New-look line of veterans draws rave reviews after Leafs topple Jets

Max Pacioretty has found a kindred spirit in new Leafs linemate John Tavares. 

"I felt like I was always a little bit 'out there' with things I like to do and keeping a routine and trying to feel as good as I can out there," Pacioretty said. "And then I came in and he's probably got even more tendencies than I do ... He's one of the most dialled in, committed players I've ever seen."

Pacioretty and Tavares were both dialled in on Monday night in Winnipeg, where Toronto's new-look second line dominated the previously undefeated Jets. Tavares scored three goals, William Nylander potted one and added two assists, and Pacioretty registered three assists. The trio had a hand in five of Toronto's six goals. 

Tavares and Nylander have played together a lot over the years, but Tavares and Pacioretty are just starting to generate chemistry. 

"We talked a lot and got a really good feel for each other and how we play the game," said Tavares, who only had one multi-goal game last season. 

"I really like the old-school mentality players," said Pacioretty, "talking to each other about every play."

Teammates are struck by the similarities between the 34-year-old Tavares and Pacioretty, who will turn 36 in November. 

"Very stuck in their ways," observed winger Ryan Reaves with a laugh. "They have their routines."

Reaves played with Pacioretty in Vegas and says the former Montreal Canadiens captain is "pretty close" to the former Leafs captain when it comes to preparation habits. 

Since arriving at Toronto's training camp on a professional tryout, Pacioretty has adopted some of Tavares' routines. The pair were on the ice together before Wednesday's practice to work with Patrick O'Sullivan from the player development staff on stick-handling and shooting. 

It's the work with skating consultant Paul Matheson, though, that is really resonating with Pacioretty. 

"Everything I'm learning right now is completely against everything I grew up learning about skating," said Pacioretty, who was among the last players on the ice after practice. "I knew about it a little bit, but Johnny opened up my eyes big time."

Pacioretty recalled that early in his career the emphasis was on long, powerful strides. 

"Now it's more keeping your feet under your body, having quick feet and staying on top of the ice and look no further than 88," Pacioretty said while gesturing to Nylander's stall. "He's probably the master of that." 

Tavares has credited Matheson with keeping him lighter on his feet as he fights to fend off Father Time. 

One of the things Tavares liked the most about Monday's performance was the pace the Leafs were able to play with. If Tavares and Pacioretty can keep up and get set up in the offensive end, they can be a force below the dots. 

"They were heavy on the puck," said coach Craig Berube when asked about the Tavares line. "That is the biggest thing for me. All three of them were heavy on pucks, won puck battles, went to the net, and scored. All three goals were right around the net. They were very good."

Tavares feels like he's back in a rhythm after being hit hard by an illness early in the year. 

"As a line, for the first time playing together, we were reading each other really well," Pacioretty said. "It starts with just moving your feet. I think it's a big reason why we had a nice night."

Pacioretty, who has landed 17 hits in seven games, feels he can be even better. 

"Being physical is probably one of the biggest areas that I can help this team, especially up the lineup," he said. "Looking to do that as much as I can. I've gotten a little bit better at it down low, but I still think I can, when I have the puck, be a bit more violent and create a little more time and space." 

Pacioretty has faced adversity early in the season. He sat as a healthy scratch in two games, and missed another game due to a lower-body injury. He is determined to make the most of this chance on the second line. 

"I knew I had to bring my A game," Pacioretty said. "As long as I'm moving my feet, I think that I can fit in with them."

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Tavares is helping Pacioretty out. He's also mentoring the team's youngest player in Matthew Knies, who lived with him during part of last season. Tavares thinks the 22-year-old could listen more intently at times. 

"Sometimes we were just sitting there having breakfast and he's just scrolling on his phone and totally misses some of the conversations we're having," Tavares said with a smile. "We think he's listening but sometimes he's not always quite there. But he's also very aware at the same time, so it's kind of funny that way."

Knies may miss some conversations, but he's not missing much on the ice these days. He's looking very comfortable on the top line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. The sophomore winger has already scored five goals in 10 games. Knies scored 15 goals in 80 games as a rookie. 

"He's a big part part of our locker room, not just with his play, but his presence and that youthfulness and what his potential is," Tavares said. "Very unique to have someone so young that's so physically mature, but also has the finesse to the game and ability to create space in tight areas with soft hands in those tight areas."

