TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in daily with news and notes on the Maple Leafs. The Leafs practised at Ford Performance Centre on Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s game against the Nashville Predators.
Midway through the third period on Tuesday night, Tampa Bay’s Alex Killorn crashed the crease, falling on Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen, who had just corralled a loose puck. The six-foot-one, 197-pound Lightning forward didn’t appear to be all that interested in the puck. With the Leafs protecting a 2-1 lead, no Toronto player did anything to remove Killorn.
The team watched video of the play before practice today and discussed what happened. Sheldon Keefe was asked if he wanted to see someone come to the goalie’s defence.
“Yes and no,” the coach said. “You want someone to acknowledge it and speak up that it’s not acceptable but, at the same time, I really believe strongly that you can’t overreact to situations like that.”
“It’s all situational,” Andersen said. “I didn’t really see it happening. I was trying to battle for the puck, like, no real damage was happening so I think it would’ve been undisciplined to go after him and maybe take a two-minute penalty for something that didn’t really matter. That could hurt us even more.”
Keefe says his experience as a player has him informed how he views the matter.
“I just don’t buy into the fact that you make a big scene and you overreact and someone’s going to say, ‘Oh, OK, I won’t do that anymore.’ That’s just not reality. I think that the players know what they’re doing, they’re pretty methodical about it, you have to trust the referees are going to protect the players on the ice and it’s our job to win the games on the power play and take advantage there.”
But while Blake Coleman was called for goalie interference earlier in the game, Killorn’s jump went unpenalized.
“If they’re taking liberties and you know they’re bothering Freddie, you’re going to want to step in,” said defenceman Travis Dermott, “but it’s all situational. It’s just being smart about it.”
“We want to be standing up for each other,” said Keefe, “we’re a family and all that kind of stuff, but it’s very important, especially this time of year, that we remain composed.”
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Andersen spoke to the referee after the play and didn’t seem sold on the explanation – “He said the puck was loose” – but the Dane didn’t show any outward frustration. He didn’t allow it to shake his focus or unsettle the team.
“It fired me up a little bit and I tried to play with an edge,” the 30-year-old said.
Andersen ended the night strong stopping 32 of 33 shots overall as Toronto edged the highest-scoring team in the league. And while no one got in Killorn’s face, Andersen believes there was emotion in the team’s game and he says that has to continue.
“There has to be emotion and some sort of feeling where you want to leave everything out there and … last game was great, we came out with fire right away and took the game to them.”
It wasn’t long ago, after a blowout loss in Pittsburgh on Feb. 18, that Andersen admitted his focus wasn’t where it needed to be. He vowed to be better and has responded with a 5-1-1 run posting a .931 save percentage in that stretch.
“At the end of the day, as a goalie, I’m not going to be the loudest guy in the room,” Andersen said. “I’m playing a different sport than all the guys, technically, so the way I lead is just by playing my heart out and trying to play as well as possible and really let nothing faze me when times are a little bit tough.”
Andersen will make his 53rd start of the season tomorrow against Nashville. He was given a break last week in California and only played once in a nine-day stretch before Tuesday. Toronto only has one back-to-back set left and Keefe said there’s no specific plan to get the No. 1 goalie more rest although the team is cognizant of the need to keep Andersen fresh.
“There is an ongoing discussion, really, each day about where Fred’s at and what’s the right decision for us to make that particular day,” Keefe said.
Andersen is 9-2-0 with a .929 save percentage against the Predators, including stopping 34 of 36 shots in win in Nashville on Jan. 27.
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The Leafs are 1-5 in the shootout this season after dropping another one in Los Angeles last week. Only Boston and Columbus have a worse record his season. Toronto’s only win in the skills competition came way back in November during an 11-round marathon in Philadelphia. With points so valuable right now, Keefe made the rare move to schedule a shootout drill at the end of today’s 20-minute practice.
