished with four, and Toronto’s star winger is a walking mismatch against any opponent.

Connor Dewar and Steven Lorentz continued to lead a strong, renewed effort from the fourth line, while Ryan Reaves made the most of his opportunity, generating a primary assist on Lorentz’s goal — he entered the lineup in place of Pontus Holmberg, who was ruled out due to illness. Lorentz took a Reaves pass, then dangled around Islanders defenceman Scott Mayfield, before scoring his fourth goal of the season and did a version of the Lambeau Leap into the boards. Dewar has 15 hits in his past four games and is coming alive, after effectively treading water for most of the year, and the fourth line may finally be adding some much-needed secondary scoring. Lorentz almost fed Dewar for a goal of his own, and the unique combination of speed and physicality could be a real asset in the second half of the season. “I thought the Dewar line was good tonight, providing energy for us and got us a big goal. Used them in situations and I thought they kept things going a little bit for us,” Berube said post-game.

After much consternation about the goaltending rotation, Joseph Woll submitted a stellar effort, winning his second consecutive start. Woll laughed off any concern about a potential injury in the second period, telling reporters he’s ‘totally fine post-game’. Woll came up with a huge save on a Brock Nelson breakaway to maintain Toronto’s 2-1 lead, he was on top of pucks and didn’t seem to be remotely phased by the Islanders’ net-front activity. It’s a sound performance from Woll, as he maintains the clear No. 1 role in Anthony Stolarz’s absence.

There’s no point in being cruel, but Philippe Myers continues to outplay Simon Benoit and Conor Timmins through December. It took a while for Myers to earn playing time, and it should be clearly noted that he’s benefiting from a superior teammate in Morgan Rielly,b but he’s also become more confident with the puck, more assertive when he pinches, while playing with the brand of physicality that Berube and general manager Brad Treliving covet. This should be an open competition, barring a trade ahead of the deadline.