This week served up one of the early season’s first big showdowns, as the Maple Leafs and Jets hosted each other in a two-game miniseries for Canadian bragging rights. The two games came with a big spotlight on both sides of the border, as the teams faced off on national TV in the U.S. on Wednesday before getting the prime Hockey Night in Canada slot on Saturday. We weren’t sure whether we’d get any sort of decisive result, but we figured at least one team would come away from the week feeling good about themselves.



Yeah, maybe not.



Let’s start with the Maple Leafs, who ended up taking both games in regulation. That’s a huge result for a young team that’s still trying to learn how to close out good teams. They carried the play for much of the two games, weathered a dangerous Jets attack, largely shut down Patrik Laine and blitzed the Jets for three quick goals on Saturday to steal two points. All in all, pretty much an ideal...