Focus on small details paying off for Holland
Once a healthy scratch, Leafs forward now a contributor on team that’s winning games
Peter Holland has seen the Maple Leafs under new coach Mike Babcock from both sides — as a healthy scratch and now as a re-energized, solid contributor.
The key for Holland in getting out of the press box and back into regular minutes has been focusing on all the little details that set up success — game in and game out — and that’s why he’s a little reluctant to earnestly discuss the latest buzzword in Leafs camp: playoffs.
“The P-word,” Holland said. “That’s a long way down the road . . . it is the ultimate goal, for sure it is, but at this point that’s an outcome goal. We’re more focused on the process right now.”
Holland wasn’t dousing the Leafs chances — far from it — he was merely answering the same playoff questions that most of his teammates were following Babcock’s mention of the post-season Wednesday.
And the coach wasn’t calling his club a playoff team; rather, he was thinking to himself about a topic his former GM in Detroit, Ken Holland, raised annually around this time of the year.
“I was saying to myself, we’re four points out,” Babcock said of the Leafs positioning on the current playoff ladder, one that contrasts the gloomy, last-place perch the Leafs held for much of October.
“We have one game to get to 20 (games played this season) and my old GM used to say, ‘After 20 games, if you’re not close, you’re in a tough spot.’ ”
“The good thing is we’re getting better and better as a group. It’s easier to play when you think you have an opportunity (to make the post-season).
Indeed, the Leafs’ playoff outlook in that two-win October dropped to bleak compared to the November surge that has seen Toronto rise into the relative playoff picture in the Eastern Conference.
There is a clutch of eight teams — the Leafs included — within six points of the wild-card playoff berths.
Four teams will ultimately grab a wild-card slot, awarded based on the best record regardless of division, which means the Leafs definitely have something to shoot for if they can maintain the winning hockey they’ve displayed in November.
For now, though, the Leafs remain focused on becoming a better club week in and week out. They have already put October behind them, and the key — for a team that very few gave a chance to make the playoffs at the outset of the season — will be maintaining the consistency in all areas of the ice that Babcock expects of them.
“Playing harder, doing a better job of backchecking, getting back early so the other team doesn’t have time to establish their offensive-zone plays,” Holland said about the difference in the Leafs between October and November.
Holland is something of a microcosm of the Leafs season, having struggled with consistency in the first month — getting benched for a few games — then rebounding with solid, detail-oriented hockey.
“When you contribute offensively, it helps your confidence,” Holland said, referring to a pair of big goals he’s scored in the past three games.
“But I try to stick to the details that lead to that. You’re not going to get on the scoreboard every night, so focus on the little things; skate harder, get back earlier, just help your team to win.”
Holland also noticed the solid leadership in the Leafs room, especially through the tougher times in October.
“Dion (Phaneuf) is our captain, but he’s always consistent, always positive and making sure guys are ready to go. When (Stephane Robidas was lost to injury), that was tough. But Matt Hunwick has been huge, everyone knows he’s one of the hardest workers out there.”
Holland, now in his fourth season in Toronto, has graduated to the leadership group.
“I’ve always been a leader every team I’ve played on. I had a letter (assistant captain) in the minors, but I’m not a rah-rah guy in the dressing room,” Holland said.
“I wear my heart on my sleeve sometimes, but I try and go out and play my hardest and hope everyone sees it and that I might earn respect that way.”