The Maple Leafs held a workout and team meeting at the Rogers Centre on Friday. The Oilers practised at Scotiabank Arena.
The Leafs are hoping a day at the ballpark will help create a spark as they seek to snap out of a five-game losing streak. The team held a workout and meeting at the Rogers Centre on Friday.
“Well, I hope it gives us some energy and just gets us away from our regular routine a little bit, which hasn’t given us the best results,” said coach Jim Hiller.
Leafs staff toured the Blue Jays facilities late in the baseball season and came away very impressed. So, they asked if their team could stop by for an off-ice workout one day in the hockey season. They got the green light and this outing has been on the books for some time.
“Regardless of how we were playing, I think we were coming here anyways,” defenceman Darren Raddysh pointed out.
But the hope is the timing of the field trip can also be helpful. Toronto has dropped seven of eight games since Oct. 26 with the best road team in the NHL, the Edmonton Oilers, on deck at Scotiabank Arena. The Leafs have been outscored 22-9 while dropping the first five games of this season-long, six-game homestand.
There’s no ignoring the on-ice issues and the looming challenge on Saturday against Connor McDavid, but there were also plenty of smiles as the players fielded questions and groundballs.
“It definitely brings me back to childhood playing baseball and stuff,” said captain Auston Matthews. “It’s a long season. I think it’s good to get your mind off of things, you know, mind off of hockey sometimes and just live life.”
“It’s always nice to come see this, especially being a kid from Toronto,” Raddysh said. “You know, growing up idolizing the Maple Leafs and watching the Blue Jays every summer, it’s pretty special. Can’t thank them enough for letting us come use the facility today and, you know, kind of live out every little kid’s dream, to be a part of the Toronto sports scene.”
Leafs players enjoyed taking some batting practice and shagging fly balls in the outfield. Gritty winger Zack MacEwen was the stand-out star.
“I snuck one out,” Matthews said. “MacEwen put one in the second level there. Just straight power. But, yeah, it’s fun. I love it. You know, I grew up playing baseball, so it’s always fun to be able to do some batting practice and just come out here and throw it around a little bit.”
Some friendly chirps were being thrown around as well.
“Surprisingly [Brandon] Duhaime’s been horrible and he looks the most like a baseball player, I think,” quipped forward Nick Paul with a grin. “Willy [Nylander] slowed down the pitches a little bit here so he can make some contact.”
The players were having such a good time that they even asked to have a second batting practice session following their off-ice workout. They stayed on the field well after the designated end time.
“Going through something like we’re going through right now, it just takes everyone coming together to get out of it,” said Paul. “It’s not easy. Something like today, you know, kind of take your mind off it, reset. Obviously, we know what’s at hand tomorrow, we’re going to prepare. But just being out here, being together, getting a little closer, it always is helpful.”
Leafs players, who enjoy top-notch facilities at the Ford Performance Centre and Scotiabank Arena, marvelled at the set up under the dome.
“Honestly, everything’s just very new, very modern, a lot of cool modalities from the saunas, the cold tubs, all the little things,” Matthews observed. “I mean, they did a really great job in there. There’s definitely no shortage of things to use.”
“I’ve never seen one of those pitching [machines] where you can pick what pitcher you’re going against and it throws curve balls or whatever pitches they throw,” said Paul. “And just the size of everything. Obviously baseball players are here the full day so just seeing how big the room is and how homey it is is pretty cool.”
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Why did the Leafs choose not to practise on Friday?
“We felt we needed to break it up,” Hiller explained. “Today was never a scheduled practice day. It gets long. You get your practices and you play and we got to have good energy for tomorrow. We didn’t think a practice would give us that today.”
But the coach was quick to stress this was a work day for the players.
“They’re still going to do the things they would do normally to get ready for tomorrow’s game,” Hiller said. “We’re just doing it in a different venue.”
There was also a team meeting to address the issues that have contributed to this losing streak. What was Hiller’s message to the team?
“Well, I’ll keep that private,” he said. “But we had a really good meeting and let’s see. Let’s get ready for tomorrow and play. I mean, I’ve said it more than once, we have to own where we’re at and what’s gone on, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t be the best version of ourselves tomorrow.”
Players are appreciating Hiller’s even-keeled approach during this slide down the standings.
“He comes in with the same attitude and energy every single day,” Matthews said. “And, as hard as it is right now and just the frustration that obviously creeps in, I think he’s done a good job of keeping us grounded and keeping us together, making sure that we’re picking each other up, and it’s on us to dig ourselves out of it.”
