Leafs uncover share of gems
Overtime hero Kapanen joins list of unsung players sparking hope league-wide
A fourth-liner scores twice, including the overtime winner.
A frequent healthy scratch plays 30 minutes and fits right in.
The Maple Leafs-Capitals series, like so many others in the Stanley Cup tournament, is about unsung heroes. Guys playing above their pay grade, rising to the occasion as depth charts get tested and top lines check each other into oblivion.
Fourth-liners Tom Wilson of the Caps and Kasperi Kapanen of the Leafs have scored the game-winners in the series.
“Everyone is important out there,” said Capitals centre Nicklas Backstrom. “You win together and you lose together, so everyone is important whoever is going to score. So it’s a fun game.”
For Toronto, Brian Boyle has also been a larger-than-life presence as the fourth-line centre, while defenceman Martin Marincin, a healthy scratch for 35 of the last 37 games, has subbed in nicely for the injured Nikita Zaitsev.
Now Alexey Marchenko — unless Zaitsev is ready — may be in for Roman Polak, whose season ended in the second period on Saturday night, his right foot twisted in a way feet shouldn’t twist.
Zaitsev skated on his own in front of curious coaches on Sunday, for the second day in a row.
“We’ll know more (Monday),” said Leafs coach Mike Babcock, “but Marchenko or Zaitsev will play. That’s why you have eight (defencemen). That’s why you acquire depth through the year. I’m not very concerned that way.”
While the Leafs not named Zaitsev took a day away from the ice on Easter Sunday, Babcock sounded completely comfortable with his depth players.
“Brian Boyle has done a real nice job in the faceoff circle. Matt Martin has been presence, and Kapanen can fly. It’s great for Kapanen to be rewarded. That should lead to confidence. He can become what he was in the American league.
“You earn the right to feel good about yourself when you do good things. It’s got to be a pretty good day for the kid. Now we have to get back focused and get ready to play and do things right.”
It’s not just the Toronto-Washington series:
Defenceman Joel Edmundson, who scored three goals in the regular season for the Blues, buried two in the first two games of the playoffs, including the overtime winner in the opener against the Wild.
Sharks forward Melker Karlsson, not exactly a household name, scored in overtime to beat the Oilers in Game 1.
Defenceman Dion Phaneuf, the former Leafs captain who finished the regular season with seven goals, won Game 2 for the Senators in OT against the Bruins.
As for Boyle — who has yet to score a goal as a Leaf — his behind-the-net pass to set up Kapanen’s heroics felt particularly sweet. He was close to being the goat in Game 2 when he took a penalty in overtime.
“It’s great to find ways to contribute,” said Boyle.
“(Kapanen)’s fast. He puts a lot of pressure on himself to perform. He wants to do well. He wants to contribute, and that’s great because so do I. So does (Martin). And it’s really exciting to be able to have an asset like that, with that much speed. Obviously he doesn’t have a ton of experience, but he’s playing phenomenal, I think.”
Marincin, who played just twice in the final 32 games of the season — and not at all in the final 14 — seemed comfortable in the playoff spotlight, although it was his shot off the glass that Wilson leapt to intercept, leading to Washington’s Game 1 winner. That wasn’t so much a bad play by Marincin as a good one by Wilson, though. Other than that, Marincin has fared well, coming in cold as he has.
“I really like Marincin,” said Babcock. “He’s a real good player. Sometimes he gets in his own way. Confidence is a thing that gets in his way.
“He’s a talented guy — might be the best penalty killer on our team — but you’ve got to get in the lineup.”