Maple Leafs' Lorentz speaks to long grind of Stanley Cup playoffs

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Steven Lorentz knows.

The Maple Leafs winger knows what it takes to win the Stanley Cup, knows that properly handling the roller-coaster ride that can be a long playoff run is paramount.

A year after lifting the Cup with the Florida Panthers, and on the morning of the Leafs’ Battle of Ontario opener against the Ottawa Senators, Lorentz discussed with us his biggest takeaways from being part of the Cup run.

“Oh, there’s so many,” Lorentz said on Sunday after the Leafs’ optional morning skate. “A big thing, I will say, is consistency. There are going to be tough days. There are going to be days where you might have a big win, and it’s great.

“And there’s going to be days where something might happen that doesn’t go your way, and it’s just how you have to navigate those ups and downs and trying to stay consistent.

“We did a good job of that this season, so we’re confident in our team and our abilities and what we’re capable of doing. But again, bad things are going to happen. There’s going to be bad calls, bad breaks. That’s playoff hockey.”

Leafs coach Craig Berube confirmed that defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who won the Cup with Lorentz and goalie Anthony Stolarz, is available to play in Game 1. The coach will use the same forward lines he did as the regular season ended, so Max Domi, for now, remains on the second line with John Tavares and William Nylander.

And the Leafs added Artur Akhtyamov from the Toronto Marlies as their third goaltender.

No matter what playoff series is being discussed, the word ‘grind’ is used liberally.

For Lorentz, who played in 16 of the Panthers’ 24 playoff games last spring, what does that mean?

“Grind is an easy word to say, but it’s a lot harder thing to do and accomplish,” Lorentz said. “You’re truly grinding when bodies go down, you’re down in a game, guys are hurt, sore, guys play with broken bones.

“You see the laundry list of things every season that comes out from different teams, of what guys are going through, and that’s truly the grind.

That’s what makes the brotherhood of a group so special. Guys know what other guys are going through, and sometimes guys are struggling to make it through a game, or tie their own skates up.

“Grind is that umbrella term for the amount of things that come with it.”

For Berube, how can he apply the experience of coaching the St. Louis Blues to the Stanley Cup championship in 2019?

“It definitely helps the experience and what to expect and how to keep your team composed and calm,” Berube said. “It’s important to have composure. A lot ups and downs, we know that. A lot of things go wrong, things go right. Discipline is very important.”

We didn’t ask if Lorentz had any advice for his Leafs teammates on Sunday night. He might have offered some anyway.

“It’s a long process,” Lorentz said. “We don’t have to come out here tonight and try to win 10, 12-0 and try to blow the doors open.

“It takes a game at a time. It’s a long chess match.”

tkoshan@postmedia.com

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