Puck management key for Domi to stick with Tavares, Nylander

The Maple Leafs held an optional skate at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday. 

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With one game left in the regular season, Leafs coach Craig Berube doesn't sound sold on his second line. 

Three different left wingers – Bobby McMann, Calle Jarnkrok and Max Domi – have slotted in beside John Tavares and William Nylander over the past five games. Domi played there in the past two games and the reviews are mixed. 

"There's things I like, and there's things that I don't particularly like all the time," Berube said. "For me, it's about them managing the puck more than anything."

Domi picked up the primary assist on goals by Tavares and Nylander during Sunday's win over the Carolina Hurricanes. But Toronto's second line was the only one not to score on Tuesday in Buffalo and the Sabres actually outshot the Leafs 9-6 when they were on the ice, per NaturalStatTrick.com. 

"They've got to understand that hope plays aren’t good plays," Berube stressed. "We need good hockey plays, and if they can get that mindset, that could be a dangerous line. I mean, I think you have a little bit of everything on that line. They did a lot of good things. There's things that they probably can do better to."

There is one last chance to build chemistry before the playoffs on Thursday when the Leafs wrap up their regular-season schedule against the Detroit Red Wings. 

"Two great players and obviously make a lot happen," Domi said. "They know how to score, so a great opportunity."

Nylander leads the Leafs with 45 goals but has tallied just once in the past five games. 

Tavares saw his four-game point streak come to an end on Tuesday. 

Domi started last year's playoffs on Toronto's top line beside Auston Matthews and Tyler Bertuzzi. He tied for the team lead with four points (one goal, three assists) in the seven-game series against the Boston Bruins.

None of the other candidates to move up to the top six are making a compelling case at the moment. 

McMann ranks sixth on the team with 20 goals this season but has gone 10 straight games without scoring. The 28-year-old missed last year's series against Boston due to injury and has never suited up in a Stanley Cup playoff game. 

Jarnkrok, who returned from sports hernia and groin surgery in March, has produced just one power-play goal and five assists in 18 games. 

Max Pacioretty logged the most minutes beside Tavares and Nylander this season, but hasn't played since Feb. 8 due to an undisclosed injury. The veteran winger is expected to be available for the playoffs.

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Defenceman Jake McCabe (upper body), defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson (upper body) and centre David Kampf (upper body) all participated in Thursday's skate. Berube is "fairly confident" that all three will be available for Game 1 of the playoffs on Sunday. 

"I think they're all in pretty good shape," Berube said. "I feel pretty good about it."

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Getting through Thursday's game health is key, but also hard to control. 

"There's no science to it," Berube said. "You go play. We'll manage minutes and manage things the best we can. Just go out and play. Play smart, play hard, do the things you normally do. That's really what it boils down to."

The Leafs don't have any healthy extra players or cap space to call up players from the American Hockey League, so all the regulars will be in the lineup. 

"You can't go out there and worry about it," Berube said of injury concerns. "You can't go out there and be tentative. You got to go and play the game. Yeah, you can be smart. And my job is to manage it, manage the minutes."

Berube tends to lean on his top players with Mitch Marner ranking fifth among forwards in average ice time this season (21:22). Matthews is 12th (20:33).

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There is still a game on the schedule, but many of the questions during Thursday morning's media session focused on the upcoming playoff series against the Senators. It will be the first Battle of Ontario in the playoffs since 2004. 

The Leafs usually see plenty of Toronto fans in Ottawa during the regular-season games at Canadian Tire Centre and they are expecting that will continue in the playoffs. 

"Obviously going into a tough building like Ottawa, it's going to be nice to have some support there," said Domi. "But, at the end of the day, it doesn't matter. Every game's going to be tough. It's going to be an absolute war."

Domi's dad, Tie Domi, played for the Leafs in all four playoff showdowns between the provincial rivals between 2000 and 2004. 

"I was pretty young," the 30-year-old said. "That was a long time ago. It's definitely a heated rivalry. But this is something new and looking forward to it."

Tavares, 34, grew up a Leafs fan in the Toronto area and has some fond memories of the Battle of Ontario, including the pair of goals scored by Joe Nieuwendyk in the first period of Game 7 in 2004. 

"I remember Nieuwendyk's goals, watching that," Tavares said with a smile. "I think CuJo running into the ref or linesman there, you know. The intensity was pretty unbelievable."

During Game 3 of the 2000 series, Curtis Joseph accidently knocked over referee Mick McGeough after allowing a third-period goal, which he thought should have been disallowed because of goalie interference. He was given a 10-minute misconduct as the Leafs lost 4-3.

Of course, the Leafs won that series as well as the other three against the Senators. 

Will the intensity of this year's Battle of Ontario match those of the past? 

"Hard to compare considering you've got different generations of players and teams," Tavares said. "Obviously the fan bases, the cities and proximity, all that doesn't change. And still within the division to play each other a lot. And you're competing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and trying to earn the opportunity to move on the next round and get closer to the ultimate goal. So, you know, to me, you know, obviously, rivalries are special and build the league, build our game, create great moments, but I think any opponent you have, you're trying to get to the ultimate goal."

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Leafs players and staff are wearing special hats and shirts on Thursday to honour assistant equipment manager Tom Blatchford, who is retiring at the end of the season. 

"He's such an incredible human being," said Domi. "Being a trainer in the NHL is the hardest job out there. The lack of sleep these guys get, the ability to show up always positive, always happy, always smiling, and the work ethic that goes into it is second to none. We're super grateful to have them on a day-to-day basis, and Blatch is one of the best out there of all time."

"They're the hardest-working people in the organization," said Berube. "Not close. These guys work. And what makes them special is everything they do is for the team. And that's what really makes them special. And he's a very special guy."

Blatchford worked his 1,500th game in professional hockey on Sunday in Raleigh and received the team's player-of-the-game belt from Marner after the win. 

The Thunder Bay, Ont. native started his career as the equipment manager of the Belfast Giants in the top British league before taking over that role with the Toronto Marlies, the Leafs American Hockey League affiliate, from 2005-08. 

Blatchford joined the Leafs for the 2008-09 season and has been with them ever since. 

Berube believes trainers in today's game have even more to do. 

"There's a lot of demands," Berube said. "When I came into the league as a player, we didn't demand a lot. I think we were just lucky to be there. It felt like we were lucky to be there. I did anyhow. But as it goes along, players need more, and that's all part of the process. It's different now. There's a lot of things that go into it with preparation and, you know, just everything, the food and all that, it's all grown to a level way up here. And so trainers need to do more because players need more. And it's not the player's fault. That's reality and that's how it works. So, they put in a lot of work. They do a great job here. We're very lucky to have the trainers we have here in Toronto."

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Projected Leafs lineup for Thursday's game: 

Knies - Matthews - Marner
Domi - Tavares - Nylander
McMann - Holmberg - Robertson
Lorentz - Laughton - Jarnkrok

Benoit - Tanev
Rielly - Myers
Mermis - Carlo

Woll starts 
Stolarz