Scott Laughton's line key for Maple Leafs as coach Berube mulls lineup changes
The fourth line of Scott Laughton, Steven Lorentz and Calle Jarnkrok has impressed Toronto's bench boss.
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Craig Berube wants to mull it over.
The Maple Leafs coach wasn’t sure whether he would make lineup changes for Game 3 on Thursday in Ottawa.
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Scott Laughton's line key for Maple Leafs as coach Berube mulls lineup changes Back to video
When we asked Berube on Wednesday if was going to roll with the same group that did enough for Toronto to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series against the Ottawa Senators, the coach’s initial response was: “Yeah, probably.”
He then nudged the door open a bit for potential alterations.
“We’ll see,” Berube said. “Still thinking about things and what we can do, maybe to improve, get better. I haven’t made my mind up yet on that.”
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The Leafs didn’t practise on Wednesday after having meetings at the Ford Performance Centre, so there were no line rushes from which to gain in indication of what Berube is thinking.
Berube’s options are fairly limited. He’s not going to mess with the defence corps. We can all agree on that.
At forward, David Kampf and Max Pacioretty are at Berube’s disposal. Kampf hasn’t played since April 2 while Pacorietty has not touched the ice in a game since Feb. 8.
Despite winning both games at Scotiabank Arena, the Leafs didn’t dominate in either. Does Berube really want to tinker with a roster that found a way each night, first on Sunday in a 6-2 victory and then on Tuesday with a 3-2 overtime decision?
Perhaps, if he’s not thrilled with Nick Robertson, who was serving a high-sticking minor in the second period on Tuesday when Sens captain Brady Tkachuk scored to cut the Leafs’ 2-0 lead in half.
“You really have to manage your stick,” Berube said. “His stick got a little high and caught a guy in the face and you go to the box. It’s just discipline, right? You have to have control of your stick. Refs are calling that all day.”
Whether Berube figures he can trust Robertson and inserts Kampf or Pacioretty, we would argue with anyone who thinks otherwise that the line of Scott Laughton between Steven Lorentz and Calle Jarnkrok stays together. It has made an impact in each of the first two games and Berube knows exactly what he is getting each time he calls their names.
The coach said simply: “Laughton’s line been very good for a while now and we’re going to keep using them.”
The presence of Lorentz and his Stanley Cup pedigree has been vital. It’s hard to believe — and has been for a while — that Lorentz needed a professional tryout in camp last fall to make an impression before signing a one-year contract, even if it was pretty clear the Leafs were going to add him officially.
“We’re on the same page right now,” Lorentz said of the line. “Sometimes we get the matchup and we’re against their top lines, and we’re very comfortable doing that.
“We’re all confident in our defensive abilities and we know where each other is going to be. We’ve created that chemistry. It’s nice going out there and you don’t feel nervous, like you’re on your heels. We can take it to those lines and hem them in the offensive zone as well.”
Lorentz’s Leafs teammate and former Panthers teammate Oliver Ekman-Larsson summed up Lorentz’s value.
“Stevie, he shows up every day,” Ekman-Larsson said. “He knows his role. I will say that I think he could play up the lineup. He’s skilled, but he’s buying in, he’s doing his thing. He’s been very good for us this year. I really like that fourth line.”
Key for the Leafs on Thursday will be weathering whatever the Sens throw at them in the early going of Game 3. Even with the expected support that the Leafs get on the road, the atmosphere is going to be hostile at the Canadian Tire Centre.
In a sense, Berube can take some comfort knowing that his team has built a nice lead in the series despite not being on top of its game for stretches. The Leafs, as they did in the regular season, are finding ways to win.
Where the Leafs have not been outplayed is in goal. Anthony Stolarz has made timely saves and Sens counterpart Linus Ullmark has not.
Sens coach Travis Green will drop into answers that Ullmark won the Vezina Trophy two years ago with the Boston Bruins, but let’s not ignore Ullmark’s career record in the Stanley Cup playoffs: He is a 3-8-0 with a .876 save percentage. Not exactly confidence-building material for his teammates.
That doesn’t matter to Berube as he considers lineup tinkering.
“We can be better here,” Berube said. “We’re up 2-0, (and we can’t) just hang on to the lead, (can’t have) that kind of mentality.
“We have to keep attacking. We have to keep making plays and keep putting the pressure on them. Those are all things that you’re going to keep trying to improve, keep working on, show the guys.”
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