The Maple Leafs held an optional skate at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday.
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The Leafs are going back to Anthony Stolarz in goal for Saturday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers. It’s the first time this season that Stolarz will play in consecutive games.
“He’s been good for a long time,” coach Jim Hiller said. “Yeah, I mean he’s big [6-foot-6, 248 pounds]. Not a lot of rebounds. Played well against Edmonton last time. So there’s, you know, there’s different things.”
Stolarz stopped 30 of 32 shots when the Leafs beat the Oilers 7-2 in Edmonton three weeks ago.
“He’s been great,” said defenceman Jake McCabe. “Vocal, steady back there, playing the puck well, all things we expect of him.”
The Leafs lost to the Minnesota Wild on Thursday, but Stolarz was pleased with his performance despite allowing four goals on 25 shots.
“He’s an awesome goalie to play in front of,” said rookie winger Gavin McKenna. “Every time he comes back to the bench, he’s always trying to get the boys fired up. He’s a pretty vocal goalie. I haven’t played with many goalies like that, so it’s cool to see. And when you got a guy like that, who’s fired up to be in the net and trying to get the boys fired up, it just makes you want to play that much better for him. So, he’s been awesome for us and we want to do the same for him.”
Stolarz (5-3-0, .900 save percentage) is posting better numbers than the team’s No. 1 goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (3-8-2, .881) so far this season.
Bobrovsky allowed five goals on 27 shots in his last start on Tuesday against the Colorado Avalanche. The 38-year-old has lost five straight decisions in regulation, which is his longest such skid in more than a decade.
“He’s had some really good games,” Hiller stressed. “He’s had some average games ... We can’t look to one guy. I mean, you can poke holes in our game in different areas and different players. Everybody’s trying to get better.”
A reporter suggested that Bobrovsky is not living up to the three-year, $21-million contract signed in the summer.
“Well, I mean, I guess that’s your evaluation,” Hiller responded. “We continue to work with all our guys, support all our guys and have high expectations. Yeah, I mean, the expectations for every player are high and they should be.”
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After staying off the ice on Friday, the Leafs were initially scheduled to hold a full team skate on Saturday morning. Hiller decided to turn the workout into an optional session.
“We had some certain guys who wanted to do some different things,” the coach explained. “We had a good meeting, talked about some different stuff, and trying to just come out with our best energy possible tonight. We know we’ll need it.”
The Oilers have the second-best points percentage in the NHL (.775) and own the top road record (7-0-1). The Leafs, meanwhile, have dropped seven of eight games. All of the defeats have come in regulation and the last five have come at home.
Ten players projected to play against the Oilers took the ice on Saturday morning, including veteran centre John Tavares.
“Not being on the ice yesterday, just wanting to be as sharp as I can, be as best prepared,” Tavares said. “Just felt like it was good to get back on the ice and get a feel for it and get the stick in my hands and touch the puck. Just get your body right and feeling good.”
Tavares has not hit the scoresheet and is minus-eight in four games since returning from a lower-body injury.
Defenceman Chris Tanev, who usually takes part in optional skates, stayed off the ice on Saturday morning. Is that part of the team’s load management plan for the 36-year-old?
“No. No. No,” Hiller said. “That’s not necessarily it. We’ve talked a lot about the plans. There’s all kinds of plans here and I think maybe we spend a little bit too much time on that. And it’s a fair question, because I’ve used the same language, so I’m not coming at you at all. But, like anything, I guess we say ‘plan’ as a general term. Everything’s thought about daily. There’s different circumstances that come up and then you make decisions. We all have plans in our life and rarely does it turn out the way we expect.”
Hiller previously indicated that Tanev would return to the lineup for Saturday’s game after being held out on Thursday.
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Auston Matthews hit the ice ahead of the team’s optional skate to run some reps with linemate Jack Roslovic, who also plays with him on the top power-play unit.
The Leafs have converted on just one of 11 power-play chances in the last six games.
“We just got to be a little bit sharper,” Tavares said. “We’ve had some plays where [if] we just execute a little bit better, all of a sudden we got a little bit more space or, you know, we create an opportunity and [find a] good area of the ice to attack the net and be aggressive. And being able to draw a few more would be good as well. The more opportunities you get, obviously, the more chance you have to kind of work through it and create opportunities and do what you need to do. I don’t think we’re far off but, you know, no doubt we need that to be a big part of our game and execute at a higher level.”
Toronto has scored on one of seven opportunities in the four games since Tavares returned from injury and rejoined the top unit.
The Leafs rank 20th overall in power-play opportunities (59) this season. They’ve only had nine chances during this five-game skid.
