Leafs start to spread wealth around again
Two weeks ago when James van Riemsdyk scanned the NHL schedule, it looked like the Toronto Maple Leafs were at base camp of Mount Everest, looking straight up.
Today, he likes the view a lot more.
“I think we knew what this stretch was going in,” said the winger about eight games in 13 days. “Lots of games in a few different time zones in a short period of time.”
The trek began on a bad note, dropping three of four during a Western Conference road trip and capped off with a clunker in St. Louis that ranked among the Leafs’ worst games under coach Mike Babcock. But after getting through a shootout against the Vegas Golden Knights, they grew stronger as the week unfolded, getting past Minnesota and then a back-toback sweep of the Bruins. Yes, Boston has some injury issues, but Toronto survived without leading scorer Auston Matthews in the lineup in its past three victories.
The wins for the Leafs over the weekend included four points by van Riemsdyk. But he was only one contributor the past few games with goaltenders Frederik Andersen and Curtis McElhinney standing tall, Mitch Marner finding his scoring touch, while Patrick Marleau took some of Matthews’s minutes at centre.
On defence, Morgan Rielly piled up points and a five-on-three penalty kill Saturday highlighted the special teams play of comrades Ron Hainsey and Nikita Zaitsev.
“It’s apparent when you are talking about different guys every night (that) we’re getting back to things we do well,” van Riemsdyk said.
“Playing within our structure and trying to dictate the way we want to play. The games have been tight-checking, but those are the games we have to be comfortable in if you want to play a long time in the spring. So get acclimatized to that sort of stuff now and know what to expect as the year goes on.
“When we’re playing our best, we’re doing a good job breaking out, getting pucks back, not getting bogged down.”
WELCOME BACK MARNER
When Marner was on his way to 61 points and a combined 20 goals in regular season and playoffs last year, there was praise for his re-energizing effect on van Riemsdyk and centre Tyler Bozak. Much of this short season, all three had their struggles with Babcock pulling Marner off the line at one point.
Saturday’s game-opening goal was Marner’s first since opening night, though the assists started coming for him in St. Louis.
“He was good before he started getting results, but that’s the way it usually goes,” Babcock said. “You don’t get results right away, you have to work hard and compete hard. As (the line) got the work, they’ve got the results. That was a pretty good line for us last year and they’ll be a good line for us this year.”
BIG MAC ATTACK
The notion of newly acquired goalie Calvin Pickard threatening McElhinney’s backup position this season seems to have ebbed as the latter put in another strong 60 minutes in Boston. In three games, all of them the second of back-toback games, he’s won two and fashioned a .910 save percentage.
“He’s a good pro, he supports Freddy, he’s a good teammate and he works hard,” Babcock said. “We’re happy for him.” The Leafs gave McElhinney the improved defensive support they showed the night before for Andersen.
“I saw a lot of pucks as far as rebounds go,” McElhinney said. “I think they were doing a great job of tying guys up. It’s going to be very important down the stretch and in the second half of the season that we continue to build in that area.”
Pickard is 3-2 with the Marlies after stopping 16 of 17 shots in a Saturday win at Binghamton with a save percentage of .918.
DRAKE GETS HIS DUE
Babcock would have liked to congratulate Clare Drake personally on his Hall of Fame induction, but the 89-year-old could not travel to Toronto over the weekend. Babcock, who spoke to Drake’s family in Alberta, said he’s just glad the Hall added him to the builders wing before waiting much longer.
“I look at Burnsie,” Babcock said of Pat Burns, who was on the Hall of Fame’s waiting list before he died prior to his 2014 induction. “When you go in the Hall of Fame, it’s nice to get in there when you are alive. I can tell you it’s special for Clare and his family. The memories he will be re-living will be fantastic.
“There are great players and great builders who haven’t got in and you hope everyone is rewarded in the way they should be.”