Red hot Leafs not about to rest on laurels
After an impressive four-game road sweep, team returns home tonight to take on Kings
Count on Mike Babcock to bring some perspective to the Maple Leafs’ success on the road and whether that momentum can carry over to a three-game home stand this week.
“No, not really,” the Leafs coach said after Toronto beat the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals 4-2 in Washington on Saturday night.
“You have an off day (on Sunday) and you get back to work.”
The Leafs play host to the Los Angeles Kings, who have won two of their first five games of 2018-19, tonight at Scotiabank Arena. The date with Dion Phaneuf and company comes after Toronto won all four games on its meandering trip through Chicago, Dallas, Detroit and Washington.
“L.A. will be ready to go and we’re going to have to get prepared,” Babcock said.
Centre Nazem Kadri concurred, but also recognized the Leafs’ strong start in the win column with five victories in six games.
“We just banged off four straight wins on the road against some pretty tough teams,” Kadri said. “That’s very encouraging. At the same time, we understand that we have a tough schedule coming up.”
That the Leafs didn’t need Auston Matthews (who had two points, anyway), Mitch Marner and John Tavares to carry the offensive load against the Capitals was just fine.
“That’s going to be our identity this year,” Kadri said. “We have talked about all lines are rolling; we are starting to find some chemistry with certain guys and we’re able to play with the puck a little more, so that’s going to be a story.”
Once the Leafs are done with the Kings, it’s Phil Kessel and the Penguins on Thursday followed by Tyler Bozak’s return with the Blues on Saturday.
On facing Phaneuf, Kessel and Bozak in consecutive games this week, Kadri was blunt: “It’s going to be very strange.”
Garret Sparks isn’t sure when he will make his next start in the Leafs’ net, but the backup goalie to Frederik Andersen isn’t spending much time in contemplation.
The Leafs don’t have their second back-to-back set until Nov. 9-10, and for now, the 25-yearold Sparks — who made 25 saves in an overtime win in Chicago last Sunday in his lone start — is content to get his work done in practice.
And Sparks didn’t beat around the bush in assessing the room he has now to develop.
“It’s not like when I was practising with the Orlando Solar Bears, you know?” Sparks said, a reference to a few stints with the ECHL club, most recently in 2015-16. “I’m practising with the best players in the world.
“Any time you get to go up against these guys at practice every day, it gives you an opportunity to get to that level. We have five or six guys in here who have that next-level ability when they want to find a goal. I feel like it gives me an advantage. It gives me an opportunity to improve.”
Sparks often compares his situation now to when he broke into the Ontario Hockey League with the Guelph Storm in 2010-11. Nothing was guaranteed then, either. The difference now, of course, is that Sparks isn’t some fresh-faced kid.
“I’m more experienced, but this is still a unique role, right?” Sparks said after the Leafs’ morning skate on Saturday in Washington, long after most of his teammates had departed Capital One Arena.
“It’s a unique experience learning how to best complement Freddie and how to continue to make sure he is at his best and I am at my best. I’m being a good teammate and in a good supportive role to him, and at the same time I’m challenging my teammates in practice.”
TRUST IN PAR
Babcock often raves about Par Lindholm’s hockey IQ, and the player himself agrees with the coach.
Lindholm said that his relatively smooth transition to the pro game in North America can be traced to his on-ice brains. “It has been pretty easy for me,” Lindholm said of the adjustment. “Defence has been a major focus of mine. I think I have come into it pretty good.”
Lindholm has taken little time to gain confidence in his coach, as he is at 70 per cent in defensive-zone starts through six games.
Babcock referred to both Lindholm and another newcomer, defenceman Igor Ozhiganov, in his post-game availability on Saturday.
“He’s a really good player and I thought Ozhiganov had his best game, too,” Babcock said. “Those are going to be real important pieces to us as we move ahead.
“These guys are super-intelligent and Ozzie doesn’t even speak the language, but he’s getting better every day.”
LOOSE LEAFS
Matthews cautioned against anyone who might see zero goals beside Patrick Marleau’s name and think the 39-year-old veteran has not been making an impact. “There have been a lot of scenarios this season where he has been in front, screening the goalies, taking away his eyes, taking away another defender and we have been able to capitalize on goals,” Matthews said. “That guy does not always get credit, but I think the guys on the bench and in the lockerroom know.”
Winger Tyler Ennis knew when he signed with the Leafs that holding on to a spot in the lineup would be a challenge, so he was not bent out of shape when he was a healthy scratch in Washington in favour of Andreas Johnsson. “There is so much depth and it’s a great team to be a part of,” Ennis said.