“We haven’t had a rhythm like we have had earlier in the year,” Hiller acknowledged. “Clearly, we’re not as dangerous as we once were and that’s the ebbs and flows of the season. But that was driving some wins for us early and right now we could use a goal or two because I think that our 5-on-5 game is probably better, and our special teams were better early. Five on five is better now, we got to get our special teams going, and that’ll turn the tide for us.”
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Maintaining confidence is not easy during a slide like this.
“When you don’t have it, it’s not easy to get back and when you have it you want to make sure you keep it,” defenceman Jake McCabe said. “Obviously, we’re at the stage of trying to build it back up and just wanting that puck, everyone wanting that puck, and being confident with it, being confident with the plays you make. When there’s a play to make, make it, when there’s not, let’s put it in, let’s go to work, that’s kind of the mindset for us tonight.”
What is McCabe, who is tied for ninth overall with 43 blocked shots, focusing on individually right now?
“Compete,” the 33-year-old said. “Keep the puck out of my net. When you’re not winning hockey games and I’m getting scored on, I’m not doing my job. So, I just get out there and make it hard on the top lines and just compete my ass off all night.”
McCabe is minus-six during the team’s five-game skid and will likely be matched up against Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Edmonton’s top line on Saturday. The Leafs did a good job of slowing down McDavid and Draisaitl at 5-on-5 last month in Edmonton.
“Certainly, they’re going to come in here with a chip on their shoulder,” McCabe said. “We beat them in their building a couple Saturday nights ago and you know they’re going to try to do the same to us tonight, so we have to be ready to go from the drop of the puck.”
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McDavid leads the league with 49 points and has hit the scoresheet in all 20 games this season. McDavid has more assists (38) than anyone else has points.
“He’s in a world of his own,” McKenna marvelled. “You see what he’s doing and it’s crazy. To put up numbers like that in the National Hockey League, it’s very unique. And, yeah, to see him up close, he’s crazy. Super fast, very smart, and seems like he just controls the game. And, obviously, he’s got Leon to play with and they’re always looking for him and he’s just a threat everywhere on the ice.”
McDavid can become the fifth player in NHL history to record 50 points in 21 games or fewer, joining Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky, Bernie Nicholls and Mike Bossy.
“Really something,” said Tavares. “Someone and a style of play the game’s really never seen, right, and just the dominance with it. So, obviously very driven like he’s always been, but probably some different circumstances around their team and a longer off-season probably benefited him in some ways. And he’s obviously gotten off to a tremendous start, historic. You know, obviously it’s going to be a heck of a challenge. Did a good job a few weeks ago and will only be harder. No doubt he’ll be ready to play today and want to make an impact.”
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McKenna logged just 10:38 of ice time on Thursday, which was his lowest total since playing 6:36 and being benched for half a game on Oct. 15. What does he focus on when the ice time dips?
“It’s just trying to stay in the game,” he said. “You know, sometimes it can be tough to stay in it and find ways to get going on that next shift. But, for me, I think it’s being dialled in, watching the game, watching plays happen, I think that really keeps me dialled in. And when I’m out there that next shift that I get, just trying to be around the puck a lot more. You know, it’s going to be harder to come by puck touches when you’re not playing as much. So, for me, trying to be around it and get those touches, I think will be key.”
McKenna is averaging 14:18 per game, which is eighth among the team’s forward group, since being bumped off the top power-play unit four games ago. He’s been playing mostly on the third line during this stretch.
McKenna finished Thursday’s game against the Wild plus-one. It was only the third time this season that the teenager finished as a plus player and the first time it’s happened since Oct. 8 in Vegas, which was the fifth game of the season.
“I think defensively, it’s gotten a little bit better,” McKenna said of his game. “I find we’re not hemmed in our zone as much anymore, and we’re starting to play in the O-zone a little bit more. So that’s something I’ve been wanting to work on, and have found it coming a little bit more. So I want to keep building on that, and hopefully, being in the O-zone more leads to a couple more goals.”
McKenna credits video sessions with Hiller and associate coach Daniel Alfredsson for helping him improve.
“One thing I’ve learned is it’s hard in the O-zone,” McKenna said. “Guys are always in the right position. So, for me, that’s something I’ve kind of wanted to get down pat ... When you see it on video, I think it just comes naturally when you’re out there and I want to keep doing that. And I think just keep learning off of it and try to be in those right positions.”
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Attendance at optional skate:
FORWARDS
Brendan Brisson
DEFENCE
GOALIES
Brendan Bonnello (EBUG)