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SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

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The Maple Leafs and Red Wings held optional skates at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday. 

What does left winger Michael Bunting do to get under the skin of opponents? 

"Pretty much everything," said linemate Mitch Marner said. "Staring, chirping and just being around the net. Just constantly being a pest."

Wait, staring?

"When I'm engaged in the game and I'm getting into it with somebody, I don't know, maybe I keep eye contact and try and get in their head by that," Bunting said. 

"He's staring constantly at people," Marner said. "A lot of people don't like getting stared at."

Bunting's ability to agitate is amplified by his ability to produce offence. He's racked up 17 goals and 18 assists this season. 

"There's lots of agitators, but what separates Bunts is he's a very good hockey player," observed veteran forward Jason Spezza. "He's on pucks all the time. He goes to the hard areas. He's in the play so it forces teams to have to pay attention to him because he's around the puck. He's heavy on pucks and creates a lot for his linemates and gets to the net. He's fearless so that's probably why he gets the attention that he gets." 

Complementing elite players isn't easy. Nick Ritchie, for example, struggled to fit in beside Marner and Auston Matthews at the start of the season. But Bunting, despite his rookie status, has added some spice to Toronto's top unit. 

"He's usually the most hated guy on the ice," noted coach Sheldon Keefe. "He gets a lot of attention from the other team and that inspires him to push and be on guard all the time. He knows teams will not take it easy on him and that helps guys like Auston and Mitch be that much more alert and on guard themselves."

Bunting, 26, has developed a close bond with Matthews, which has helped accelerate the chemistry. 

"He's got the personality off the ice to jive with those guys," Keefe added.

Bunting scored a hat trick the last time Toronto played in Detroit on Jan. 29, which sparked a 7-4 win. 

"Matty was chirping me and saying, 'Are you having the same pre-game meal?' and all that kind of stuff," said Bunting, who dined on pasta and chicken before feasting on the Wings. "Last time playing here it was a really fun night. Hopefully we can build that momentum and bring it into tonight."

Bunting's most-common opponent in five-on-five play in that last game against Detroit was defenceman Moritz Seider, who is another top contender for the Calder Trophy. 

"He's a rookie as well, but he plays like a veteran," said Bunting. "He's a big boy. He's offensive and he's able to shut it down. Going against him pretty much every shift is challenging, but you got to look forward to those challenge and get in his face and make it hard on him and make him turn for pucks and stuff like that."

Saturday's game features three of the top four rookie scorers in the NHL. Detroit's Lucas Raymond is tied with Anaheim's Trevor Zegras for the lead among first-year players with 39 points. Seider (37) and Bunting (35) are trailing just behind. 

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The National Hockey League fined Bunting $2,000 for diving earlier this week citing a play in a game against Pittsburgh on Feb. 17. Bunting fell after colliding with Marcus Pettersson in the neutral zone. 

"The league thought I embellished in that situation so it is what it is," Bunting said. "I got to keep moving forward. I can't change my game, because I am having success. I don't want to embellish. I don't want to be a diver, but I got to stick with it and stick to my regular game." 

Bunting had previously been warned for diving due to a play in a game on Nov. 16 against Nashville. 

"You just move on," said Keefe. "He's a guy involved with everything and, because he's involved with everything, eyes are on him a lot. There's times, because he's involved in so much, where there's things that don't go his way. So, there's a balance there." 

Bunting has drawn 32 penalties this season, which is second overall behind only Edmonton's Connor McDavid.

"I'm in front of the net quite a bit where cross-checks do happen," Bunting said. "I think that's probably where I draw most of my penalties, just getting cross-checked and tackled in front of the net. I'm willing to do that. I'm willing to put the body on the line. I don't mind playing that role."

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Nick Robertson was on his way to practice on Friday when he received a call from Toronto Marlies general manager Ryan Hardy. 

"The GM called me and said I got called up and I had to ask him to repeat it twice, because I couldn't believe it," the 20-year-old said. "I was sitting there in snow and traffic on the Gardiner and I was just calling my parents and being excited."

Since debuting with the Leafs in the playoff bubble in 2020, Robertson has been plagued by a series of injuries, including a broken leg sustained in his second American Hockey League game this season. The 5-foot-10 winger watched a lot of game film while rehabbing and discovered some better routes to get free to unleash his blistering shot. 

Robertson admits that he did not see a route back to the NHL opening up this fast.   

"I wouldn't want to say 'Shocked' but, at the same time, I couldn't believe it was right now," Robertson said. "I'm very happy with my progression. I want to take the next step with my confidence and goal-scoring ability ... It's still going to take some time, I would say, to feel at my absolute best but I'm happy with the way I came back."

Robertson, who was picked in the second round of the 2019 NHL draft, has six points in seven games since returning to the Marlies lineup on Feb. 2.  

"He's a competitor," said Keefe. "He works extremely hard. He's had a long road this season to get himself back healthy and ready to play. An opportunity has presented itself here and he is a guy we do believe in and we want to give him that chance."

Robertson suited up in four games in the series against Columbus in the bubble and then six more games with the Leafs last season. Saturday will be his first NHL game in front of fans. His girlfriend will be in the crowd alongside a couple of his trainers.  

The Leafs held their pre-game media availability in the dressing room for the Little Caesars AAA team, which sparked a trip down memory lane for Robertson. 

"It's kind of surreal," he said while gazing around the room. "I mean, in this locker room it's 'Little Caesars' everywhere and I used to play for them. I haven't actually been to this rink before [but] it kind of brings you back. Time flies. You know, I was wearing these colours a lot and was proud to wear these colours and now I'm playing for the Leafs against the Red Wings so it's a great feeling ... I grew up here. It's nice to have some family and friends come out for the game." 

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The opportunity for Robertson was created because a flu bug is currently going through Toronto's dressing room. Ilya Mikheyev left Thursday's game early due to a stomach issue and missed Friday's practice. John Tavares, Pierre Engvall and Travis Dermott also missed Friday's practice. 

"Everyone's slowly getting it and you just hope you're not the next one," Bunting said while knocking the table in front of him twice. "So far I've been clean so I hope to keep it that way."

"Some guys are feeling better," said Keefe. "Some guys not so much. We're hopeful that nobody else comes down with it."

Mikheyev skated on Saturday morning and appears likely to play, but Tavares, Engvall and Dermott didn't hit the ice and are listed as game-time decisions. 

"I have a few different lineups," Keefe said. "We got a group here that, regardless of who's in or out today, I expect us to be ready to play." 

If Tavares is good to go, he will slot in between William Nylander and Ondrej Kase, who was promoted to the second line for Thursday's game. Tavares has gone 11 games without scoring. His last goal came in Detroit last month. 

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It wasn't pretty, but the Leafs snapped a three-game skid (0-2-1) on Thursday night. 

"It was maybe not the most fun game to watch," Spezza admitted. "It was two teams trying not to make mistakes and maybe in the past we would've cracked in a game like that, but we stayed patient and trusted the process."

"In the past there would've been examples of our team being frustrated with the game going that way," said defenceman Morgan Rielly. "We did a good job of staying patient and playing within our structure. We didn't give up much off the rush."

Keefe believes his team has stabilized things defensively after a leaky stretch. The next step will be rediscovering some offensive mojo. 

"There were a lot of things offensively that we struggled with in that first period especially," said Keefe. "Give Minnesota credit, but part of it was that we just weren't sharp. We had trouble connecting on real simple passes ... There were some things there that really stalled us offensively that we didn't like. When we are at our best, we are better that way."