“To be honest, it’s not an area I’ve spent a whole lot of time thinking about,” Keefe said. “But, of course, recognizing we’re at a point in time in the season where it could be a major factor (so) you’re focusing in more this time of the year on those small details that maybe get lost throughout the season. I do believe there are elements of randomness that go on in a shootout that are uncontrollable and you can’t prepare and practice for, but we tried to have more of a game-like setting to it today.”
The sides were split into two teams with the top-six forwards and extra defence shooting on Jack Campbell and the bottom-six forwards and top defencemen shooting on Andersen. Defensive defenceman Martin Marincin scored the clinching goal for the top-six team.
“That move’s a cheat code,” Andersen said with a chuckle. “He’s got the long reach and it’s like a glitch. He did a great job. He’s gotten me with that one before as well. Maybe we’ll see him in the shootout moving forward.”
Probably not. For one thing, Marincin was a healthy scratch last night and will likely be in the press box again Thursday assuming the line rushes at practice hold true.
When Toronto gets into a shootout they will likely rely on the usual suspects even though they have largely misfired. William Nylander and Jason Spezza have scored twice on four attempts to lead the way this season while Auston Matthews has one goal on six attempts. Mitch Marner has missed on all five of his. In Los Angeles, Matthews and Marner both failed to even get a shot off on Jonathan Quick.
What’s the comfort level for Matthews in a shootout?
“I prefer overtime,” he said. “Obviously, L.A., that one kind of got away from me, but I’m pretty comfortable.”
Andreas Johnsson, who is out for the season after undergoing knee surgery, is the only Leaf other than Spezza, Nylander and Matthews to score in the shootout this season.
Denis Malgin and John Tavares joined Marincin as the only players to score in today’s five round practice competition.
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The return of Morgan Rielly was a huge boost for Toronto’s defence last night, but another key development for the Leafs has been the play of Dermott, who seemed to be stalled in his development after returning from shoulder surgery earlier this season. The 23-year-old has been elevated into a shutdown role opposite his good friend Justin Holl and has responded with his best stretch of the year.
Dermott played just over 25 minutes against the Lightning, a career-high for a game that ended in regulation. He played 25:21 in Los Angeles last week.
Against the Lightning, Dermott spent almost 11 minutes on the ice with reigning Hart Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov. Per the NaturalStatTrick website, Tampa Bay only outshot Toronto 7-6 in those five-on-five minutes and Kucherov failed to hit the scoresheet. Dermott’s reward was to be put on the ice in the final moments to preserve a crucial win.
“You try to keep your mind clear of all the nerves and stresses that can be out there,” Dermott said of his mindset. “Just rely on everything we’ve been taught and keep that in the back of your mind and stay close to Freddie, help him as much as we can and then take away pass lanes, try and block as many shots as you can so it’s pretty simple when you break it down like that, but it can be nerve-wracking at times.”
It means a lot, Dermott says, that Keefe and assistant coach Dave Hakstol, who runs the defence on the bench, have faith in him.
“It’s huge,” he said. “It really gives you that push and that confidence … you really start believing you can do it pretty quick.”
“He’s earned that through the fact that he’s improved his play,” Keefe said. “He’s stepped up and done a really good job.”
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Lines at Wednesday’s practice:
Nylander – Matthews – Hyman
Kapanen – Tavares – Marner
Engvall – Kerfoot – Malgin
Clifford – Gauthier – Spezza
Mikheyev
Rielly – Ceci
Dermott – Holl
Sandin – Barrie
Rosen – Marincin
Andersen
Campbell
What makes it more galling for the Hurricanes is that they are elite on special teams. During the regular season, their penalty kill was the best in the League (86.4 percent) and their power play was second (26.9).
They were 5-for-15 on the power play against the New York Islanders in a five-game series in the first round, but things have dried up against the Rangers, who had the third-best penalty kill in the League during the regular season.
In Game 2, the goal that tied it 3-3 — by Rangers forward Chris Kreider at 6:07 of the third period — came on the power play. Trocheck scored the winner 47 seconds after Brady Skjei took a cross-checking penalty.
In Game 1, Mika Zibanejad and Trocheck scored first-period power-play goals to turn a 1-1 tie into a 3-1 lead that put the Hurricanes on the back foot.
