Return of Tavares, Knies will help goal-starved Leafs get to the net
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The Toronto Maple Leafs held a team meeting at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Saturday.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will have second-line centre John Tavares and top-line winger Matthew Knies back in the lineup for Saturday's showdown against the Edmonton Oilers, head coach Craig Berube confirmed. The return of two top-six forwards will provide a jolt to a Toronto attack that has mustered just three goals during a three-game losing streak.
"Both those guys are excellent in front of the net," defenceman Jake McCabe noted. "Oftentimes when you're not scoring goals that's where you need to get to, so having those two guys back will definitely be a big boost for us and the net-front game as well."
Knies will reunite with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Tavares will slot in between Max Pacioretty and William Nylander.
"One of the best players and most reliable centermen in the league," Pacioretty said of the returning Tavares. "It's no secret that probably the most important position in a team is down the middle so when you lose a guy like that it obviously stings. We know what he does for our team and looking forward to it."
Bobby McMann, who had been filling in on the top line, drops down to the third unit with Max Domi and Nick Robertson.
"Those lines were together before, and we had three lines creating offence at that point," said Berube. "McMann with Domi and Robbie were scoring for us, secondary scoring, and before Patches got hurt, that line with Willy and Johnny was pretty good for us, too."
Pacioretty returned from his own injury absence during Wednesday's 3-1 loss to Minnesota Wild. The Leafs are focused on being "a little bit grittier around the net," according to the veteran winger.
The Leafs have six regulation losses in their last nine outings. They have scored just seven goals in those defeats.
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The Leafs needed four goals to beat the Oilers in overtime back on Nov. 16. And this version of the Oilers is playing at a higher level than the one that blew a third-period lead in Toronto.
"They look like they're playing a quicker game," said Berube. "Looking to play fast all the time. Get going. Put teams on their heels as much as they can. That's what I see when I watch them ... We got to be on our toes. We got to play fast ourselves. We can't sit back and watch them. We got to get going. We got to be aggressive."
Chris Tanev and McCabe did a good job against Edmonton's top line earlier this season as McDavid finished the night minus-three, which remains tied for his season worst mark. The Leafs will put Tanev and McCabe back together for Saturday's rematch.
McCabe, a lefty, has played six games since returning from a head injury. In the last four games he's played on his off side on a pairing with Morgan Rielly.
"It's been a little bit up and down," McCabe acknowledged. "I think going along with our team play overall, so big road trip for us here before the [4 Nations Face-Off] break and looking forward to getting off to a good start."
Tanev and McCabe have been a go-to shutdown duo for the Leafs much of the season.
"Just seems like when you go back for a puck with those two that it's predictable," Pacioretty said. "Knowing where it's going to go and how it's going to come out of the zone and more often than not it's going to come out of the zone with control. For me that's what the top teams do, the top players do, it's that predictability. Two guys that just go about their business the right way and it shows."
Back in November, McDavid skated on a line with Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. On Saturday, it appears like McDavid will start on a line with NHL goals leader Leon Draisaitl, who has scored 36 times.
"They like to move them around," McCabe said. "They play together a lot. Even if they're not in the lineup together, they're going to be out there a lot with each other in offensive-zone situations and certain times in the period so something we're used to seeing."
McDavid scored a power-play goal against the Leafs in November while Draisaitl scored a 6-on-5 goal to force overtime.
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McDavid made a point of highlighting the game time during his media session on Friday.
"We get the 5 o'clock start time," the Oilers captain said with a small smile. "It's always nice, they come into our building and we got to change our schedule around, but it is what it is."
What do the Leafs think of the earlier-than-usual start?
"Well, we're out at the same time," Pacioretty said before laughing. "It's a 7 p.m. game."
The Leafs arrived in the Alberta capital on Thursday, so their body clocks are still somewhat on Eastern time.
"I guess with the time change, it's just like a 7 o'clock game for us, right," Knies said with a shrug. "So, it's nothing crazy."
This is the start of a four-game trip for the Leafs, which will wrap up next Saturday in Vancouver with a 4 p.m. local start.
"I don't think we've really been on a road trip longer than three or four days this year," Matthews said. "I think these are always the best moments to kind of bond and get together, and especially when you're going through adversity like this, it's the perfect time."
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Per usual, Nylander generated a breakaway chance during Wednesday's game, but struck iron. He was eventually able to beat his future 4 Nations Face-Off teammate Filip Gustavsson in the third period.
"You never know what he's going to do," Gustavsson told reporters in the Wild dressing room after the game. "I thought he was going to come down and shoot glove side the whole time and then he goes high blocker. Fortunately he hit the crossbar or something. He got the better of me there in the third so I'm happy he will be on my team soon."
"He's just super calm back there," Nylander said with a smile. "Just a great Swedish goalie. Too bad I couldn't score on him on the breakaway, but got one past him at least."
Nylander doesn't give away much in his media sessions. Apparently, he's not that expansive behind the scenes either.
"I love trying to pick his brain about hockey and why he's so good," Pacioretty said. "I don't even think he knows why he's so good ... I love how he sees the game so much differently than anyone I've played with. That's what makes him so good and that's what also what makes him unique."
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Matthews was named captain of Team USA for the 4 Nations Face-Off earlier this week.
"I don't need to step in there and be this rah-rah guy that maybe I'm not," the 27-year-old from Arizona said. "That's not really my style. I think I'm just gonna approach it the same way I would approach it here and be myself."
Matthews is in his first season as Leafs captain. He may not be a "rah-rah guy" but he does speak up.
"Opening up more and using his voice more for sure," Berube observed. "In the conversations I have with him, I am trying to ask him questions about the team, himself, and what is going on to get feedback from him. He might not have been in those conversations before as much, but being the captain, those are conversations I have him with quite a bit."
Matthews is also directing traffic during games. Knies describes Matthews as being "very vocal."
"It's little things on the bench," Knies, 22, added. "Being a younger player with limited experience it's nice to get someone to kind of show me the way and be vocal in my ear. He's really helped me a lot."
Matthews has navigated a nagging injury and a dip in production – he's on pace for 37 goals after a mind-boggling 69 last year – while helping the Leafs stay at or near the top of the Atlantic Division all season.
"I don't think he gets the credit he deserves," Pacioretty said. "I know everyone knows him for scoring goals but he plays both ends really, really hard, makes all the little plays all over the ice that people probably don't see or appreciate unless you play with him or watch him closely on a nightly basis and that's what leaders do ... His work ethic is up there with the best I've seen. Oftentimes when you see these guys that have that much success you just think they're cheating all over the ice or maybe it's just a gift that he's got that talent, but it's not a gift. Obviously he has that but his work ethic is what drives our team and a big reason why he's our captain."
Pacioretty served as captain with the Montreal Canadiens from 2015 to 2018 and stressed there's a lot more responsibilities in a bigger market.
"He's even keel," Pacioretty said. "He doesn't ride the highs or lows and that's what you want out of your captain in a big market."
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Projected Leafs lineup for Saturday's game:
Knies - Matthews - Marner
Pacioretty - Tavares - Nylander
McMann - Domi - Robertson
Holmberg - Kampf - Lorentz
McCabe - Tanev
Rielly - Ekman-Larsson
Benoit - Timmins
Woll
Murray