‘They’re relentless:’ Bolts have what the Leafs want
Despite roster changes, back-to-back champs are looking dangerous again
The Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning will be putting three-game win streaks on the line Thursday night at Scotiabank Arena.
Like every other NHL team, the Leafs want what the twotime defending champion Lightning have. This is more than just another game.
The Leafs have started to get big games from key players and have been forechecking better of late. The Lightning provide the perfect measuring stick to see if that progress is real or fleeting.
“They play four lines and they’re relentless,” Leaf Wayne Simmonds said. “They come at you wave after wave after wave ... They’ve won back-to-back Cups, so they’re the champs … I think every team wishes to emulate (them) and we’re no different.”
Tampa’s quest for a threepeat, however, will be a challenge. The Lightning lost forward Blake Coleman and defenceman David Savard to free agency, and star winger Nikita Kucherov is out long-term after a lower-body injury that required surgery. Still, they’re off to a decent start at 5-3-1, with a pair of overtime wins and a shootout loss. Like the 5-4-1 Leafs, though, expectations were a bit higher for this point in the season.
But with Steven Stamkos reemerging as the team’s leading scorer — and their player of the month for October — Tampa is looking dangerous again.
Coach Jon Cooper, who will lead Canada into the Beijing Olympics in February, switched up his lines to spark the current win streak. The top unit has Alex Killorn and Anthony Cirelli with centre Brayden Point. They’ve combined to score seven of the Lightning’s 13 goals over their past three games.
“Any time you’re playing Tampa here now, and even before they won the Cup, you knew you were in for a game,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. “But now, with the type of experience and credibility they have, you have to be prepared.
“They look a little different now, but not entirely different. You look at goaltending and defence, and then the high-end forwards and the depth forwards they seem to add to their team from outside, or up from minors. Guys find ways to fill roles and give them good energy. It’s a terrific opportunity for our team to take a step here.”
Keefe, like Cooper, created a new top line around Auston Matthews with Michael Bunting and William Nylander, while Mitch Marner was paired with centre John Tavares. Both units were rolling in Tuesday night’s 4-0 win over the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Leafs felt like they played one of their most complete games of the season — with effective forechecking as the foundation — albeit against an injury depleted Knights lineup missing four of their top five scorers from a year ago.
Keefe has reinforced that aggressive approach and the need for more second-chance goals by buzzing in the offensive zone to force mistakes by the opposition. Tavares, in particular, has been forechecking with success of late, with Marner benefitting from the pucks he digs out and also working hard on the backcheck.
Toronto’s power play has also shown signs of improvement, scoring in back-to-back games after an 0-for-16 slump.
“I like the way they worked,” said Keefe. “Off the puck, they shot the puck and then created some loose puck scenarios where they had to compete and find ways to get it back.
“(Opponents) can fall out of structure doing that, and that in itself can create chances and opportunities, when the other team is sometimes disoriented. And that was how (Matthews score one of his two goals).”
In other news ahead of Thursday night’s game:
❭ Leafs defenceman Travis Dermott missed practice and is day-to-day after taking a shot off the ankle midway through Tuesday’s game.
❭ Keefe said Leafs goalie Petr Mrázek, recently returned from a groin injury, is “not 100 per cent” but will back up Jack Campbell.
❭ Ex-Leaf defenceman Zach Bogosian remains out of the lineup for another two to three weeks after a lower-body injury in the season opener.