Max Domi's Comments Prove Why He's So Valuable to the Maple Leafs
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
It took many by surprise, but Max Domi's two-goal performance showed exactly why Toronto believes in him and his post-game comments show why he's worth the money.
To everyone's shock on Tuesday night, not only did the Toronto Maple Leafs come away with a regulation win, but they were helped by a two-goal performance from Max Domi, who finally seemed to show why Toronto invested so heavily in him.
First, he wired a shot past Dustin Wolf, then proceeded to score the game winner with yet another snipe that beat Wolf low:
As much as it must've pained Domi to take a shot, knowing how often he prefers to pass, clearly he's good at it, and has listened to Craig Berube who implored him to let the puck fly a bit more.
Max Domi Shows Leadership With Selfless Message
But it was his comments after the game that show although he's clearly happy to have gotten the proverbial monkey off his back, it was about the team as a whole and he was just thrilled to come away with the victory:
We won, so nothing else matters, man. Honestly, you're not going to get much in terms of the individual stuff. That stuff is so irrelevant. It's a long season, and we need everyone.
So every night there's going to be someone else that steps up, gets some bounces here and there. But we're a group that relies on every single guy in this room.
So every night there's going to be someone else that steps up, gets some bounces here and there. But we're a group that relies on every single guy in this room.
Spoken like a true veteran, Domi understands that he hasn't played his best at times, and even after scoring his first goal of the game showed more relief than excitement.
It shows that the united front that Craig Berube and company want to implement is working, and as always, having a bit of patience is going to be the key to success.
Craig Berube Praises Domi's Performance After His Two-Goal Night
The head coach was also quite complimentary of Domi after the performance, and admitted the forward was more focused and looked engaged with all facets of the game recently:
He has been good. For me, Max has been a different player in the last three games.
He is more engaged, and when he is an engaged player, he is a good player. He was getting a lot of opportunities at the net.
He was competitive on the puck. He was skating with the puck.
He is more engaged, and when he is an engaged player, he is a good player. He was getting a lot of opportunities at the net.
He was competitive on the puck. He was skating with the puck.
There is a lot to say about Domi's effort at times however last night he showed the bulldog mentality that we love to see. He was fighting for pucks, he was quick to the net, and most importantly was selfish.
Normally that's a bad thing, but Max has issues with shooting the puck at times, and it's cost the team a lot of potential goals due to a lack of a killer instinct.
This is a player who scored 28 goals and had 72 points in 2018-19, so it's not like Domi is some bottom-six scrub; he's notoriously slow to start but has proven he can come through.
Last year in the playoffs he added seven points in 13 games including an OT winner, and has been one of the better playoff performers for the team over the past three seasons.
There may be a lot of criticism towards how much Toronto pays Max Domi and his inconsistencies on the ice. But after performances like Tuesday, and his post-game reflection one thing remains clear.
The Toronto Maple Leafs value Max Domi a lot more than we realize, and his presence albeit frustrating at times, helps the team in the long-run time and time again.
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