LEAFS WINNING THE CLOSE GAMES
Hot goaltending and more mature approach paying huge dividends
You need to travel back 10 years to find the last time a Leafs team won three straight one-goal games in which at least two were determined in regulation.
The recent success in holding leads in tight tilts, modest as it is, would fly in the face of a team that had been cursed by close defeats almost from the introduction of the shootout.
Mike Babcock endured 50 one-goal losses in regulation and extra time in his first two seasons on the job. So imagine his delight upon seeing the Leafs tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets atop the NHL with 10 one-goal wins as of Monday against three setbacks.
Of course, goaltending has a lot to do with it. Frederik Andersen has boosted his save percentage to .922, among the top 10 marks in the circuit. Then came backup Curtis McElhinney’s 41-save, 1-0 shutout of Connor McDavid and the Oilers on Sunday night.
McElhinney still needed the aid of 20 blocked shots and a 4-for-4 penalty kill, which included a full-term double minor. Toronto centres have also been quite effective in the faceoff dots, leading or in top 10 in categories such as even strength and defensive zone wins and noteworthy as the most successful in the league on the draw when leading in a game.
The team as a whole just came through a stretch of seven games against the NHL’s elite: McDavid twice, Johnny Gaudreau and the Calgary Flames twice, and Washington’s Alex Ovechkin, Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and Vancouver’s ever-dangerous Sedin twins. Only Ovechkin with three goals in a 4-2 Capitals’ win Nov. 25 lit them up. McDavid and Crosby were each held to a single goal.
“It’s the calmness of our team in general,” said second-year forward Mitch Marner. “It starts with Fred and we trust Mac a lot, too. No matter the score, they give our team a sense of calm.”
Defenceman Jake Gardiner began his career when the Leafs had a more experienced team, but often were unable to prevent late-game breakdowns. With a clean slate under Babcock and infused with Marner, Auston Matthews, Zach Hyman, Connor Brown, Morgan Rielly and Gardiner’s defence partner, Nikita Zaitsev, the picture has improved.
“When we’re both going, it helps one another out,” Gardiner said of Zaitsev. “He’s close to leading the league in shot blocks (Zaitsev and Kris Russell of the Oilers were tied at 88 as of Monday) and if something breaks down, there’s a decent chance he’ll probably be saving us. He’s got that Russian strength. He’s not huge but he gets it done.
“Last year we were really young. Some of our players were first-year guys. They’re learning now that if you have a lead, to play with that lead, play differently, maybe a little safer,” says Gardiner.
Sunday’s win was accomplished without Matthews, who was shaken up after taking a hit in the Pittsburgh game Saturday, marking five times this season Toronto has won without its leading scorer. William Nylander moved to centre on the first line against the Oilers, assisting on the only goal by Hyman. Patrick Marleau has also stepped in the middle, while Nazem Kadri drew the next-to-impossible task of shadowing McDavid. Unable to derail the No. 97 freight train, Kadri did win nine of 13 draws.
“That gives us more confidence that anybody can move up and down the depth chart and play with anybody,” Kadri said in reference to the recent streak of success.
The opening-minute Hyman strike was a good response to Babcock’s constant harping about not starting on time. The Leafs have an NHL high 16 wins when scoring first. But the coach is not about to coast when asked about his team extending efforts beyond the much sought-after quick break from the blocks. He isn’t big on falling back into a defensive shell when getting the important first goal.
“Just play, play for the next one,” Babcock urged.
“Put those goals in the bank and collect the interest. Well, nothing collects interest in the bank, but you know what I mean.”
A few more one-goal wins would fatten the team’s spring playoff account.