Gardiner gearing up for possible playoff return
Was that a wry grin on Jake Gardiner as he stepped into his first media mosh pit in a month?
You couldn’t have blamed him for finding humour in being a lightning rod for fan discontent in mid-january, then slowed by injury, eventually shut down a month and now returned to practice Thursday with critics tying the team’s playoff fortunes in part to his recovery from back issues.
Gardiner, wearing non-contact red on the ice, joined fellow defenceman Travis Dermott, who could play this Saturday in Ottawa after a month out with a shoulder injury. In their absence, the Leafs have been struggling to get the puck out to their high-scoring forwards and the resulting rigmarole has seen almost 100 goals against the past 25 games.
“It’s all process, just seeing how it goes and hopefully I can keep progressing,” Gardiner said of whether he makes it back for Game 1 against Boston in less than two weeks. “It’s never easy to be hurt, especially at a time like this. I want to be part of it.”
Head coach Mike Babcock wants to see Gardiner in a few more full, high-tempo practices, but that won’t likely happen in the coming rush of five games in eight days to finish the regular season.
Babcock has been leaning on the inexperienced Marincin, Justin Holl and Igor Ozhiganov, but the team’s troubles in its own end have been just as much the fault of veterans Morgan Rielly, Ron Hainsey, Nikita Zaitsev, some sloppy forward play and goalie Frederik Andersen. That’s why Babcock is keen to see the mobile Dermott and Gardiner return ASAP.
“Not only do they play good defence, they do good things offensively on the blue-line, keep the play alive and generate offence for our forwards,” the coach said. “All you have to do is keep it out of your net. It’s goals for, goals against and if you’re minus, you’re not in the playoffs.”
Dermott looks and sounds ready to roll.
“The goal was to get back for a few games before playoffs. These (medical) people have been working me so hard that I don’t have to second-guess myself (in contact) when I come back.”
HIGH FIVE FOR MARLEAU
When winger Patrick Marleau steps on the ice Saturday, he will become No. 5 on the all-time list of games played in league history at 1,653, passing Mark Recchi, having just eclipsed Chris Chelios on Wednesday.
“I don’t think it’s (a race) people are really watching,” the 39-year-old Marleau joked. “But those are two names I looked up to and played against. Those two are Hall of Famers and it’s cool to be in that company.”
ENNIS STEPS UP
Winger Tyler Ennis took a lot of pride in his nomination as Leaf candidate for the Bill Masterton Trophy, recognizing perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication.
The announcement by the Toronto chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association coincided with his good night in Philly to give him 18 points in 47 games. His season began without a contract and he had a hard road to make it as a fourth liner, as he has his whole career because of size.
“It’s a great honour and I thank the Leafs for giving me this opportunity,” Ennis said. “I was able to use all the (training) resources here with all my injuries and was able to be proactive with some other injuries.”
Ennis, who came back from a broken ankle at Christmas, joins 31 nominees for a league wide PHWA vote in April.
BRIDGE FOR WOLL
Newly signed NCAA goalie Joseph Woll was the third goalie at practice on Thursday. He met some team personnel and will go back to Boston College the next few days to write third-year exams towards his financial management degree before a possible return to the Leafs during playoffs.
A couple of Leaf snipers nearly took his head off with high shots after the main workout, but the lanky St. Louis native insisted he loved the whole experience.
LOOSE LEAFS
Ennis was kicking himself for not beating Flyer goalie Carter Hart in Thursday’s shootout. “I shoot on him all summer long (at summer skates) in Edmonton. He knows a lot of the stuff I do, so I thought I’d switch it up a little bit (with a slapper)” … Woll might come in handy during the Boston pre-scout, having dropped into TD Garden a few times during the season, including one Leafs-bruins game … Carolina’s Masterton nomination was former Leafs goalie Curtis Mcelhinney.