Maple Leafs' Kadri shines against Stars

Nazem Kadri has one goal and six points in 11 games. He hasn't scored in two-and-a-half weeks. And although he shows up only once in Monday's box score, thanks to a primary assist, he played one of his best games of the year in the Toronto Maple Leafs' upset of the Dallas Stars.

More importantly, Kadri's earning the trust of Mike Babcock, his new head coach.

While Joffrey Lupul and Brad Boyes had multi-point games Monday, Kadri was the Maple Leafs' best forward against the NHL's second-best team - and it wasn't close. In a game Dallas dominated at five-on-five, Kadri was one of two Toronto forwards - the other was Leo Komarov - to finish with a positive Corsi differential. Kadri led Toronto in scoring chances (four), high-danger scoring chances (two), and shots (four). He also finished second on the club in hits (four), and drew penalties - something he's now among the NHL's best at doing. Three of five Dallas infractions came against Kadri, two hooking calls and a tripping minor.

A tap on the shoulder

What stood out, though, was the way Babcock used Kadri late in the third period, Toronto up 3-1, with Dallas pressing, its dangerous top line on the ice and net empty.

With 2:07 left in the third period, Jamie Benn won a faceoff in Toronto's zone against Tyler Bozak - the Maple Leafs' best faceoff man - clean back to John Klingberg, whose wrist shot was gloved easily by goaltender James Reimer.

The clubs reset to Reimer's left, and again Benn beat Bozak clean, this time the puck going to Tyler Seguin, who immediately fired a dangerous snap shot low, trying to go five-hole. Reimer, again, came up huge, closing the door, although he wasn't sure he'd kept the puck out. But Toronto's two-goal lead remained intact. And that's when Kadri got the call.

Bozak skated off, the only change the Maple Leafs made on the play, tapping No. 43's shin pads with his stick as he passed him.

Kadri, a decidedly poor center at faceoffs so far in his career, lined up against Benn and beat him, the puck sent into the corner. The play, however, was whistled dead, Benn tossed for cheating. In the ensuing scrum, Benn gave Kadri a shot to the mouth - he was clearly under Dallas' skin at that point.

The teams again reset to Reimer's left, with Seguin lining up to battle Kadri on the draw. Kadri beat him, too, clean. Forty-nine seconds later, Klingberg was penalized for hooking Komarov, and the game was over, Toronto adding a pretty power-play goal for its fourth marker.

Kadri won 9-of-13 faceoffs Monday night, and ended up with more defensive zone starts than offensive zone starts (six to four).

Prime time

Kadri turned 25 on Oct. 6. He's on a one-year, $4-million contract, and continues to say all the right things. He's spoken openly about communication being better on the Maple Leafs this season. And he wants to improve.

"I feel like I'm starting to understand the game a lot better," Kadri said, according to Sportsnet's Damien Cox. "Don't get me wrong, I love the goals and assists. But there are lots of other ways to help a team win."

Added Kadri, "The coaching staff is encouraging me, not pointing fingers at me. I want to be a multi-dimensional player. I want to be able to play in all situations."

Kadri and Babcock took important steps in that direction Monday night. Kadri finished second to Bozak among forwards in ice time, playing 18:38, and his 18:24 average on the season is the highest of his career. And it's only a matter of time before his 2.2 shooting percentage - one goal on 46 shots - climbs back up to his 11.7 career average.

A 2-7-2 record isn't the start Babcock envisioned for his Maple Leafs, regardless of the pain the head coach knew was coming. But through 11 games it's clear the Maple Leafs are a different team, a better team, standings be damned, and the play of Kadri and Morgan Rielly - whose three-point, all-around effort made him the Maple Leafs' top scorer - gives the team and its fans hope for the future.

And hope is all anyone invested in the Maple Leafs is looking for right now.