No panic on Leafs’ blueline
Missing minutes munchers to injury, Toronto’s D-core is staying strong
TORONTO — For five months, a giant “Help Wanted” sign has hung above the Maple Leafs defence, with folks certain they’ve no shot at a deep playoff run without importing a blueline mercenary.
So, taking away two of their best minute munchers in the same game Saturday, in Ottawa, with Morgan Rielly joining Nikita Zaitsev on the shelf, should have opened up a Parliament Hill party in the Leafs zone.
But, the patchwork defensive six from The Six were steady, limiting the Senators to 18 shots and helped close out a 4-3 rally win. However. one night’s success won’t deter Lou Lamoriello’s trade search, though for the individuals involved and the coaching staff that’s drilled them all year for just such an emergency, it was a relief. Not to mention the Leafs ending a four-game losing streak.
“There were some extra minutes there,” said Connor Carrick, who capped the evening with the winning goal. “Morgan eats a lot of (time), but we did it by committee. (Jake) Gardiner played against their top line, not usually his assignment and not that he doesn’t do it, but he was out there every shift against them. So props to all six of us and to our forwards. We tracked a lot better and when you’re able to defend as a unit of five, you look good.”
Centre Auston Matthews had rapid fire praise for the group, though you had to be up on Leaf nicknames to keep pace.
“(Andreas) Borgman and Dermott stepped up and you’ve got Gards (Gardiner), Poley (Roman Polak) and (Ron) Hainsey, a veteran every night with experience. C’s (Carrick) got the big goal and that definitely helps out when you have a key part of the team out like Morgy.”
The rookie Travis Dermott and partner Carrick had the most to prove to coach Mike Babcock with their expanded role, Carrick at 19 minutes after 22 against St. Louis last week, Dermott close to 17 on Saturday. Hainsey and Gardiner clocked in at 24 and change, Hainsey with eight blocked shots and four hits.
Rielly skated briefly Saturday morning, worked out in the gym and was kibitzing in the hallway at Canadian Tire Centre after the game with no visible wrapping on the arm he awkwardly landed on Thursday in Philadelphia. He was to be re-examined Sunday. Babcock was cautiously optimistic about getting him back for Monday’s home match against Colorado, but Zaitsev (broken foot) might not return until after the all-star break, which follows a back-toback versus Chicago and Dallas at mid-week.
Hainsey, who came from the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, has been encouraged by how the defence has done minus Zaitsev.
“There has been an adjustment as a lot of guys step in and some guys rotate and get called up,” Hainsey said Saturday morning. “But all teams go through this. We’ve been pretty fortunate as far as defencemen injuries; me, Jake and Morgan have been in all the games up to this point.
“That’s not too bad, but we’ll be excited to get Zaitsev back. We’ve hung in there, we’re still creating a lot of chances, we’ve been in a lot of tight, low-scoring games 3-2, 2-2, 1-0, so overall we’ve done okay. Our goaltender (Frederik Andersen) has been outstanding which always helps.”
“It’s so hard to win consistently in this league. A couple of teams have gotten away, maybe a top three or four that are really good and then a bunch of teams that look good, but maybe have their (off) nights. We’re going to be fine here, we have lot of good players who continue to improve.”
To have a defenceman pop the winner as well was a bonus on Saturday. That makes two for Carrick this season of his three goals overall. As one of the team’s sharpest analytical minds, Carrick framed his goal in fine detail.
“There was a lot going on,” he said of his screen shot from the point. “I saw (Sens’ goalie Craig) Anderson trying to find where I was. They took Dermott out, a lane was pretty open and I was trying to get it to the other side of the pile because they’re a team that usually blocks shots well.”
Gardiner who took a load of flak for his role in giving up goals in two overtime losses, had three assists on Saturday.
Babcock liked not only the defence, but how Hainsey took charge on the ice after Patrick Marleau delivered a wake-up message in the dressing room between periods with Toronto down 3-1.
“Any time you give up 18 shots on the road, you’ve done a lot of good things,” Babcock said. “Lots of times your goaltender saves 50, tonight our players pick up Freddy.
“It looked like deja vu (with a late loss looming) but we had a real good response. When the players take over the team, they own what they do and you’re a much better team. At the end, you saw Ron running everything. That’s what you want, veteran guys who have done a lot of winning to have a stake in it.”