Columnist image

SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

| Archive

The Maple Leafs (optional) and Canadiens skated at Scotiabank Arena ahead of tonight's game. 

With Nazem Kadri (concussion) missing a second straight game, William Nylander will continue to fill in as the third-line centre. How'd he look in Thursday's loss to the Capitals? 

"Very comfortable," said former Marlies linemate Kasperi Kapanen. "He's used to it and used to play it back in the day so I think it’s second nature to him."

Mike Babcock had a more nuanced take on the 22-year-old's performance. 

"He can really transport the puck and really cycle," the coach noted. "We just need details defensively. That's the problem with being a D or a centre, a winger you don't have to do it, but when it's going in your net and you're below the goal line, that's always a problem for a D or for a centre. That's just the process of playing centre when you haven't played there in a while. You've got to be real good defensively. It's a 200-foot game and you need more of an engine, you just have to. All the good centres have that."

Nylander was caught below the goal line on Washington's second goal by Brett Connolly, although John Tavares was also on the ice for that post-PK shift. On the plus side, Nylander fired five shots on Braden Holtby matching a season-high and the Leafs controlled 76% of the even-strength shot attempts when he was on the ice, the best Corsi percentage on the team. 

"You can really tell lately he’s been flying around," said Morgan Rielly. "He’s been creating opportunities, he’s been shooting the puck and playing really well so it's good to see."

Nylander loves to have the puck on his stick and his ability, as Babcock puts it, to "transport the puck," with a lot of speed is helpful to the defence. 

"Having a centre-man low is a big part of having successful breakouts," noted Travis Dermott, "so Willie, with the speed that he has and his ability to skate the puck through the zones, is big for us and having him low, getting the puck with some room and getting some speed going is definitely pretty dangerous."

---

Saturday marks Toronto's final game before Monday's trade deadline. 

"I didn't even know that," Rielly insisted. "I don't think we're thinking about it too much. Our job's to play and it's an important game for our team tonight."

But Babcock points out it's only human nature that some doubts creep in at this time of year. even for a team that's seen as a buyer. 

"As the coach, you're ecstatic after the trade deadline," he said. "You can get on with it, you can get some of the players that are thinking too much back and you get everyone back and you get going. We got (Jake Muzzin), we've got some players that aren't available to us right now, we've got a couple in the minors that we think are ready to play on our team and they've been there long enough. We feel we have good depth, so let's get at 'er."

Left winger Trevor Moore has 38 points in 45 games with the Marlies this season and played well in a seven-game audition in the NHL earlier this year. Left-shot defenceman Calle Rosen has also performed really well, earning a spot in the AHL all-star game. 

---

Kapanen, a pending restricted free agent, is in the midst of a break-out season and Babcock believes the 22-year-old Finn benefited from over-ripening in the minors. 

"If you want to look at a model of how to handle prospects the absolute best, he's the guy," Babcock said. "You can keep him there too long, it might frustrate the crap out of him, you just keep putting him there until he's ready to be a real hockey player and then you put him in and he's a real hockey player. He's confident, he's got swagger, he's strong, he's fast, he shoots it, he penalty kills, he plays on the power play when we need him. He's a useful player and he's a good guy and he's got a swagger about him. He thinks he's a good player. He is."

Kapanen has 18 goals and 19 assists this season and finds himself playing on the right side of Auston Matthews. His speed is a huge asset and he was blazing at the Bell Centre two weeks ago firing seven shots on Carey Price, matching his high for a game this season. 

"Personally, my legs were going that game," he recalled, "and whenever you’re in Montreal and playing it’s very exciting and now Saturday night against the Habs in Toronto, I don’t think it gets any better than that."

Kapanen may be even quicker tonight thanks to a haircut earlier this week. 

"It was time," he said with a grin. "It looks good underneath the helmet and it's flapping in the wind when I'm skating, but other than that it's not a great look so I decided to go for something different ... I feel a lot faster so it's good."

---

The Leafs and Canadiens have faced off twice this season with Toronto winning both times in overtime.

"I don't think they're doing anything that surprises us in the least bit," Babcock said. "You know what they're doing, they know what you're doing, now you've got to go out there and you've got to play harder and longer and smarter than they do ... The bottom line is there's not much to pick ... if you can control the neutral zone and get going the other way and keep them off your D, you're going to be way better off. The team that establishes that first and maintains it is going to have more opportunity to generate offence, for sure."

Montreal has actually outshot Toronto 74-58 in the pair of games. What have they done well? 

"I'm not going to stand here and say there’s a secret recipe or whatever," said coach Claude Julien. "We just played well. We skated well. We respect the team that we’re playing against, highly skilled and we just respect their offence, but at the same time we’re not intimidated."

"A lot of young talent there," observed defenceman Victor Mete, "close quickly on them and move our feet. Both good skating teams so I think if we’re able to skate with them I think we can keep up."

​The stakes are high with Montreal three points back. The Canadiens have played one more game and would lose the tiebreaker (31 ROWs v 36 for the Leafs) so a victory in regulation is crucial if they want to track down their rivals in the Atlantic Division. 

"We got to treat it like a playoff game," said Andrew Shaw, who scored in both games against the Leafs this season. "Passion, character, work ethic, it’s all got to be there tonight."

"It’s going to be pretty crazy," said Mete, who is from Woodbridge, Ont. and will have plenty of friends and family in attendance. "Building’s going to be sold out. I don't know how to describe it, what it’s going to be like. (Shakes head) Just nuts."

---

Jake Gardiner missed Leafs practice yesterday, but was on the ice at today’s optional morning skate and Babcock said he's expected to play tonight. However, Toronto will have an extra defenceman, likely Igor Ozhiganov, on the ice during warm-up just in case. 

---

Projected Leafs line-up for Saturday's game:

Hyman-Tavares-Marner 

Johnsson-Matthews-Kapanen

Marleau-Nylander-Brown

Lindholm-Gauthier-Ennis 

 

Rielly-Hainsey 

Muzzin-Zaitsev 

Gardiner-Dermott 

Andersen starts 

Sparks 

 

Projected Canadiens line-up for Saturday's game:

Drouin-Danault-Gallagher

Tatar-Domi-Shaw

Byron-Kotkaniemi-Armia

Peca-Thompson-Lehkonen

 

Mete-Weber

Reilly-Petry

Kulak-Benn

 

Price starts 

Niemi