Mitch Marner was doing it on all ends of the ice on Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens.
Toronto clinched home-ice advantage in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Saturday night with a 1-0 overtime win over the Canadiens, in what was the first 1-0 overtime game in the history of the rivalry, regular season or playoffs.
Leafs clinch home ice advantage in Round 1 thanks to the first 1-0 Overtime game in the history of the Canadiens / Maple Leafs rivalry
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) April 13, 2025
(Regular season or Playoffs) pic.twitter.com/zUW0XuHFRO
Fittingly, it was Marner who played the hero, scoring the game’s only goal just 36 seconds into overtime. But it wasn’t just the game-winner that made his performance stand out, it was everything else he did to help get them there.
With the Leafs dressing only five defensemen due to injuries and a lack of salary cap space, the star winger was asked to potentially take reps on the blue line. Head coach Craig Berube hinted at the possibility pre-game, and sure enough, Marner took a few shifts on defense, even pairing with Brandon Carlo in the offensive zone.
“(It) kind of reminded me of when I was younger, being on the ice for a penalty kill with a lot of the top guys on the ice. I almost felt out of place being out there with Marner, Willy, A-Matts and maybe JT or something at some point. It’s fun. I enjoyed the opportunity to play on the left side a little bit and felt like we did pretty good,” said Carlo post-game.
The under-manned #leafs just sent Mitch Marner out for a shift on defense alongside Brandon Carlo in the offensive zone.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) April 12, 2025
"I don't have a lot of guys with experience that have played back there other than Mitch (Marner)," Berube said following the club's optional morning skate.
“He was fine. Not a lot happened with it. He was on defense in overtime, too, but I mean, like I said, he’s a smart player. He knows how to play the position and understands the game extremely well,” said Berube after the win.
It’s not the first time Marner’s slid back. Known as a high-end two-way forward, Marner has stepped in as a defenseman before, including in dire situations, and often plays the point on Toronto’s five-forward power-play unit. He’s comfortable back there – and, as he put it after the game, he actually enjoys it.
“I like it back there. I think I expressed that to you guys last year. I don’t feel lost or uncomfortable. I try not to make it difficult on myself, just try to make easy, quick plays. I enjoy it back there when I get the chance to play D, to be honest,” said Marner.