Their inability to match New York on the power play has been the deciding factor so far.
“We’ve got to be sharper,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “We have to get on the inside. We’re on the outside. That’s not how we do it anyways. We have to get back to how we know how to.”
That reset has to start immediately with Game 3 at PNC Arena in Raleigh on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS, CBC).
Teams that open a best-of-7 series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs at home like the Rangers have here go on to win the series 88.6 percent of the time.
The Hurricanes have been down 0-2 in a best-of-7 series and won twice; they are just 1-for-6 when losing the first two on the road.
Not only that, but New York has won each of its first six games this postseason, sweeping the Washington Capitals in the first round.
Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin is playing to a .929 save percentage after six games. He made 54 saves Tuesday.
The Hurricanes know it’s not going to be easy, but they were defiant in their cramped, funereal dressing room at the Garden on Tuesday.
They believe there is a way back.
They look at the things they did well in Game 2 and see hope. They dominated 5-on-5 play for long periods and were the more dangerous team in overtime.
“We feel good about it,” captain Jordan Staal said. “The guys worked their tails off and we had some great looks 5-on-5, as well, to end the game and then we wouldn’t even be talking about it.
“Everyone in the room knows that our special teams have to be better, and we’ll get better and find a way to turn the tide in the series.”
Can we drop the puck on the Western Conference second round between the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks already? It’s felt like ages since the Oilers dusted off the Los Angeles Kings in the opening round, which ended exactly a week ago Wednesday.
At least it’s given us time to ponder all of the important questions heading into this next series. So much time, in fact, that they’ve already been answered, ad nauseam. So, here are five other questions:
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Is there a chance? Could Vancouver be the stepping stone to finally end jokes such as:
How many Oilers fans does it take to change a lightbulb?
One to change the bulb and an entire city to lament about how great the old bulb was.
And don’t give me the ol’, ‘We’ve waited long enough,’ because I have an entire fanbase out on the West Coast to introduce you to.
Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Evan Bouchard and Stuart Skinner might not be Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Glenn Anderson, Paul Coffey and Grant Fuhr, but they’re every bit as good as there is in the NHL right now. And besides, would you really want a bunch of 63-year-olds hopping the boards out there?
If the Oilers end up making it past the division-leading Canucks, it’s only going to get tougher from there on out, with the best both conferences have to offer waiting for them in Rounds 3 and 4.
‘Paging Connor McDavid … Mr. McDavid to the front desk.’
We know you’re the best in the world. We’ve watched you shrug off that title and others like it for years now.
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Today, it’s time to show it.
After cleaning up the hardware with five league awards a year ago, we can’t shake the feeling you’ve spent this entire season focusing solely on making everyone around you better. Becoming the first player since Gretzky in ’92 to earn triple-digit assists only proves our point — and that was back in the same year the Oilers and Canucks last played in the playoffs, for those keeping score at home.
And that’s fine. Heck, maybe that’s even the ultimate secret for success in the NHL. We fully realize one guy can’t do it all himself every time. But once in a while, Connor, you’re going to have to pick this team up and carry it on your shoulders as you dipsy-doodle your way through all five opponents before deking the puck past the goalie you left grabbing his ankles at the side of the crease. Just like we know you can. So, maybe start thinking about being a little more selfish when the need arises, young man. It’s not always about sharing.
The Canucks were never supposed to hit the ground running (er, skating?) this year after pulling the trigger on a head-coaching change midway through the previous season. But Rick Tocchet didn’t need much of a runway to take his Canucks from missing playoffs for the third year in a row, and seventh time in eight seasons. Tocchet is 70-35-13 (.648) behind the Canucks bench
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The only more remarkable turnaround to be found was Kris Knoblauch being parachuted in as a rookie NHL head coach in mid-November to help Edmonton recover from a 3-9-1 start to the season, on the way to finishing with a 46-18-5 (.822) record.
