Maple Leafs have chance to reach rare feat in Game 2 of Battle of Ontario with Senators
Leafs seek to improve forechecking, 5-on-5 play and take a 2-0 series lead against rival Senators
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That’s one and it’s done.
That’s part of the attitude the Maple Leafs have taken on heading into Game 2 of the Battle of Ontario on Tuesday night after beating the Ottawa Senators in Game 1 on Sunday.
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Maple Leafs have chance to reach rare feat in Game 2 of Battle of Ontario with Senators Back to video
“You can’t get complacent,” Leafs captain Auston Matthews said after practice on Monday at the Ford Performance Centre. “It’s one game. We’re happy with the result, but we have to be better. We know they’re going to be better. There’s no sitting back for us.”
The Leafs will attempt to do something the club has not done since the first round against the New York Islanders in 2002: Take a 2-0 lead in a playoff series.
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It hasn’t happened once in 15 Leafs series since. Twelve times they’ve been tied 1-1 after two games and on three occasions they’ve lost each of the first two games.
Some 23 years ago, the Leafs wound up requiring seven games to oust the Islanders after wining the first two.
Despite dominating on special teams and winning 6-2 on Sunday, the Leafs didn’t generate consistent offence in the 48 minutes 21 seconds that the teams played at five-on-five.
In fact, Ottawa outshot Toronto 27-13 at five-on-five, so as much as the Leafs will leave the game behind, they’re going to take into account the areas in which they can be better.
We’ll consider, too, that if the inexperienced Senators play with a similar lack of discipline in Game 2, the Leafs probably won’t have to worry about their own five-on-five play. Still, they don’t plan to leave it to chance.
“We have to protect slot better than we did,” coach Craig Berube said. “We were a little loose. We have to do a better job there. And I think we can.
“Power plays and penalty kills take a little rhythm out of the game, but I’d like to see a little more hunt and hounding on the forecheck.”
Said defenceman Morgan Rielly: “We talked about the forecheck and, as defencemen, we talked about breaking the puck out a little bit smoother. When you have to put the puck in the air or off the glass, that’s fine, but I think as a group, we can execute a little bit better, a little bit cleaner.”
Following the example of the fourth line wouldn’t be a bad way for the rest of the forwards to go. The trio of Scott Laughton between Steven Lorentz and Calle Jarnkrok was strong in on the forecheck.
If, for whatever reason, you’ve been clamouring for a return of David Kampf, you might be waiting a while.
“The checking and the hounding, they’re a difficult line to play against,” Berube said of the Laughton group. “They forecheck well and they’re on top of people, and there is no room out there when they’re playing. They’re responsible defensively. They’ve been a good line for us for a little while now.”
After making the change during the game on Sunday, Berube will keep Pontus Holmberg on the second line with John Tavares and William Nylander, dropping Max Domi to centre Bobby McMann and Nick Robertson.
McMann, by the way, might want to get his offensive game in gear as he hasn’t scored in 12 games. An effective McMann should be be perfect for playoff hockey, given his size and strength, yet he had the second-fewest minutes at even-strength among Leafs forwards on Sunday. Only Robertson had fewer.
As it was on Sunday and as it will be throughout the series, the Leafs’ ability to keep a lid on their emotions will be integral. It’s not a group that gets riled by much.
“Things break out at the end of the game and stuff like that, but you just got to keep preaching (discipline),” Berube said. “We have to play hard between the whistles. We have to keep being physical.
“We have to make it difficult for them as best we can. That has to be our mentality and just stay composed. There’s always situations that arise and we’ll deal with them as we go along.”
A 2-0 lead heading to Ottawa for Game 3 on Thursday is fully within the Leafs’ grasp. Now, as they like to say, they have to execute.
“It’s important to to remain urgent while also being composed,” Rielly said. “Every game is more important than the last. I expect our group to be ready.”
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