Knies' latest goal came from in tight as he pounced on the rebound created by a Matthews shot in Winnipeg. 

Knies packed on 10 pounds of muscle in the summer and isn't shy about using his 6-foot-3, 227-pound frame to create space. 

"Last year he looked pretty solid too," Reaves recalled. "He said he wanted to lose weight and I was like, 'No, I wouldn't do that.' Just how powerful he is when he's skating, it's hard for guys to handle him down low. You can see when he has the puck it's hard to get it off of him."

"I knew he was big," Pacioretty said, "but he's really big. Especially at a younger age to be physically mature like that is rare."

Knies is averaging 17:13 of ice time per game, which is up from 13:41 last season. He's logging time on both special teams units. On Monday, he was promoted to the top power-play unit. 

"He's a smart player that plays in all situations, which is also rare for a young player," Pacioretty added.

Berube compares Knies to Keith Tkachuk, Bill Guerin and John LeClair. 

"A heavy guy and a good forechecker, and then around the net all the time," Berube said. "He is doing a very good job of that. He can skate extremely well and is really powerful. He is doing a good job of getting to the net with [Marner and Matthews]. He lets them do their thing, and he is around the net."

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With the way Knies plays, he may end up dropping the gloves every so often. The University of Minnesota product sought out Reaves after practice on Wednesday for some tips on fighting. 

"I was just curious," Knies said. "I don't know how he goes about it and what he's looking for when he does it. I think it's cool how he stays calm and how he thinks about it so much, tries to be smart through it and not just throw yourself out there and just throw [punches]. He's trying to do the smart things and protect himself too. That's what we talked about."

Knies acquitted himself just fine in his first career fight last season against John Ludvig.  

"He's a strong kid," Reaves said. "I'm sure he'd be able to handle himself any time the situation came. He's a brick, whatever, house. Whatever you want to say."

Reaves smiled.

"I can't say it on TV. Sorry."

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After a 3/30 start to the season, the Leafs finally split up the core four forwards on the power play this week. Tavares and Nylander moved to the second unit on Monday, with Knies and Pacioretty joining the top group.

The new balanced approach didn't lead to a goal on the two chances in Winnipeg, but there were positives. 

"I really liked what I saw by both units," Berube said. "Went downhill. They shot, recovered, attacked right away."

Is the coach looking to create some internal competition? 

"A little bit maybe, but it is more about finding some chemistry," he said. "The shooting percentage is very low on the power play. If it is up a bit, it makes a huge difference, right? We are getting Grade As. They are not going in. In the end, it wasn't working, so I mixed it up. That is all it boils down to. I am not looking for much more than that."

The Leafs are shooting 5.6 per cent on the power play this season, which is 31st in the league. Last season, Toronto shot 14.7 per cent on the power play, which ranked 14th.

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Entering Wednesday's slate of games, only the San Jose Sharks (49), Boston Bruins (45), and Los Angeles Kings (43) had been shorthanded more times than the Leafs (41). 

"It is managing being aggressive with your stick and doing things right," Berube diagnosed. "There are penalties that you can deal with. If there is a scoring opportunity [for the opponent] and someone has to make a desperate play, he may have to take a penalty, but we have taken three or four in the offensive zone. Those are the ones that bother me the most. They are 200 feet from our net. We have to be smarter than that."

Berube also doesn't like the timing of some of the penalties. 

"In the third period, we took one in Boston," he noted. "In Winnipeg, we took two in the third. Really, they weren't necessary. There was no danger anywhere. We just have to be better."

Toronto's penalty kill is 13th overall at 80.5 per cent, but because the team has been shorthanded so often, they have still allowed eight power-play goals in 10 games. 

Simon Benoit was whistled for tripping in the third period in Winnipeg, which led to the Jets' third goal. The defenceman leads the team with five minor penalties. 

"That's on me," he said. "I gotta be better. There's one I remember that I shouldn't have had."

Benoit shakes his head and smiles. 

"The [Michael] Bunting guy," he said with a smile, referencing a high-sticking call he felt the Pittsburgh Penguins winger sold with a dive. 

"But the rest, it's on me," he said. "I need to control my stick. I need to be smarter and can't put the team in a tough position like that."

