While it’s taken time for the Maple Leafs to get their engines firing on all cylinders, the man leading the blue and white forward, the one bearing the responsibility of the “C” stitched to his sweater, has needed no extra push.
After a two-point performance in Toronto’s disappointing opener Wednesday, John Tavares was front and centre to pull his club forward in the redemption effort Thursday night. After potting the opening goal six-and-a-half minutes into the opening frame, he spent the next two periods dominating the faceoff circle (finishing with a sterling 71 per cent) and feeding linemate William Nylander chance after chance on Lindgren.
“We talked about being more patient with our game,” the captain said of how his squad adjusted its approach against the Capitals. “I think we tried to do a little too much yesterday, caught us chasing a little bit. So, just sticking with it. Obviously, it was more of a physical night compared to yesterday, it was a hard-fought game.
“We just stuck with our game, and eventually … we broke through and got some big plays when we needed them.”
Like his star scorer, like his captain, Keefe was well-aware of just how needed those plays were, just how important a win Thursday was after what happened a night earlier, even with 98 per cent of the season yet to be played.
“I do think it’s really important,” the coach said. “We have expectations as a team, not just to get the results that we want to get as we go through this journey, but just how we conduct ourselves and how we perform. The first game of the season, it was a good opportunity for us to build positive momentum and get rolling, and we didn’t get that done.
“So, it was important for us to really talk about that and be honest about it, not just brush it aside as just another game or just one game. We had a frank discussion this morning, and I thought the guys responded really well.”
