Leafs' Murray making progress, but no timeline for a return
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TSN SportsCentre Reporter Mark Masters reports on the Maple Leafs, who practised at Ford Performance Centre on Friday ahead of Saturday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens.
Matt Murray hit the ice for a pre-practice workout with goalie coach Curtis Sanford, but the two-time Stanley Cup champion still isn't ready to rejoin the main group.
"He's progressing well," said head coach Sheldon Keefe. "He's been putting in some consistent work. Ankle's still not at the point where it's allowing him to do everything that's required to play goal in terms of his movements and all those types of things. They're continuing to monitor that and trying to strengthen the ankle and stuff, but he's stayed busy and continued to see pucks and do the work that he can at this point."
Is there a timeline for his return?
"No," Keefe said.
Murray last played on Jan. 17 when he was pulled in the second period after allowing four goals on eight shots against the Florida Panthers. He was last on the ice with teammates on Jan. 27 when a nagging ankle issue flared up during warmups and forced him to miss a scheduled start against the Ottawa Senators.
It's been hard to get a read on Murray's status. Before the team's bye break, Keefe said the team didn't expect the ankle injury to be a long-term issue.
"I think it will be a couple of weeks from now," general manager Kyle Dubas said during a media availability on Feb. 9. "I don't know definitively."
Murray sustained an adductor injury during Toronto's morning skate on Oct. 15 ahead of what would've been his second start. He missed the next month, but played well upon returning.
"He's working extremely hard to get back and just getting over that hump of what he's been feeling and working through," said captain John Tavares. "He's still really levelheaded. He really showed that coming into the year. A tough break early in the season as well and he came back in great form and played some great hockey and was extremely confident and gave the group a lot of confidence. So, I know he's staying with it day by day and continuing to progress and get better. As difficult as it's been on him, he's stayed levelheaded and is progressing."
Murray is 11-5-2 with a .911 save percentage this season.
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Ilya Samsonov has carried the load with Murray out, but his status for Saturday's game against the Montreal Canadiens is up in the air after the 25-year-old missed practice due to an illness.
"We'll see where he's at throughout the day today and into tomorrow and make a decision from there," said Keefe.
Samsonov has played in 10 of Toronto's last 11 games.
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Does Joseph Woll know what the plan is for this weekend's back-to-back set?
"No," the 24-year-old said. "Right now I'm just taking it day-by-day and when I get my name called I'll be ready."
After hosting the Canadiens on Saturday, the Leafs will travel to Chicago to take on the Blackhawks on Sunday.
"Either game would be pretty special," said Woll. "Playing the Canadiens at home or getting to play close to home so I'm excited for whatever comes my way."
Woll grew up in the St. Louis area.
"It was always fun to watch the Blues and Blackhawks go at it," he said with a smile.
Woll made his NHL season debut on Saturday allowing four goals on 40 shots in a loss to the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets. It was his fifth career NHL appearance and first at home.
"It was an awesome experience," Woll said. "A little bit of a confidence builder showing myself I can play at this level. Hopefully continue to grow every game I get a chance to play."
"I didn't think we gave him much of a chance to be very good the other night when he played in terms of how we played in front of him," said Keefe. "He's got great talent. I thought he was excellent in practice today."
Woll, Toronto's third-round pick in 2016 (62nd overall), has been excellent in the American Hockey League this season with a 14-1-0 record and .931 save percentage.
"You continue to marvel at his talent," said Tavares. "But I think, with that, you can continue to see the fine tuning of his skill-set and ... the confidence continues to grow for him and understanding the pro game and the NHL level. Obviously, the sky's the limit for him and he has a lot of potential for us."
Woll is the fourth goalie to play for the Leafs this season. Erik Kallgren filled in earlier in the year when both Murray and Samsonov were sidelined.
"We used four goaltenders last year and four goalies already this year," said Keefe. "The focus has just been: get our team ready to play the next day and don't make too big a deal of [injuries] and just press on. We've done a good job, for the most part, of dealing with those situations."
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After being a healthy scratch for the first time all season on Wednesday, right-shot defenceman Justin Holl will draw back in on Saturday night.
"I didn't intend on having Justin out for too long," said Keefe. "To me, his game had slipped a little bit, but he's played a lot of really good hockey."
Holl acknowledged the benching came as a bit of a surprise.
"I feel like I've been a constant [in] the lineup this year and I know where I provide value," the 31-year-old said. "You just got to trust yourself and I know how to play. I'm excited to get out there tomorrow."
"On his worst day, he's a top penalty killer for us," Keefe stressed. "He's played a lot of really good hockey. He and [Mark] Giordano are the only two who played every game to that point [Wednesday]. Those guys have taken on a lot and have been very consistent for us and given us ... that foundation and the constant in our lineup and helped us through some very tough times."
While Holl had been a constant in the lineup this season, he's no stranger to sitting out. He was a healthy scratch in five straight games early last season and then sat out the first two playoff games in the series against Tampa Bay. He was exiled to the press box 71 times under Mike Babcock in the 2018-19 season.
"I'm not sure it's ever 'easier' but it is something that I know I've clawed my way out of before," Holl said. "I'm trying not to worry too much about it and just play how I play."
Where can he improve?
"Some of the details," he said. "Getting hold ups for guys. Like, if your partner is going back for the puck, getting a hold up on a guy so he can't forecheck him as hard. That's one example."
Holl and Giordano are Toronto's most common defence pairing this season. They've spent 481 minutes together, per NaturalStatTrick.com. The Leafs have outscored the opposition 18-17 in those minutes, which have primarily come against top lines. The expected goals for percentage for them is 54.05.
However, Holl will slot in beside Rasmus Sandin, 22, on the third pair to start Saturday's game.
