Domi builds chemistry with linemate Tavares as he readjusts to playing wing
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The Maple Leafs practiced at the Ford Performance Centre on Wednesday before flying to Philadelphia.
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Max Domi showed off his speed to score a breakaway goal on Saturday. It's the type of play you may see more of now that the 29-year-old is back on left wing.
"You can get ahead of the play a little bit more as you saw on his goal in Montreal, and use his speed that way," said coach Sheldon Keefe. "[As a] centre he's using his speed coming from below the play or below the puck and kind of leading the charge with the puck that way. In this case you're maybe leading the charge a little more without the puck, so there's a little bit of an adjustment there."
After getting off to a slow start in the first 11 games this season, Domi shifted from wing to centre on Nov. 5.
"I played both my whole life so it's not that hard," he insisted. "There's less responsibility defensively as a winger and you can kind of time it a little bit easier. It's just a matter of getting chemistry with your linemates. Whoever you're playing with, like, as long as you're on the same page it's pretty simple."
With top-line winger Mitch Marner unable to play on Saturday in Montreal due to a lower-body injury, Keefe rejigged his roster and reunited Domi with John Tavares. Those two started the season together on a line that also featured William Nylander.
"Max sees the ice extremely well," said Tavares. "He's a great passer in how he sees the ice and, for me, that can work really well. Just develop that give-and-go game and try and find him and find open ice knowing he has that type of vision to find you."
Domi helped set up Tavares' game-winning goal on Saturday. Tavares gained the offensive zone and flipped the puck to Domi on the sideboards. Domi sent a cross-ice pass to defenceman Jake McCabe while Tavares drove the net. McCabe sent the puck to the net and Tavares was there to knock home the rebound.
It was a good example of why the Leafs initially envisioned Domi as a winger.
"It leads to more pucks [to him] on the wide entries, which is a bit of a strength of Max in terms of playmaking ability," Keefe highlighted.
Saturday marked the first time Domi assisted on a Tavares goal this season. The only other time they factored on the same goal came in the second game of the season when Domi picked up a secondary assist on a Nylander goal. Domi wasn't even on the ice when the puck went in.
"The difference from now to when we started the year together is just having a better feel for his game and how I can help him and complement that," said Tavares. "I want to build on that."
"John and I, last game, made some plays together," Domi noted. "He knows how I play more now that we've gotten to know each other pretty well off the ice and vice versa. So, we'll keep chipping away."
Tavares and Domi played with Calle Jarnkrok on Saturday.
"There were some good things the other night even though it wasn't the most offensive game," Tavares said. "Just getting to space, habits, you know, doing good things without the puck and building the game as the night went on and earning some chances."
At Wednesday's practice, Nylander joined that line. Prior to the Marner injury, Domi and Nylander had played together for 11 straight games.
"Obviously Will and I have been playing together for a while now," said Domi. "Starting to build some chemistry there."
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With Marner sidelined, Nylander moved up to the top line with Auston Matthews and Tyler Bertuzzi on Saturday. Jarnkrok swapped into that spot at Wednesday's practice.
"Just didn't like them together the other night, Willy and Auston, that's part of it," explained Keefe. "But it's more [about] getting John and Willy together. Auston and Will have played a lot of good minutes together whether it's this year or previous years, so I don't want to overthink how things went in Montreal. But it's a little more about getting John and Will together and having Will and Auston on two different lines as we go into this week's matchups."
The Leafs will play in Philadelphia on Thursday before hosting the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.
Marner did not take part in practice.
"That's a significant player that changes the outlook of our team pretty dramatically," said Keefe, "so you got to adjust accordingly."
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Bertuzzi took Marner's spot on the top power-play unit during Saturday's game. Toronto failed to convert on a pair of chances in the game. At Wednesday's practice, Jarnkrok took that spot as the low man on the top unit.
"Whether it's the break out or the faceoff or in the zone, he plays the same role Mitch plays [but] on the second unit, so he's very familiar in that sense," Keefe explained. "It gives us another right-handed option on the power play, which is important. We tried it with the additional lefty last time and didn't like it as much."
Jarnkrok and Tavares stayed out late after practice to work with assistant coach Guy Boucher on passes from below the goal line to the slot.
"The focus is the same," stressed Tavares. "Obviously, unfortunate not to have Mitchy out there, but we got a great group. We have a lot of talent throughout our lineup. We talk about attacking inside the dots and being direct and playing with a certain pace that becomes very difficult to handle."
The Leafs are tied for second overall in power-play percentage this season (27.2). However, they are in a cold stretch right now. Toronto is just 1/15 on the man advantage over the last six games. The top unit did some work with Boucher before practice and then did some live reps against penalty killers in the main session.
