Gardiner’s unpredictable ways don’t cause concern for teammates
That Jake Gardiner can be unpredictable with each shift isn’t something his Maple Leafs teammates necessarily look upon with disdain.
“You never know what he is doing … he is really good at that,” centre Auston Matthews said with a smile. “Sometimes you don’t know exactly what he is going to do.
“He is really effective. He can make plays offensively, defensively, he’s good at reading the play and anticipating.”
That was evident on Saturday night in Ottawa when Gardiner carried the puck through the neutral zone, shifted his body and then fed Mitch Marner, who broke in and scored the game-tying goal in what became a 4-3 Leafs win.
“Unbelievable play by (Gardiner),” Matthews said. “Froze everybody.”
Leafs coach Mike Babcock had a similar opinion.
“I like Jake a lot just because he makes such elite plays and he is not in scoring chances against,” Babcock said. “Sometimes you don’t know what he is doing, but he is not in the scoring chances against. He makes elite plays. We seem to play in the offensive zone when he is out there, so that is good with me.”
Perhaps the numbers are being interpreted a little differently within the Leafs’ coach’s office.
Prior to the Leafs’ game against the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night, Gardiner this season was on the ice for the most Toronto scoring chances for, and the most against. He also had been on the ice for 287 offensive-zone faceoffs — the most among Leafs.
Gardiner was on the ice for 36 goals for during 5-on-5 play, and 32 against.
In Bernier’s corner
There remains a Jonathan Bernier fan club among the Leafs, 18 months after the team traded the goaltender. Bernier, sent to the Anaheim Ducks in July 2016, entered Monday night with eight consecutive wins for Colorado.
“I just had him in the year (201516) where we didn’t win any games,” Babcock said. “We were the worst team in the NHL. If you are the goaltender on that team, how much fun is that?
“Good thing about Bernie is he has been mentally tough enough to find his way back and get his career going. I think it’s one of the toughest spots in sport to be a goalie and (to have) consistency from year to year. To find that, good for him.”
Bernier, who did not speak to media after the morning skate, had 13 wins and a .919 save percentage in 21 games for the Avs before facing the Leafs.
“During his years here, sometimes it seemed like he was seeing a barrage of shots every night,” Leafs forward James van Riemsdyk said. “It’s good to see him having some success and it’s not by accident. He works at it.”
Looks different on TV
Travis Dermott played in his sixth NHL game on Monday night, and though he has appeared to be comfortable since his first shift on Jan. 6 against the Vancouver Canucks, said there has been one overriding revealing aspect about playing in the NHL.
“The skill,” Dermott said. “You watch it on TV, and you see all these young guys and even the older guys, how good they are.
“But until you are on the ice with them, I don’t think you really fully appreciate it. You’re out there and watching the game unfold in front of you and you’re like, ‘God, am I lucky to have the team I have here.’ ”
Loose Leafs
Avs’ captain Gabriel Landeskog had it right, to an extent, when he was contemplating playing the Leafs: “I have not really paid much attention to the Eastern Conference, but knowing them, they have been playing well. With the group they have, there is no reason why they shouldn’t be playing toward a playoff spot.” No, the Leafs had not been playing well. Yes, with the talent the Leafs have, a playoff spot should not be questionable, and it’s not … The U.S.-born Leafs were hit broadside by the death of USA Hockey general manager Jim Johannson, who passed away unexpectedly on Sunday at the age of 53. “It’s terrible, it’s tragic,” van Riemsdyk said. “It’s way too young. He was synonymous for me with USA Hockey and he was a great ambassador.”