Vancouver finished five points ahead of second-place Edmonton in the Pacific Division, and swept the season series 4-0. But both coaches have exactly one playoff series victory with their current team to their credit, so far, and the only thing anyone’s going to remember is which one comes out ahead in this one.
Just don’t ask Tocchet who the smart money is to bet on …
Only one thing to do in this day and age when you want to know something: Ask AI.
That’s right. We’re not leaving this one up to the so-called experts. They’re wrong every bit as often as they’re right. Thanks. Big help they are.
And besides, we basically have the entire recorded history of the written world at our fingertips, getting smarter and smarter every single day and just waiting to be accessed.
So, over to you, ChatGPT. Who is going to win the second-round NHL playoff series between the Oilers and Canucks?
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• I can’t predict the outcome of future events, including sports games like NHL playoff series. The outcome depends on various factors including team performance, player injuries, coaching strategies, and many other unpredictable elements. It’s best to watch the games and see how they unfold!
Huh? Too bad there wasn’t the technology available to compile all that information and process some sort of outcome percentage. Looks like someone still has a loooong way to go before we need to bother losing any sleep when it comes to the machines taking over the world. Good thing we didn’t ask you to tell us a joke. Wait …
• Here’s a hockey-themed joke for you:
Why did the hockey player bring string to the game?
Because he wanted to tie the score!
What, are you new? There are no ties in playoff hockey, ChatGPT. How about you try a funny joke?
• Absolutely, here’s a classic one for you:
Why was the hockey arena so cold?
Because there were a lot of fans!
Keep at it, ChatGPT. There’s still plenty of hockey left to play.
E-mail: gmoddejonge@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge
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The comeback clock struck midnight for the Maple Leafs on Saturday.
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After trailing 3-1 in the best-of-seven series against the Boston Bruins, the Leafs couldn’t fully recover.
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More pain at the hands of the Bruins came in Game 7 when David Pastrnak scored at 1:54 of overtime at TD Garden, eliminating Toronto from the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Upon scooting past Mitch Marner in the neutral zone, Pastrnak took the puck off the end boards after Hampus Lindholm dumped it into the Leafs’ end, got behind Morgan Rielly and used a backhand deke to score on Ilya Samsonov to give the Bruins a 2-1 victory.
“Very disappointed to not come out on the right side of it,” coach Sheldon Keefe told media in Boston. “Loved how our team fought to put us in this position to compete and play in this game and have a chance to be one shot away.
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“When you reflect on the series, you don’t love the hole we dug ourselves. That’s a big reason why we’re here. It’s a tough one to lose, a tough way to go.”
The loss extended a string of Game 7 losses to six in a row for the organization. Toronto has not won a Game 7 since April 20, 2004, against the Ottawa Senators in the first round.
The Leafs were the 65th team in National Hockey League history to force a Game 7 after being down 3-1 in a series. The Bruins became the 33rd team to win Game 7 after allowing the opposition to tie the series.
The Leafs showed great character in rallying from being down 3-1 in the best-of-seven first-round set. But in a series in which they didn’t have their full set of their stars for all of it, they could not complete the comeback.
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Had the Leafs had more success on the power play, and on the penalty kill, we’re probably talking about a Toronto series win.
The Leafs outscored the Bruins 11-10 at five-on-five, but the Bruins crushed them on special teams, going 6-for-17 on the power play. The Leafs were 1-for-21.
The Bruins are headed to the Sunshine State to clash with the Florida Panthers in the second round, with Game 1 set for Monday night in Sunrise.
POTENTIAL CHANGES
The off-season speculation begins now, with the future of three men — Keefe, Marner and team president Brendan Shanahan — sure to dominate the discussions of what comes next.
There’s no doubt that general manager Brad Treliving will have to make a move (or two) of significance. That could include firing Keefe and/or asking Marner to waive his no-move clause.
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The Leafs demonstrated that they could play tight, defensive hockey at the most intense time of year. Their overall physical nature was new for the group.
But given the Leafs’ inability to turn regular-season success into series wins in the post-season under Keefe, few will be surprised if Treliving decides to make a change behind the bench.