"Just get in sync and get some pace," instructed Keefe. "As the players come out of this break we've had, we're hoping that we're refreshed and that, in itself, sparks us offensively in terms of how co-ordinated and in sync we are."
The Leafs players have enjoyed two full days off since the game in Montreal.
"Keefer giving us a couple days off was huge," said Domi. "Boys were fresh. Boys were flying and snapping it around out there."
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After the media availability ended on Wednesday, the Leafs announced they had signed winger Bobby McMann to a two-year extension, which carries an annual-average value of $1.35 million.
McMann was slated to be a healthy scratch back on Feb. 13, but drew into the lineup after Tavares got sick and couldn't play. The 27-year-old from Wainwrght, Alta. took full advantage by scoring a hat trick and hasn't missed a game since.
"You see just a real belief in how he's impacting the game and a good understanding of how he can do that," Tavares told reporters in Montreal on Saturday night. "Just imposing himself physically with the power he plays with. Very powerful skater, strong guy, he's got a heavy shot and he's earning space and getting opportunities because of that, so it's great to see."
McMann scored on Saturday, which gives him 10 goals in 40 games this season. Keefe described McMann as "blossoming" during Wednesday's media session.
"He's really elevated," Tavares noted. "Give him a lot of credit, he's stayed with it, been working really hard over the course of the season, been very consistent with his habits and his work ethic and how he's approaching things and seeing it start to pay off. So, it's awesome to see a guy that's been developing and working to earn an opportunity and now making the most of his opportunity and becoming a very valuable player for us."
An undrafted late bloomer, McMann would've been an unrestricted free agent this summer. He played in the ECHL as recently as the 2021-22 season.
McMann made his NHL debut last season and picked up one assist in 10 games before aggravating a knee injury sustained earlier in the season in the AHL. The issue lingered into training camp and he cleared waivers before starting the year with the Toronto Marlies.
"He's such a horse," Domi told reporters on Saturday. "He works so hard. He's super dialled in. Going back to the first time I met him in training camp, he's an absolute animal in the gym, and on the ice, so much power. He's really coming into his own now."
McMann, who stands 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, is currently playing on the third line with rookie Matthew Knies and David Kampf.
"He's a hard player to play against," Knies noted. "Very simple and direct with his plays and just supports the puck extremely well."
McMann's shot is also a weapon.
"It's pretty deceptive," agreed Knies. "He has a tendency to look off the goalie and fire it in."
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Ilya Samsonov will get the start on Thursday in Philadelphia, Keefe confirmed. Samsonov stopped 29 of 31 shots on Saturday night in Montreal. He's won 12 of 14 starts since Jan. 21.
This is the first time the same goalie will start consecutive games since Joseph Woll returned from a high ankle sprain on Feb. 29. Woll has dropped two of three starts since returning to the Leafs lineup.
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Domi will be playing his first game in Philadelphia as a member of the Leafs. Dad and former Leaf Tie Domi once fought a Philadelphia fan, who crashed into the penalty box during a game there on March 29, 2001.
Max had just turned six when that happened. Does he have any memory of it?
"No, I don't," he said before breaking into a big smile. "But I've seen the video a couple times. It was pretty cool."
And of course he asked his dad about it.
"I'm not sure that fan was making the clearest decisions in that moment," Max said. "Probably not a good idea. The way my dad explains it is he wasn't going to do anything and then once he pushed the linesman or the ref or whoever was in there, I mean, those are always his buddies with the job he had, so he had to step in and that's how he justifies it. I'm on his side, so I think it's great."
Max hasn't had any weird experiences with the Philadelphia fan base during his playing days.
"Philly fans are great," he said. "I love playing in Philly ... I love a passionate, loud, fan base."
And Philadelphia actually holds a special place in his heart. Bobby Clarke was a huge inspiration to Domi who, like the Flyers legend, has Type 1 diabetes.
"Bobby Clarke was a hero of mine growing up, so nothing but respect for the Philadelphia Flyers," Domi said.
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Lines at Wednesday's practice:
Bertuzzi - Matthews - Jarnkrok
Domi - Tavares - Nylander
Knies - Kampf - McMann
Holmberg - Dewar - Reaves
Robertson, Gregor
Brodie - McCabe
Rielly - Lyubushkin
Edmundson - Liljegren
Benoit, Giordano, Timmins
Samsonov
Woll
Jones
Power play units at Wednesday's practice:
QB: Rielly
Flanks: Matthews, Nylander
Middle: Tavares
Down low: Jarnkrok
QB: Liljegren
Flanks: McMann, Domi,
Middle: Knies
Down low: Bertuzzi