The Leafs sit seventh in the Atlantic Division despite playing more games (21) than any of their rivals. Toronto is six points out of a playoff spot.
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Who starts in goal on Saturday?
“We haven’t decided yet,” Hiller said.
That answer is an indication that the Leafs are considering deviating from their goalie plan. Backup Anthony Stolarz (5-3-0, .900 save percentage) is posting better numbers than Sergei Bobrovsky (3-8-2, .881), but has yet to start consecutive games.
Stolarz allowed four goals on 25 shots in Thursday’s loss to the Minnesota Wild.
“Felt good,” Stolarz said. “I mean, it’s a talented team. They were moving the puck well. I thought I tracked the puck well and made some key stops.”
So, what will it take for the Leafs to snap out of this skid?
“I think right now we kind of have to treat every game like a playoff game,” Stolarz advised. “You got to hit everything, you gotta block shots, and I think we have to start playing some desperate hockey to get us back on track and feeling good again.”
Stolarz was in net three weeks ago when the Leafs beat the Oilers 7-2 in Edmonton. He stopped 30 of 32 shots to pick up the win against one of his former teams.
“We’re gonna have to repeat that and play that same style,” Stolarz said. “You got probably the best player in the world and a guy who’s not too far behind.”
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McDavid and Leon Draisaitl both had two points in the 7-2 loss to the Leafs. Now they’ll be out for revenge.
“We gave it to them in their building,” Matthews said. “They’re going to be ready to play.”
While the Leafs took batting practice, the Oilers were down the street practising at Scotiabank Arena. McDavid met the media afterwards.
“It doesn’t matter how many times you come back here,” the 29-year-old said. “It’s a special building to me. I was a Leafs fan growing up as a kid. This building means a lot to me.”
McDavid arrives home at the peak of his powers. The Oilers captain has piled up 49 points while hitting the scoresheet in all 20 games so far.
“I think you know he maybe has a little bit of a chip on his shoulder from how things went last game,” Raddysh said. “Obviously being from Toronto and coming back here you’re always excited to play in your hometown so whether it’s him or any other guys on that team I know Saturday night will be a good one.”
Matthews has faced McDavid 22 times in the NHL with the Leafs winning 15 of the games. Matthews has piled up 14 goals and 24 points in the matchups while McDavid has hit back with 10 goals and 34 points.
“It’s obviously a very big challenge every time, but obviously the way that he’s been playing this year, it’s a big challenge for us,” Matthews said. “I think we can look back to that game just a few weeks ago and just the way we played and the way we had to play, the attention to the detail that you have to have against that team, especially going up against those guys. We definitely need that for tomorrow and we need to be at our best.”
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Any mistake with McDavid on the ice, may lead to a goal. The problem for the Leafs is they’ve been making big mistakes at the wrong times during this losing streak.
“It’s a little bit of the same,” Matthews said after the loss to Minnesota. “I thought we played a pretty solid game against a really good team and then there’s just compounding really big mistakes that obviously end up in the back of our net.”
A giveaway by Troy Stecher led to the first Wild goal by Matt Boldy.
Minnesota’s game-winning goal also came off the stick of Boldy who was given ample time and space to walk in and pick his spot to complete a hat trick. Nylander was the closest Leaf to Boldy, but opted to follow Ryan Hartman to the middle of the ice while defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson also shaded to the middle.
“A weird sort-out situation,” Nylander explained. “I mean, tracking Hartman, he goes into the middle. And it’s between me and O, miscommunication on that one with who should take Boldy and who should take Hartman, so it’s something we have to sort out, obviously.”
What did the coach see?
“We screwed that up in the neutral zone, to be honest with you,” Hiller said. “It shouldn’t have got to that point. Once it got to that point, it makes it hard. But we should have cleaned that up earlier. There was a chance to clean that up earlier. I’ll just leave it at that.”
Despite some brutal breakdowns, the Leafs have actually won the expected goal battle in five of their last seven games.
“We’re seeing lots of good,” Hiller stressed. “We are seeing the same things you guys are seeing as far as the things that aren’t good, the things that are costing us. Yeah, we remain positive. We see progress, and we’ll keep going.”
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Oilers lines at Friday’s practice:
Podkolzin - McDavid - Draisaitl
Kapanen - Nugent-Hopkins - Hyman
Dach - Dickinson - Frederic
Formenton - Michaels - Joseph
Jones, Hallander
Ekholm - Bouchard
Shea - Murphy
Mukhamadullin - Emberson
Walman - Howard
Jarry
Levi