The Maple Leafs' most effective duo you're barely seeing late in games
Photo credit: Thomas Salus-Imagn Images
If Craig Berube wants to ensure he has the best chance to win the game either in his own end or the opposition's, then he needs to play his most effective duo.
There's a lot of talk about how the Maple Leafs are lined up on any given night, especially with their top-six as there has been a lot of shuffling when it comes to finding the best possible trio to put up front.
Things seem to have stabilized now and the more consistently this lineup plays with each other, the more traction and momentum they'll gain. However, there happens to be a duo that's making waves even if you barely see them together.
The Odd Couple: Roy and Robertson making interesting duo
If you were to think of two names on the Maple Leafs who are polar opposites, then it's likely you might choose Nick Robertson and Nicolas Roy. While they share a same first name, their styles are completely different; not to mention physically as well.
But some new stats have shown that while they may be completely different players, it's working out in spades for Berube and the Maple Leafs:
Robertson has been red-hot recently with six points in his last five games, but he's doing it with a brand new center in Roy; someone who can be a solid playmaker while also covering for any defensive lapses.
Alec Brownscombe of Maple Leafs Hot Stove wrote of Roy after Toronto's 4-3 OT loss to the New York Islanders on Saturday:
Looking at the third-period ice time, similar to the OT loss in Detroit, there were some strange numbers down the stretch of this game.
Nic Roy played just 3:15 in the third (and only 11:42 overall), and he still picked up a critical primary assist in that time. His line was up 11-4 in shot attempts in this game, 6-3 in shots, and 1-0 in goals.
He's playing some really good hockey right now: winning battles, heavy on pucks, and making plays (four points in his last five games). He played just one shift after setting up the Robertson goal.
Nic Roy played just 3:15 in the third (and only 11:42 overall), and he still picked up a critical primary assist in that time. His line was up 11-4 in shot attempts in this game, 6-3 in shots, and 1-0 in goals.
He's playing some really good hockey right now: winning battles, heavy on pucks, and making plays (four points in his last five games). He played just one shift after setting up the Robertson goal.
Roy has been great lately with three points in five games while playing fantastic defense and winning face-offs at a high level; he's not flashy but that doesn't matter if you're effective.
They need to play more often together and perhaps Berube was trying to get the offense going and elected to keep Roy on the bench, but he's generating chances through his complete style of play and there's precedent for him to have 40+ points.
That's a perfect combination when you also factor in Easton Cowan, and the mix of speed, skill, defense and veteran leadership has proven to be a fruitful combination for Craig Berube.
Let's just hope he doesn't start messing with a good thing.