"That's one we don't have a great sample on, but the sample we have has been just OK," said Keefe. "It's a chance for Holl to come back in and have a different look and different assignments and a chance to pair well with a young defenceman. We'd like to see him step in and really help a young guy there."
Holl and Sandin have played just over 107 minutes together with the Leafs getting outscored 6-2 in that time. The expected goals for percentage for that twosome is 51.19.
"Ras is really active in the rush, jumps into the play a lot, gives you an option coming up the ice in the neutral zone," Holl said. "Gio's maybe more of a dependable guy and uses his mental acuity a little more and his institutionalized knowledge. They both provide value in different ways."
Timothy Liljegren will remain with Giordano. That pairing has played 96:29 together with the Leafs outscoring the opposition 5-2 in that time. The expected goals for percentage for that duo is 54.66.
"That pair's been very, very good for us," said Keefe. "We feel pretty good about that."
Conor Timmins, who scored on Wednesday, but also took a pair of penalties, will come out of the lineup on Saturday.
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Usually, the Leafs work on special teams by having the two power play units take turns going up against penalty killers at either end of the ice. On Friday, the drill was held in just one end of the ice with a net on the sideboards and another net off to the side of the end boards. Yellow cones separated the rink into two halves. The two units then had to try and score against a goalie and two penalty killers.
"Just try and up the pace in terms of moving the puck and attacking the net and also give the guys lots of feel in terms of shooting the puck in the net and getting those touches," Keefe explained. "A little bit of change in how you deliver it, but it's the mindset we want to have in terms of the pace of passing, the execution and ultimately attacking and shooting it in the net."
The units had to stay on their half of the ice. If the puck was cleared to the other side then the other unit got a chance. Assistant coach Spencer Carbery, who oversees the power play, had his stop watch going and the units switched sides in one-minute intervals.
The Leafs went 0-for-3 on the power play despite getting star centre Auston Matthews back from injury on Wednesday against the Chicago Blackhawks.
"Just trying to get some puck movement and just get the pace up a little bit," Tavares said. "Our execution probably wasn't the best the last game and it's always good to change it up a little and give it a different feel."
Toronto scored on the power play in all five games that Matthews missed, but they are just 1 for-- 11 on the man advantage in the last five games Matthews has played.
"We want it to be a difference maker and, when we're called upon, create looks," said Tavares before going even further. "With the type of players we have on the ice, not just create looks, but finish on our opportunities and be a top unit in the league especially in key moments. Yeah, just a change of pace today."
The Leafs have converted on a quarter of their chances this season and sit sixth overall in power-play percentage.
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Matthews didn't make an impact on the power play, but his return from a three-week absence offered the team a huge boost. In fact, Matthews actually called the play that led to a William Nylander goal just nine seconds in.
"It was Matty's idea to draw that play up," Nylander revealed. "We talked about in the locker room and that was kind of what we were going to try and do and it worked out."
"We have been talking to our guys a lot about taking charge," said Keefe. "A lot of these guys have been playing together for a long time now. They have a sense of what the structure is. They know what they can do. They get the information on faceoffs. They have a lot of flexibility to call the plays and get organized themselves. That is what you want. You want the players out there taking charge. They have a sense. They have a feel. That was at the start of the game, but when you are in the game, you have a sense of your opponents. You have a sense of the timing. They have a feel for things that coaches just can't replicate. You need to be able to take charge out there. If you watch any experienced and championship-calibre team, their people are taking charge of different situations. That is what you love to see: those guys take the initiative and execute."
Later in the game, Matthews scored his own goal. He also made a great stick check on Seth Jones to set up the goal by Timmins.
"The goal was just unbelievable with the way he picks the corner," Tavares told reporters. "Maybe even more impressive is the whole sequence there and how he sets up Timmy with the way he strips the defenceman and buys time and draws people to him and allows Timmy to slide to the middle and really gives it to him at the right time to get a shot off ... When he comes in you just see the impact he can make on the game and how it just makes us that much deeper of a team and that much better of a team so obviously great to have him back."
Matthews played 16 minutes and 39 seconds and fired three shots on net.
"Not too bad," he told reporters. "Obviously the adrenaline kicks in and stuff. My energy faded a little bit throughout the game, but that's to be expected. But, for the most part, I felt pretty good."
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Nylander always enjoys the chance to go up against Patrick Kane.
"He's one of the best to ever play so it's always special playing against him and it's just fun in general playing the Blackhawks," said Nylander, who changed his number to Kane's 88 a few years back.
Nylander now has nine goals in 10 career games against the Blackhawks. His dad, former Blackhawk Michael Nylander, is visiting this week.
"It's always fun to have him in town," Nylander said. "My family was here for a while at Christmas and he came back to watch my brother (Alexander Nylander) in the AHL All-Star Game and now he's here."
Nylander also had two assists on Wednesday.
"I just see him always on the front foot," Tavares said. "Always being aggressive and using his speed and his strength and putting the opponent on their heels. He's just making it happen."
Nylander leads the Leafs with 30 goals, which is just four off his career high set last season.
"He's just all over it," Matthews said. "The consistency factor has been great to see. You know, he's just all over it every single game. He's moving his feet and it's been a lot of fun to watch. It's a treat to play with him."
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Lines at Friday's practice:
Bunting - Matthews - Nylander
Kerfoot - Tavares - Marner
Engvall - Kampf - Jarnkrok
Aston-Reese - Holmberg - Anderson
Simmonds
Rielly - Brodie
Giordano - Liljegren
Sandin - Holl
Benn - Timmins
Woll
Power-play units at Friday's practice:
PP1: Rielly, Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Tavares
PP2: Sandin, Liljegren, Jarnkrok, Engvall, Bunting