Maple Leafs young and old are eager to get going in Sunday's first pre-season game
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Craig Berube can now say he has coached and won a game with the Maple Leafs.
Sure, it was a no-lose situation in a Blue and White scrimmage on Saturday, but it got the new boss and his team fired up to start NHL exhibition games, the next step in the symbiotic relationship with the 58-year-old Berube and more than 70 players who’ve bashed their way through three days of his high-intensity training camp.
“It’s nice to just get back to playing, understanding the timing that’s needed, to talk out there, helping each other out,” Berube said.
A 3-0 decision for the Whites over the Blues won’t be added to Berube’s 281 NHL victories, but likely factored inA deciding who’ll play in the first of six pre-season matches Sunday at Scotiabank Arena against the Ottawa Senators.
Berube must abide by the same rules as every coach in these games, dressing a set number of veterans to ensure paying customers get at least some star power for their buck instead of an all prospects-farmhands lineup. But the first game roster might not be revealed until Sunday morning.
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Maple Leafs young and old are eager to get going in Sunday's first pre-season game Back to video
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Judging by the calendar, Berube will whittle the opening-night roster, close to the mandated 23, soon after the fourth pre-season game by next Saturday and have the starters in the lineup for the concluding contests Oct. 3 and 5 against Detroit.
If it’s kids Berube wants to grade, Nikita Grebenkin and Easton Cowan would be high on the list, or getting Dennis Hildeby in net. But there are two major-acquisition defencemen who want to get rolling, too — Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and their respective blue-line partners, Morgan Rielly and Jake McCabe.
Mitch Marner had the only goal of Saturday’s first half, blocking a Max Domi shot and deking Hildeby on the ensuing breakaway. Farmhand Cedric Pare was set up by Philippe Myers against Anthony Stolarz and Tavares snuck in a short-side backhand through traffic. Pitching 20-minute shutouts were Joseph Woll and Matt Murray, the latter looking like he’s fully recovered from bilateral hip surgery to fill in should Stolarz or Woll get hurt.
Unlike most members of the 2024 Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, Stolarz didn’t need to decompress after the parade. He played in just one game of their title run and was back on ice in mid-July after signing with the Leafs. He won 16 of 25 regular decisions behind Sergei Bobrovsky.
“Nice to get back in game-like situations, make some saves,” said Stolarz. “I don’t want to say the first couple of practices get old, but you’re itching to get the first game going, getting up to that high speed, playing in front of fans and the routine you do on your game days.”
For 34-year-old John Tavares, the high pace of practice, learning the Berube systems and a few less perfunctory roles now that Auston Matthews has replaced him as captainA have him pumpedA about the usually mundane games of September.
“It’s getting summer hockey out (of the mindset), getting back to this level,” Tavares said. “There are tweaks every year. Now there’s a different coaching staff, new terminology and positioning so you’re not thinking too much about where to be. It’s timing and getting your legs under you again.”
Tavares claimed on the opening day of camp to be “as driven as I’ve ever been’… With William Nylander moved fromA right wing to be a possible second-line centre, Tavares is currently between Bobby McMann and Nick Robertson
“My enjoyment of the game, the opportunity to compete the same as it was when I was a kid entering the league and even before that,” Tavares said.
As a senior member of the Leafs, he and Berube have hit it off.
“He’s definitely a straight-shooter, a pretty simple guy, but a lot of fun to be around,” Tavares said.
“You just really want a clear understanding of things from the team and individual aspect. He did a good job of that in the summertime, made it a priority to get to know everyone. He’s very direct in a positive way. It’s good, it’s been challenging, and it’s supposed to be that way starting the new year.”
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