Tavares delivers 'unbelievable' hat trick as Maple Leafs jam it to Flyers

TORONTO — They came wondering if jerseys would get tossed on the ice.

Instead, hats.

Dozens of them, donated with zest.

After the doffed chapeaus that had littered Scotiabank Arena’s chewed-up surface had been shovelled away, the smiles and win music long absent from the Toronto Maple Leafs dressing room lingered.

“It’s been a little while, I think,” John Tavares conceded.

Happy and relieved, the captain of hockey’s most scrutinized club was discussing his hat trick in a slump-busting 5-2 victory over the thin-but-feisty Philadelphia Flyers.

But, after sleeping nine nights on the West Coast without a single encouraging performance to show for it, Tavares could have just as easily been referring to the win.

Or the refreshingly upbeat mood of his teammates.

"A lot of s--- going on around the city here about this club," was how rival coach John Tortorella characterized the temperature in Toronto surrounding Sheldon Keefe’s underperforming players.

On Wednesday, there was a lot of stuff going on whenever Tavares had the puck on his blade.

At one point during his postgame scrum, Toronto’s leading scorer (seven goals, 14 points in 11 games) stopped and asked for clarification on which goal a reporter wanted him to describe. There were so many of them, he forgot.

Tavares factored in four of the five, a big-time player supplying a big-time performance under big-time pressure.

“He was on it tonight, for sure,” Auston Matthews said, beaming. “Leading the way for us.”

“Unbelievable. He’s a leader. He showed for us how we need to play,” goalie Ilya Samsonov added. “We get smile because day off tomorrow.”

In addition to bulldozing the Leafs’ greatest — and most necessary — outburst of offence this season, Tavares exercised his usual dominance in the face-off circle, registered two steals and peppered five of Toronto’s 44 shots on net.

All this while skating just 12:44 (mostly because of all the penalty-killing work).

Considering his time on Long Island, does Tavares hate the Flyers a little extra?

“Any team that doesn’t wear a Maple Leaf,” he quipped.

Well, there was certainly some nasty in how Tavares singlehandedly made Flyers defender Travis Sanheim wonder if he really wants to spend eight more years in this conference:

Keefe describes Tavares’s Gotta See It™ goal from a strategic standpoint: “He drives it deep. It’s a good spot to take on the defenceman right there, and you trust your skillset to do so. Really deep in the zone. Take him on. Big-time play. Put the game away for us.”

Tavares’s first goal was a rare one-timed laser from long range:

And his power-play insurance marker was a high-difficulty “reverse bumper” move in the high slot:

If Tavares brought vigilance and variety, the city’s other homecoming king, Mark Giordano, brought violence.

The 39-year-old played his heart out Wednesday, and even when the game was out of reach, came to the storming defence of Matthews.

Through all the brutal showings and blaring criticism that have marked the Leafs’ concerning start this season, Tavares and Giordano haven’t questioned the crest, the town.

“I love it. People are passionate about our team here. People are excited for us to do well. I'd much rather play in a city that cares and is really involved in the day-to-day operations of the team and following us,” Giordano said.

“It's a passionate fan base. Of course, you hear things, and you see things and you watch things. But there's nothing like playing in a Canadian market. It's great."

Wednesday was far from perfect, but it was an encouraging step toward getting these Leafs back on the rails.

The offence got churning, the players had each other's backs, and those in attendance were treated to a level of heart and highlights that was absent for most of October.

The No. 1 team in hockey, the Boston Bruins, roll through town Saturday.

Now, there’s a real test.

At least the Maple Leafs will carry a measure of confidence into another battle on home ice.

“Our fans will be here to support us,” Keefe said, “if we give them reason to support us.”

• Why has Keefe been so eager to change every line, every pairing during this strenuous stretch except for breaking up the Matthews-Marner duo?

“I’m not at the point yet where I feel like the answer for us to get going is to separate the guys that had some of the best chemistry in the league last season and carried us to great heights in the regular season,” the coach explained.

“Those guys are committed to working through it together. I’m still at the point where I’m willing to work with them on that.”

The idea has been discussed internally, however, despite the superstars combining for a surprising three even-strength goals through 11 games.

“Obviously, nothing’s off the table at this point in terms of what the options may be if we don’t start to see progress,” Keefe warned.

• Keefe on Tortorella’s pregame defence of the heat he has taken lately:

“Not the first time Torts has spoken his mind. I certainly don’t need that. I know what my job is. I know what I need to do. I certainly appreciate it. I appreciate his career, who he is, and how he handles himself, and how he speaks his mind on whatever the topic is.”

• Owen Tippett shattered a Sportsnet camera during warmups before sniping one from distance past Samsonov:

• The boos birds came out for the beleaguered Justin Holl during this tough shift.

• Defenceman Timothy Liljegren will be activated off LTIR Friday and should make his season debut Saturday versus Boston. Keefe cannot wait to get another natural right shot in his lineup.