Benoit uses a long stick, which is usually an asset, but lately it's been getting him in trouble. He has taken three tripping penalties this season.

"It's probably the longest stick in the league," defence partner Conor Timmins observed. "He's just very active with it. He takes away passing lanes and gets a stick on the puck really quickly."

Benoit confirmed that the length of his stick is the maximum allowed by the league. Per the NHL rule book, no stick shall exceed 63 inches in length from the heel to the end of the shaft.

"It's part of my game," the 6-foot-4 Quebec native said. "I try to have a good stick. It hasn't been as good as I wish, but I got to keep control of it." 

The mindset now? 

"Aim at the puck and not at the skates," he said with a grin. 

Benoit was assessed 18 minors in 64 games last season. 

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Nick Robertson, who took an offensive-zone penalty in the third period on Saturday, sat as a healthy scratch on Monday for the first time this season. 

"It is what it is," the 23-year-old winger said. "I don't know if [I was] surprised or not, I just go with it. I don't take anything personal."

Before Monday's game, Berube explained that the Jets have a big lineup and he wanted to ice a bigger lineup. At 5-foot-9, Robertson is Toronto's shortest player. 

"That's his decision on Winnipeg," Robertson said. "I'm not scared at all about how big [a team is] or whatever. I'm obviously not the biggest guy in the room, but I think I play bigger than what I'm at. I still want to work on winning battles and doing things that bigger guys can do well. Obviously, for me, it's a challenge being smaller, but it's my job to execute in that area."

Robertson projects to be a healthy scratch again on Thursday when the Leafs host the Seattle Kraken. He rotated in on the fourth line at practice and also took reps on the penalty kill. 

"I do think that he can be a PKer for us with his speed and tenacity," Berube said. "It is something I want to keep working with him on and for him to keep building. It can be a very good thing for him to have. It is a little bit more of a role for him. That is not taking away from his scoring ability or anything, but it is another part of his game that can grow."

Robertson scored five goals in his final three preseason games during training camp. But he has scored just once on 15 shots in the regular season.

"It's been fine," he said of his play so far. "I mean, I think I've had some good games, some OK games, but obviously puck luck hasn't really been there at the start. Pucks bobbing off my stick, pucks not going in, but I'm sure that will turn around ... I'm still confident in my game. I'm still happy with some of it. I obviously have to clean up a few areas and just go with it."

Robertson, who scored 14 goals in 56 games last year, was the last player on the ice at practice. What was he thinking as he worked by himself? 

"Execute," he said. "I think, for me, the biggest thing is to execute. Every rep, everything in practice, I try to score. I try to make sure pucks are on tapes and everything ... It's just being positive and try not to beat myself up about how the nine games have gone."

Concerned about the opportunity in Toronto, Robertson requested a trade during the summer before agreeing to a one-year deal in September. 

Robertson didn't seem frustrated during his meeting with the media on Wednesday. He even apologized for keeping reporters waiting while he put in extra work. 

"I know I'm going to get another opportunity," he said. "It's my job to execute."

It's been tough for Toronto's depth forwards to secure consistent playing time. In fact, six different forwards have sat out as a healthy scratch in the first 10 games. 

"If you have that many able bodies that can contribute it's good for the team," said Reaves, who has missed two games. "And keeping guys fresh is important too. So, it's a good problem to have." 

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The Leafs traded defenceman Timothy Liljegren to the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday in exchange for defenceman Matt Benning, a third-round draft pick in 2025 and a sixth-round pick in 2026. 

Liljegren, a first round pick in 2017, only played in one of 10 games with the Leafs so far. On Saturday, Berube said the 25-year-old Swede was caught in a "numbers game."

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Lines at Wednesday's practice: 

Knies - Matthews - Marner
Pacioretty - Tavares - Nylander
McMann - Domi - Holmberg
Lorentz - Kampf - Reaves
Dewar, Robertson 

Rielly - Ekman-Larsson 
McCabe - Tanev
Benoit - Timmins 
Liljegren - Myers 
Hakanpää

Stolarz
Woll 

Power play units at Wednesday's practice: 

Rielly, Marner, Pacioretty, Matthews, Knies 

Ekman-Larsson, Nylander, Domi, Tavares, McMann