Leafs use special teams to bury Avalanche
While Nazem Kadri has dominated the talk with the Maple Leafs — improved play paired with an incredibly long scoring slump — Tyler Bozak has quietly gone about his business.
Bozak scored once and added two assists to lead Toronto to a 5-1 win Tuesday night over the Colorado Avalanche as Toronto’s special teams proved the difference.
Bozak, who was associated perhaps too closely for his own good with Phil Kessel, is playing his best hockey in years, seemingly thriving under coach Mike Babcock’s system and playing without the weight of being the team’s No. 1 centre.
“(Babcock) does a very good job of getting confidence in the guys,” Bozak said. “After previous years, we haven’t had a ton of confidence around here. We’re starting to build that back now and it shows on the ice.
“You play a lot better whenever you’re confident. Mike does a good job of getting guys in here confident and believing in themselves.”
The Leafs have won four of their past five games and are a mere three points out of a playoff spot in a turnaround with some unlikely heroes, including goaltender James Reimer.
But most Leaf watchers wouldn’t have included a rejuvenated Bozak in any conversation about a turnaround.
He was considered more trade fodder than leader. Fans turned on him the last couple of years as his effort seemed to wane after he signed a five-year deal that pays him an average of $4.2 million a year.
Alarge faction of Leaf Nation clamoured for Kadri to get the No. 1 job. But his ascension has been accompanied by a 15-game goalless drought, the longest of his career. Kadri has five assists in that time.
Bozak, by comparison, has three goals and nine assists in his last 15 games. He missed four games due to injury, and it could be argued, the Leafs missed him in that time. The team is 0-3-1 without Bozak, and 66-3 when he plays.
“I just challenged him,” Babcock said. “I think he’s supposed to lead. He’s supposed to do it right every day.
“I make it clear the best guys have to do it right all the time. That’s what we’re getting out of Kadri and Bozak now . . . If your best players do it right, you have no excuses. We’re getting it out of Dion (Phaneuf) . . . were’ getting it out of (Matt) Hunwick and (Morgan) Rielly.”
It was special teams that made the difference as the Leafs got back into the win column Tuesday. Leo Komarov opened the scoring shorthanded, then the Leafs added four powerplay goals — two from P.A. Parenteau and one each from Bozak and James van Riemsdyk. Bozak helped set up both Parenteau goals.
“We were moving the puck really well,” Bozak said. “Guys were helping out on faceoffs, we were starting with the puck a lot, making plays. It was nice to be a part of that, and get some goals on the power play.”
Parenteau was particularly gleeful to score against his former team.
“It was a big win for us. That’s the bottom line,” he said. “We’ve been playing some good hockey. I thought we deserved better against the Rangers, too. I think we’re on a little bit of a roll right now. It’s nice to score some goals and play some good hockey.”
Special teams had been a struggle in the early going of the season. The Leafs only scored twice (2-for-27) with the extra man in their first 10 games but have 10 power-play goals (10-for-31) in their last nine games after a 4-for-5 performance Tuesday night.
“Special teams is a huge thing around the league right now,” Parenteau said. “Five-on-five, it’s pretty tight. It’s tough to get anything going . . . so it’s nice to have nights like tonight.”
One game after a heartbreaking loss to the Rangers with Jonathan Bernier in net, the Leafs returned to Reimer, who earned his 80th win in a Toronto uniform. That moved him past George Hainsworth into 10th on the Leafs’ all-time list (11th, if you include the St. Patricks).
Reimer is also 6-2-3 on the season, with some of his best netminding in years.