LEAF NOTES: Joseph Woll and pinball just don't mesh

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Sportsnet chose to open Friday’s Game 3 visuals with The Who’s 1971 hit Baba O’Riley.

The way pucks were deflecting around Joseph Woll, an updated 2025 version of Pinball Wizard was needed.

Three Florida goals in all bumpered off bodies in front of Woll, including Brad Marchand’s overtime winner via Morgan Rielly, another credited to Aleksander Barkov. Marchand and Barkov you expect to be Leaf killers, but Florida’s had the unlikely tag of Jonah Gadjovich from Tomas Nosek. The latter’s long range shot brushed off Gadjovich and might have affected Woll letting it in under his arm. Both were in their first game of the series and it had the Leafs burning lots of energy trying to draw even.

“I don’t love the fourth goal, but other than that I thought he was solid,” said a lenient coach Craig Berube to media in Sunrise, leaving the podium before expanding on that topic.

Woll won in relief of injured Anthony Stolarz in Game 1 and got through another squeaker on Wednesday to raise hopes the Leafs wouldn’t skip a beat without their playoff starter. Now he’s lost a third career overtime game to the Panthers with Stolarz unable to fly south because of a suspected concussion . But Woll never gets too worked up by a loss or win. Sergei Bobrovsky gave up Matthew Knies’s game opening goal off a crossbar rebound and Rielly’s tying marker went off him, defenceman Seth Jones and in.

“Bounces go both ways, that’s hockey,” he said. “It’s a hard game on both sides and momentum shifts. Just reset and get ready for the next one. I felt good (overall), did the same things I always do, just came out on the wrong side.

“We preached all year to play to our process, regardless of how the game goes. We’ve done that through the playoffs and especially tonight. That’s what we fall back on.”

STUDENTS BECOME TEACHERS

The Leafs had been trying to copy other clubs’ tactical blueprint for years.

But as they put together a fourth straight 100-point season and try to make it to the conference final, other teams are leaning over for a peek.

“I look at the Leafs now,” Detroit Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan to local media this week. “I watch Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews be willing to not quit on a play, but not over-pressure it. Lay it into the corner, go down and do the work, eat up another minute, go to the bench and say, ‘OK, we’ll get them next time’.

“And I think they’re managing the game much better now. They are way more prepared to win. I think Chief (Berube) has done an outstanding job there of getting those players to learn how to win versus just learn how to score.”

McLellan interviewed for the Leaf headmaster position last summer and was thought to be general manager Brad Treliving’s second choice after Berube.

ONCE A LEAF

As Treliving watches Matthew Tkachuk push the Panthers deep in playoffs each year, he must always ruminate how different life would have been for as Calgary Flames as GM there had Tkachuk not wanted out in a trade.

A similar thought must cross the minds of older brass in the Leaf hockey office when they look at Tkachuk’s Florida teammate Carter Verhaeghe, who scored early in Game 3.

One of previous GM Lou Lamoriello’s first moves was sending Toronto-born Verhaeghe to the New York Islanders, 10 years ago, part of a 5-for-1, picks-and-prospects trade to get speedster Michael Grabner.

At that stage the third-round draft pick winger had played two games in the organization for the Marlies when his Niagara Ice Dogs were eliminated from the 2014 OHL playoffs.

Verhaeghe gradually built his two-way game to win two Cups, with the 2020 Tampa Bay Lightning and last year’s Panthers.

“Toronto was a long time ago,” Verhaeghe said this week. “But it was a good experience, coming up and getting an opportunity. I remember the pace was a lot different than junior and how it opened my eyes. (Marlies coach) Steve Spott treated me fairly, but I was only there a couple of weeks.”

Spott is now Pete DeBoer’s assistant with the Dallas Stars.

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O, NA-TA-LIE

The Leafs’ extended playoff run has given a higher profile to Leaf anthem singer Natalie Morris.

So much so that Morris was recognized on the subway during game night this week and was serenaded by a car full of fellow commuters with, you guessed it, O Canada.

Wearing her Leaf sweater, she had her I-phone out to record the tribute, while another passenger posted video of her singing along to blogTO. Morris was a contestant on Canada’s Got Talent in 2024, with a rendition of Beyonce’s ‘I Was Here’ and Jessie J’s ‘Mamma Knows Best’, earning herself fifth place.

Morris received plenty of appreciation from American players late in the regular season for keeping composure as many at Scotiabank Arena loudly booed The Star-Spangled Banner during rising political tensions.

LOOSE LEAFS

Barkov won 17 of 24 faceoffs in Game 3 … Berube said veteran Matt Murray was ill, thus Dennis Hildeby was the designated back-up in Game 3 …  Marner’s two assists brought him to 62 playoff points, passing Wendel Clark for fifth in franchise history.

Lhornby@postmedia.com
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