Just 10 months ago, the Maple Leafs headed to Western Canada on a trip that triggered their descent to 30th place, trading captain Dion Phaneuf along the way.

A much different team departs for Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver on Monday. The Leafs have just six road points so far but are much more stable in core, sticking close to the wildcard playoff pack after one of its most complete games of the season.

“We’ve had a couple of good wins and some we should’ve won that didn’t,” centre Nazem Kadri said. “For the most part in terms of experience (the ups and downs of 9-8-4), it helps us. You have to crawl before you can walk and walk before you can run.”

For Kadri, the most eventful part of the trip will be Saturday in Vancouver, a month after his controversial hit on Daniel Sedin enraged the entire West Coast.

Kadri was kicked out of that game, but cleared of deliberate head hunting. A brawl broke out later involving both goalies, while Vancouver’s Erik Gudbranson made a verbal death threat for the next meeting against Matt Martin of the Leafs.

“I’m just thinking about the next game (Tuesday against Connor McDavid and the Oilers),” Kadri said. “But there is definitely going to be some hostility. I think we’ve played better under that kind of pressure, definitely myself. I don’t mind it all. We’ll be going up against some good players and you have to be hard on them, one-on-one.”

Toronto halted a three-game losing streak Saturday by locking down Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals until late in the game, earning a 4-2 win. The night was full of positives — two more points for Mitch Marner as he rises near the top of NHL rookie scoring, a mostly solid game by Toronto’s much maligned defence, the play of Nikita Soshnikov and Frederik Andersen’s goaltending.

“We’re right in the hunt now for a playoff position and these are some critical points coming up for us,” winger James van Riemsdyk said of the trip. “We have to make sure we bank some.”

There should be an update Monday on William Nylander’s condition. The right winger was scratched just before Saturday’s game with an upper-body injury that head coach Mike Babcock called “day-to-day”.

Soshnikov moved up with Kadri and Leo Komarov, though, and elements of four lines all scored (Kadri, van Riemsdyk, Auston Matthews and Martin). Soshnikov also had 4:18 of power play time, assisting on van Riemsdyk’s goal.

“He’s got a big shot and he hunts the puck back pretty well,” van Riemsdyk said of the pugnacious Russian. “A big part of the power play is getting the puck back. He's excitable and yelling for the puck when he’s open. He lets you know he’s there and that’s a good thing.”

Marner added two assists and, had he not stumbled on a late-game breakaway, might have taken the NHL rookie scoring lead into the new week. He’s tied with Patrik Laine of the Jets with 18 points, while Matthews and Nylander are in the Top 5.

Saturday also marked the first time the Leafs won a game in which No. 1-overall pick Matthews has scored.

New stopper Andersen, meanwhile, has a .932 save percentage in his last 13 starts.

“There are new surroundings, new apartment, new city, tons of different things,” van Riemsdyk said of Andersen’s adjustment from Anaheim. “You can see how much pride he takes in his game. We didn’t do a good enough job in front of him earlier.”

lhornby@postmedia.com