THESE LEAFS AREN’T LIVING IN THE PAST
Playoff collapse of 2013 a distant memory as Bruins arrive for biggest game of season
Four years after the Collapse on Causeway St., it’s cool to mention the Bruins, Leafs and playoffs in the same sentence around Toronto’s dressing room.
The relevance is Monday’s visit by Boston, a game that could have a major impact on the final Atlantic Division standings. Of 12 ‘big’ games remaining for the Leafs, this can be called the biggest, without hyperbole.
Win in regulation and the Leafs are within a point of the B’s for third in the division; lose and it’s back to scrapping for the last wild card spot, which Toronto holds by one. Go to overtime and the Leafs run the risk of a league high 16th wasted point.
“We’re not just going to take what we can (eighth place),” defenceman Morgan Rielly said after Sunday’s practice. “We want to make a push here.”
With Boston doing well under new coach Bruce Cassidy and Brad Marchand battling for the NHL scoring lead, it’s easy to forget Toronto has won three straight in this year’s series. But for the five Leafs still here and bearing emotional scars from the Game 7 loss in 2013, the chance to turn up the spring heat on Boston has been a long time coming.
Nazem Kadri, James van Riemsdyk, Jake Gardiner, Tyler Bozak and Leo Komarov were among those with heads lowered at TD Garden on 13/5/13, a 4-1 late lead that became a 5-4 OT loss. Almost the entire Leafs hockey office and most of the core group paid the price.
Rielly, drafted in the first round a month later, didn’t want to joke too loudly he was “baggage free” approaching Monday.
“I was watching those games as a fan and I can tell the guys in here don’t like talking about it. And rightfully so when you get eliminated.”
Kadri certainly wants to move on.
“That (Game 7) is definitely one I won’t forget for sure. But the way the two teams are matched up now, I think it’s very different, Both teams like to skate, have some skill, have good goaltenders, are well coached. We’ll have to rely on our structure and hopefully come out with two points. They’ve played better lately, especially on the road, and we want to emphasize our start. It continues to be important that, when we get the first goal, our chances increase.”
Gardiner was encouraged by his team staying with Chicago on Saturday night (a 2-1 loss) to earn an overtime point in the first of three straight games against teams higher in the standings.
“Last night (Saturday) felt like a playoff game, this one even more so,” he said. “This year we’ve been pretty good against teams in our division, which is important when points mean so much. Definitely we’d like another shot at the playoffs.”
Though he’s been out of lineup for a month, defenceman Connor Carrick said the team is far from being tired coming down the stretch. knowing it can’t take anyone lightly through April 9.
“We wanted to be here,” Carrick said of their appearance in this race a year after finishing 30th. “You come down to the heavy part of the schedule in the dying days and you want to be fighting for a spot. I don’t think we ever thought we were going to run away with the league, but at the same time, we can put a streak together and earn (a spot). You get in the playoffs (on a high) instead of coasting and that serves a lot of teams well.
“You’re always competing for a playoff spot, then you want a better matchup, then you want home ice. You always want more. Teams are playing for their lives, you’re fighting for a playoff spot or you’re fighting for a contract next year, you’re fighting to salvage your year and you get that juice. That applies to every player on every team.”
The biggest concern for coach Mike Babcock might be containing Marchand, even though the coach said he was partially responsible for the latter’s career year. At the World Cup, Marchand was given a high profile for Team Canada under Babcock and made the most of it.
“I shouldn’t have done that,” Babcock said with a grin. “Should have played him on the fifth line and sucked a little life out of him. I can’t believe (what he’s done). He’s one of the best players in the league right now and no one is driving his team harder, so it will be fun to play against him. He’s been a good player for a long time. He didn’t arrive in the league with the accolades of some other guys. He’s earned his way, he was a good shift disturber, energy guy, penalty killer and then his offence (79 points) has come.
“But it’s amazing when you have a really good drive train, a lot of will and you love the game. Being around a good coach (Cassidy’s predecessor and Babcock buddy Claude Julien), being around Patrice Bergeron and guys like that didn’t hurt him, either. They’re scoring right now, their power play is on fire and Marchy’s really going.”