The Leafs can start negotiating a new contract with Marner, who has one year remaining on his current deal, on July 1. How will that conversation between Treliving and Mariner’s agent, Darren Ferris, go?
Marner didn’t prove his worth in the series, recording three points in seven games.
Shanahan has been in charge for 10 years and the Leafs have won one playoff series. Will new MLSE boss Keith Pelley need to be convinced that he shouldn’t fire Shanahan?
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This Leafs group, the core that is, never has been great at looking inward and being truly self-critical. That continued.
“Look, I don’t think there’s an issue with the core,” William Nylander said. “I think we were (bleeping) right there all series, battled hard and got to Game 7 in OT. That’s a (bleep) feeling.”
And this from captain John Tavares: “The type of hockey we needed to play to give ourselves a chance to win the series, and the way we came together, there’s no doubt we are right there.”
Actually, there is some doubt. Close doesn’t count in hockey. And it’s not as though the Leafs are coming close to winning the Stanley Cup.
“This is as tight a group as I’ve been a part of here,” Auston Matthews said. “I feel like we say that every year, but it truly was an incredible group.”
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But not good enough, nor tight enough, to win.
Keefe paused after he was asked how strongly he believes this core will eventually break through.
“We have been talking about this for a long time, trying to break through for a long time,” Keefe said. “The answer is going to fall on deaf ears in that sense, and I get that.
“All I will say is the way the group pulled together in this last week, and through the season, this group was different this year. The core you are referring to isn’t different. The guys around it are different, the feeling around the team was different, we played different. I thought we showed signs in this series of a team that could win. There are reasons for me to believe that this team will win.”
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GAME ON
The match served as a snapshot of what the series had become. It was tight-checking, with scoring chances mostly coming only after diligence.
The suspense had observers on edge from the opening faceoff, and there was nothing to show on the scoreboard through 40 minutes.
Nylander scored the game’s first goal at 9:01 of the third period, hitting an open net behind goalie Jeremy Swayman on a pass from Matthews, after Tyler Bertuzzi got control along the boards.
The building wasn’t silent for long. At 10:22, Lindholm tied the game, getting a shot through some bodies to beat Samsonov on the short side.
Thick was the drama before the game, as word began to circulate that Leafs goalie Joseph Woll would not be playing.
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That became the Leafs’ reality when Samsonov led the team on to the ice for the pre-game warmup. Within seconds, the Leafs posted on X that Woll was out because of an injury that the 25-year-old suffered in Game 6.
There had been no indication in the previous few days that Woll, who starred in the Leafs’ wins in Games 5 and 6, would not be in net. Keefe confirmed that it was late in Game 6 that Woll was hurt.
Martin Jones dressed as the backup.
Samsonov was sharp, finishing with 29 saves.
MATTHEWS RETURNS
Then there was Matthews, who had been skating by himself in the past week before he joined his teammates for the morning skate and then played 17 1/2 minutes after missing the previous two games.
Initially, Matthews missed practices and morning skates as he dealt with an illness. Sometime in the past week, the thinking is that it was an injury that kept Matthews out.
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“I’m not going to get into that tonight,” Matthews said when asked about his injury. “The next couple of days, will process this and go over it, but not getting into that tonight.”
Matthews wasn’t himself, certainly not the dominating player he was in Game 2, but was able to make an impact. As well as an assist, Matthews had three shots on goal, six hits and was 11-8 in the faceoff circle.
In Matthews’ return, Nick Robertson was scratched.
NYLANDER CONFIRMS
Nylander shed some light on why he missed the first three games of the series.
“They just kept me precautionary to see what was going on,” Nylander said. “I had a migraine, but in case it could have been a concussion (he was kept out). Once I started feeling better, they let me play.”
What difficulty would there have been in trying to play though a migraine?
“The situation is very complicated,” Nylander said. “It’s hard to explain exactly what it is. My vision goes, can’t really see out of my eyes, gets messed up. It’s hard to play.”
X: @koshtorontosun
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