Sweeney: Maple Leafs pose a challenge
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney has a respectful opinion of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“Quality hockey club. They play with a lot of speed,” said Sweeney during his state-of-the-team address yesterday at Warrior Ice Arena.
The Bruins and Maple Leafs square off in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs with Game 1 on Thursday night at the Garden.
Toronto won three of the four regular-season meetings, including a homeand-home series sweep in early November. The Leafs have three players with over 30 goals in James van Riemsdyk (36), Auston Matthews (34) and Nazem Kadri (32). Toronto goalie Frederik Anderson went 38-21-5 on the season with a 2.81 goals against average, .918 save percentage and five shutouts.
“We’ve got our work cut out for us from top to bottom,” said Sweeney. “They’ve got depth, they’ve got scoring ability. It is going to be a big challenge. They are a quality hockey club.”
Sweeney thinks injured players Rick Nash (concussion), Riley Nash (head laceration) and Sean Kuraly (upper body) will be available for Game 1.
McAvoy ready
Bruins rookie defenseman Charlie McAvoy began the season with high expectations that were scaled back by a pair of non-contact injuries.
McAvoy missed five games after undergoing a procedure on Jan. 22 at Mass. General to treat an abnormal heart rhythm. He then missed 15 games when he suffered a sprained MCL after his knee buckled in a 2-1 win over Montreal on March 3. McAvoy returned April 3 and will be ready for the playoffs.
“Charlie handled things very well,” said Sweeney. “He’s kind of matured beyond his year on the ice and we want to see him continue to evolve and be an impact player.”
Fourth coming
The Bruins’ fourth line experienced shifting personnel over the season but the job description remained the same. Sweeney and head coach Bruce Cassidy expected the fourth line to be a force of energy and grit, selfless play and timely scoring.
The core fourth line for most of the season consisted of Kuraly, Noel Acciari and Tim Schaller. Tommy Wingels has done spot duty since coming from the Blackhawks on Feb. 26.
“We’ve played them in situations where we are playing against top lines,” said Sweeney. “They are very accountable and they are a big part of our identity. They are a big part of what we are trying to do.”
Rask got rest
Sweeney and Cassidy were determined not to overextend goalie Tuukka Rask so he would be fresh for the playoffs. They accomplished that by giving 31 starts to Anton Khudobin, who responded with a 16-67 record, 2.56 goals against and .913 save percentage.
According to Sweeney, Rask (34-14-5, 2.36, .917) is ready for heavy playoff duty.
“Tuukka had a great run and hopefully he takes that and the fact we managed it pretty damn well and runs with it,” said Sweeney.