Columnist image

SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

| Archive

The Toronto Maple Leafs (optional) and Los Angeles Kings skated at Scotiabank Arena on Monday. 

---

Toronto's core four forwards – Auston Matthews (four), John Tavares (five), Mitch Marner (three) and William Nylander (three) – have combined to score 15 of the team's 19 goals during the current five game win streak.

"Those guys are our top guys and when they control the play, we seem to have the puck a lot and the confidence spreads through the team," observed veteran forward Jason Spezza. 

Matthews, who missed the entire pre-season schedule and the first three games of the regular season while recovering from left wrist surgery, is heating up after a slow start. The reigning Rocket Richard Trophy winner has four goals and two assists in the last three games. 

"It was going to be tough for him to get off to a fast start," Spezza pointed out. "We all wanted him to come back and feel completely normal, but it's a tough league … Now that he's hit his stride, you can tell he's controlling games again and he does special things out there."

Matthews and Tavares offer the Leafs a big advantage down the middle on most nights, but not on Monday with the Kings in town. Los Angeles signed Phillip Danault in the summer. He slots in right behind 2018 Selke Trophy winner Anze Kopitar. 

"Had we come in with just Kopi, obviously, the mismatches exist right away," said Kings coach Todd McLellan, "but now with Phil there you feel a little bit better about playing everybody ... He certainly alleviates some of the pressure on Anze."

Kopitar leads the Kings with seven goals and 14 points this season. His offensive-zone start percentage is 66, which is up from 46.4 last season, per NaturalStatTrick. 

"It feels nice sometimes when you don't have to take the D-zone draw," Kopitar admits. "So that's definitely a plus." 

Danault played a key role in shutting down Matthews and Marner in May's playoff series. Matthews was limited to one goal while Marner didn't score at all in the seven games against Montreal. 

"He's always in the right spot," said linemate Alex Iafallo. "Forechecking-wise he's always getting a stick on the puck, which creates a lot of offensive chances for us."

"Good instincts," said Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe. "Good stick. Knows who he is and what his job is out on the ice and doesn’t deviate from that very much. That's a big part of it. The defensive players that focus on those things, they can make it difficult on you. With he and Kopitar, that's a tough duo they've put together there and you're seeing some of those benefits." 

The Kings have won four straight games. 

"They're a very good team at five-on-five," stressed Keefe. "You have to play a patient game and expect that it's going to be difficult to get through the neutral zone and difficult to get access to the goaltender. We'll have to be patient and, at the same time, earn our opportunities offensively and look to win the special teams battle."

 

---

The turnaround in Toronto isn't just the result of the star power scoring. The defence is also playing better. The group started so slow this season that Keefe juggled all three pairs following a game in Chicago on Oct. 27. As part of the shake up, veterans Jake Muzzin and T.J. Brodie joined forces on the shutdown unit. 

"It's nice," Muzzin said of the new partnership. "He's calm. He's in position. We're kind of just vibing off each other right now. It's working out." 

Muzzin and Brodie are both steady, no-nonsense guys who hail from Ontario. 

"The Woodstock-Chatham banter is going strong," Muzzin confirmed, citing their hometowns.  

Meanwhile, Muzzin's old partner, Justin Holl, will sit as a healthy scratch for a fifth straight game tonight. 

Muzzin was asked if sometimes a change is needed to jumpstart your game. 

"Every once in a while, sometimes, a switch is good, but I'd like it to be there all the time."

Muzzin was a physical force while logging just under 22 minutes on Saturday against the Bruins. Keefe dubbed that win the team's best performance of the season. 

"Our mindset and our work ethic has been a lot better," said Muzzin, who's the only Stanley Cup champion on the roster. "I feel we're a lot more connected and guys have the right mindset, you know, outworking teams and out checking teams for chances as opposed to just trying to force chances. It's been good. It's a long season. It's nice to get some confidence in the group and we got a big match tonight against a good defensive team." 

 

---

The Leafs are playing their 13th game of the season tonight and Jack Campbell will be making his 11th appearance between the pipes. 

"Just incredible stability," said Spezza of what the goalie brings. "We went into the year with him and [Petr Mrazek] and Pete's dealt with some injuries, and it's been a lot for Jack. He's had to miss practices to keep his workload down and he's handled it all in stride and found a good routine."

Mrazek sustained a groin injury in his first start on Oct. 14 in Ottawa. He returned to game action on Oct. 30 getting the win against Detroit, but then tweaked the groin a few days later in practice. He's expected to miss the next four weeks. 

So, the Leafs will lean even more on Campbell moving forward.

"It's demanding," Spezza continued. "You don't see a lot of guys carry the workload the way he's been carrying it here now. It speaks to his dedication to get himself ready day in and day out and that's not just at the rink. He's taking care of himself away from the rink. He's making sure he's getting rest when he's going home and coming fresh the next day.” 

Montreal's Jake Allen is the only other goalie with 11 appearances this season. 

When you play this much, it's crucial to have a short memory. Early in his career, Campbell struggled to get over tough moments and games. Now, the 29-year-old is doing a better job managing his emotions.  

"It's hard to get that out of his head and I feel like he's learned a lot," said Iafallo, who became good friends with Campbell when he played in Los Angeles. "You can definitely tell in his play that he's been really strong mentally."

"I enjoy seeing him do well," Kings goalie Jonathan Quick told reporters on Sunday, "especially in this city, it's a tough place to play and he's handled it really well."

But, make no mistake about it, Campbell is still incredibly hard on himself. Muzzin, who also played with Campbell in Los Angeles, was surprised to hear that the goalie feels like he's improved in that department. 

"Because every goal that goes in is his fault, apparently, to us," Muzzin said with a chuckle. "He's a tough critic on himself, but we're there to remind him he's not in there alone ... He's been playing great and we're going to need him to continue playing great."

Campbell is 6-2-1 with a .936 save percentage this season. He credits Quick for mentoring him during his time in Los Angeles. 

"I read Soupy's quote that he owes him a lot and that's nice that he recognizes that, but Soupy did a lot for himself as well," said McLellan. "He got himself organized and his life going in the right direction. We're happy he's been able to come here and do what he's done."

 

---

Projected Leafs lines for Monday's game: 

Bunting - Matthews - Nylander 

Kerfoot - Tavares - Marner 

Engvall - Kampf - Kase

Ritchie - Spezza - Simmonds

 

Rielly - Dermott 

Muzzin - Brodie 

Sandin - Liljegren

 

Campbell starts 

Woll 

Injured: Mrazek (groin), Mikheyev (broken thumb)

Healthy scratches: Holl, Anderson, Semyonov