Holl's physical decision in win versus Oilers a boost Maple Leafs could use every so often – Toronto Sun

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Good on Justin Holl to pounce toward the end of the first period on Saturday night.

After Tyler Ennis bumped Maple Leafs goaltender Jack Campbell at the side of the net, Holl reacted immediately, sending a clear physical message to the Edmonton Oilers forward that getting contact on the netminder would be unwise.

“The importance of that, and not necessarily having to drop the gloves, but standing our ground and letting our opponent know we’re not going anywhere and we’re not going to tolerate those things and we’re going to protect our net (was big),” Leafs captain John Tavares said. “(Holl) has been solid for us and that’s a great sign of what he brings to our locker room and the maturity he has.”

Jake Muzzin’s puck flip aside, the Leafs didn’t do a heck of a lot after the Calgary Flames’ Matt Tkachuk kneed Campbell in the head during a game in January. What Holl did will go a long way in the room.

“Oh man, I could go on all day about Holler,” Campbell said. “He has stepped up so huge for us.

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“It just looks like fire in his belly. He wants those big minutes and he wants the opportunity to shut down their their top players every night. As a whole D corps, we played incredible. Holler led the way and he just looks super-confident. He has such a great attitude.”

Campbell’s shutout in the Leafs’ 4-0 win was his first with Toronto after two with the Los Angeles Kings. All three have come in Canada — in Montreal, Calgary and Edmonton.

GAME ON

Mitch Marner hadn’t gone three regular-season games without recording a point in more than two years, so why would it happen now? Marner and Tavares rekindled the chemistry they have enjoyed in the past, with the captain setting up Marner for the Leafs’ second goal. That came after Marner snapped his two-game slump (using that word loosely) with an assist on William Nylander’s opening goal … Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe on Tavares: “Defensively he was rock solid. John hasn’t got enough credit for how he has defended through this season.” With Auston Matthews out, Tavares had two assists and led the Leafs with five shots on goal and eight attempts and played a key role in keeping Connor McDavid off the board … Nylander scored the only two Toronto goals in an overtime win against Calgary on Wednesday and then got the Leafs’ first goal in 13 power plays when he was set up Marner at 14:37 of the first period. An unnatural hat trick for Nylander, if you will … There’s no such thing as a good giveaway, but some are more egregious than others, especially when they come in the defensive zone. In the first period, Alexander Barabanov fed McDavid, and later, Jimmy Vesey set up Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The Oilers didn’t capitalize on either, much to the relief of each guilty Leaf … Jason Spezza’s goal was his 952nd point, tying him with Rick Tocchet for 102nd in NHL history. In Spezza’s sights are Larry Robinson (958 points) and Kirk Muller (in 100th with 959 points). Spezza’s goal came off a fake on an odd-man rush, a move he has made countless times to score. Guess it never comes up in the opposition’s pre-scout … Marner has 10 multi-point games this season … For the second time in a game, the Leafs were not shorthanded.

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THE RIGHT MOVE

Alex Galchenyuk has never played in the American Hockey League.

That’s about to change, and that’s a good thing. It indicates the Leafs are taking the right steps in attempting to get the hockey career of Galchenyuk, the third pick in the 2012 NHL draft, on track.

On Saturday, the Leafs loaned Galchenyuk and defenceman Martin Marincin to the Toronto Marlies. Reassigned to the taxi squad from the Marlies were forward Kenny Agostino and defenceman Timothy Liljegren.

After going 4-4 on an eight-game trip to start their regular season, the Marlies’ home opener comes on Monday against Manitoba.

Agostino had two goals and five assists on the trip. Liljegren had a goal and five assists and was the Marlies’ best player through the eight games.

“Liljegren has been off to a good start, but regardless of that, is somebody that we’ve wanted to have around our group and it made sense now that we’ve been able to get him some games (with the Marlies),” Keefe said.

Nick Robertson, the Leafs’ top prospect, had one goal and six assists. He hasn’t been engaged all the time, though, and the organization wants to see his determination come more consistently before summoning him back to the NHL.

Keefe has said the Leafs will be patient with Galchenyuk, who was acquired from Carolina on Feb. 15. Toronto is Galchenyuk’s seventh NHL team in four seasons.

“Part of our plan was to get him playing and we would have made this move probably a little bit sooner had the Marlies not been out west,” Keefe said.

LOOSE LEAFS

Zach Hyman has been able to gut through the pain that comes with blocking shots, earning further respect. “Not easy,” Keefe said. “He has been going through a lot of discomfort. We all know that when he puts his jersey on, he plays the same way no matter what.” And there was Hyman scoring a pretty goal in the third period … Saturday marked five years that the Leafs traded James Reimer to the San Jose Sharks. Reimer remains one of the better people to have come through the Toronto dressing room during my years covering the team.

tkoshan@postmedia.com

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