Maple Leafs embrace tougher test vs. Avalanche

The Toronto Maple Leafs should get a better idea of how far they have rebounded from their recent slump when they host the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night.

With captain Auston Matthews leading the way with two power-play goals and an assist, the Maple Leafs thumped the visiting Calgary Flames 6-2 on Monday.

The result came as a relief to the Maple Leafs, who had an alarming tendency to surrender leads in losing five of their previous six games.

After a lackluster effort in a 4-2 home loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, the Maple Leafs (40-24-3, 83 points) showed more urgency on Monday.

“We came out with the right intensity, the right attitude and focus, and I thought it translated throughout the whole game,” Matthews said. “Just the life and energy that I think all 20-plus guys brought to the rink (Monday) was great.”

Max Domi started the scoring for Toronto and added an artful assist.

“We knew we needed this one,” Domi said. “Been going through the grinder a little bit right now. We literally had everyone going. There wasn’t one passenger (Monday). And when we’re like that, we’re a tough team to beat, man.”

“Max Domi’s game has gone to another level,” Toronto coach Craig Berube said. “He’s way more aggressive. He’s being the player like we want him to be, where he’s in people’s faces, he’s disrupting things, he’s using his speed. And he’s a playmaker. The guy can pass the puck.”

The Avalanche are on an 8-0-1 run and should provide a sterner test for the Maple Leafs. They are coming off a 4-3 overtime home win over the Dallas Stars on Sunday.

“We know this week’s going to be a challenging one,” Matthews said. “It’s not easy to win, especially when you’re going through adversity. So, we’ll enjoy this, and we’ll get ready for a really good team coming in here on Wednesday and just try to keep this rolling.”

The inability to hold a 4-2 lead led to the Maple Leafs’ 7-4 road loss to the Avalanche on March 8. Toronto was still ahead 4-3 halfway through the third period before Colorado scored four times, twice into an empty net.

The Avalanche (41-24-3, 85 points) had their own problems holding a lead on Sunday. They took a 3-1 advantage into the third period but the Stars scored two goals to tie. Cale Makar scored in overtime to give the Avalanche the win against their Central Division rival.

“You knew that they were going to give everything they had in the third,” Makar said. “But I felt like we closed the period really nice with the last two minutes there and found a way in overtime.”

“I thought we played a great hockey game until we coughed up those couple pucks in the D-zone,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “And I guess when you look at all three goals they got, they were D-zone turnovers. But great effort. We were skating, playing on both sides of the puck.”

The Avalanche will again be without defenseman Josh Manson (lower-body injury) on Wednesday. He left the 4-2 win at Calgary on Friday and did not play on Sunday.

“He’s been looked at already,” Bednar said. “He’s getting other opinions and looking at trying to figure out what the rehab process is like. I don’t have a timeline, but again, it’s not day-to-day.”

Nathan MacKinnon leads the NHL with 76 assists and 103 points. He netted a pair of goals in the March 8 win over Toronto.