Tonight’s lineup was much closer to the real thing, and there wasn’t a whole lot to like about the performances.
Among the forwards, exceptions to the rule were Connor Brown and to a lesser extent William Nylander. Perhaps those with the most to play for standing out in a preseason game isn’t a surprising development, but Mike Babcock will have wanted a much sharper effort from his veteran players than what he got tonight as we head toward the final two games of preseason.
The Leafs haven’t scored a goal in over six periods of hockey, and naturally the worry sets in about post-Kessel life in Leafland (there will be pain). That said, some scoring chances were there for the taking (for William Nylander, especially). It’s early days, I suppose; dramatic proclamations and preseason should never mix.
Player Notes
William Nylander – Started the game off strongly, generating offensive zone time and chances with Connor Brown, with whom he’s developing chemistry. He was diligent in coming back deep, either, a) providing a clean, short outlet pass target, or b) doing the digging along the wall behind the net, as you like to see from a centerman. His skating looked more dynamic than it did during the Montreal game — he looked refreshed. He’s still working through some curious pass-shot selections, but otherwise he was good most of the night, with flashes of greatness. He should’ve had at least one from the two times he broke in on Lehner alone, bricking hard on an empty net once. He was able to hold his own against some big defenceman in a few battles tonight. He had a shift late in the game, when the team was falling apart, where he held onto the puck and was able to beat two and three Sabres on his own, resulting in a good chance for. It’s something that has also been used as a mark against him (one of the reasons he was left off the Swedish WJC team as a 17 year old), but there’s situations where passing to players less skilled than him is probably not the best option, and he realizes that.
Connor Brown – The hardest working player tonight, he buzzed almost every shift. Brown created two chances for Nylander in the first that Nylander couldn’t finish off, including missing a wide open net on his backhand with Robin Lehner down and out. He missed on a third chance to spring Nylander in the second, putting the pass behind him. Always around the puck, his workrate and smarts leapt off the page and are what makes Brown eminently likeable.
Dion Phaneuf – His second-period hit was excellent; trademark Dion. Led with the shoulder, elbow down, clean as a whistle. As is tradition, no one on the team helped him out in the scrum after. Overall, the effort fell a little flat. He was second to pucks too often, including losing a race to Brian Gionta, after which the puck worked its way to the point and Phaneuf didn’t tie up Moulson in front, allowing him to tip it past Bernier.
Nazem Kadri – Dash-three tonight. Struggled to keep his footing at points, wasn’t playing with pace at times, and was guilty of a few turnovers and fly by’s. Shouldn’t be taking a wild swing at the puck before the 4-0 goal instead of stopping up and tying a player up in front. Needs to ramp it up as the preseason comes to a close so he’s ready for opening night.
Joffrey Lupul – A sloppy, sloppy pass on the powerplay was picked off by Jack Eichel, who proceeded to show the Leafs what they’ll be dealing with in the division for the next 15 years. His line with Kadri and Matthias didn’t have the same impact it did in the preseason opener; as in no impact at all.
Morgan Rielly – A bright light that’s only been growing brighter from the end of last season through preseason, this was just an off game for Rielly. He threw a “what was he even looking at” giveaway directly to a Sabre in the neutral zone that the Leafs couldn’t recover from, leading to the 0-3 goal. He threw another blind pass up the middle a little later on. You’ve got to love the pop to his step right now, though, and he had two nice scoring chances. He’s one established NHLer on this team about whom you are pretty confident saying, “he’s in for a great year.”
Tyler Bozak – Gave away the puck with some frequency; too much passing and hoping instead of making sure. Got caught deep on a couple of occassions that resulted in odd man rushes the other way. Generally looked to be going through the motions.
Matt Hunwick – An exception to the crapheap tonight. He was playing heads up, and made good use of the short bump passes to alleviate forechecking pressure in his own zone and start the transition the other way. In the second period, he identified a good opportunity to take off and join the rush, generating a chance in front. Took care of the puck better than the others.
Michael Grabner – Struggled to get himself involved in the game, with very few touches on the puck. Skated off to get his lost stick on the 3-0 goal rather than helping out in the d-zone. He was leaned on heavily on the PK (over 4 minutes TOI at 4v5). His eight minutes of even strength ice time was the lowest on the team, so there weren’t a tonne of shifts to look at here.
Nick Spaling – Also played over four minutes on the penalty kill, which was one element Babcock liked about tonight’s game (the PK). He may be a C Babcock leans on in key defensive situations; the options are scant at center ice, but he’s reasonably dependable.
Richard Clune – You can excuse some silly things in preseason, such as starting William Nylander and Connor Brown on a line with Richard Clune. He fought Mike Weber after Weber went after JvR, who didn’t look interested in a fight, and Clune took the decision. In terms of playing abilities, think a more compact version of Colton Orr, but we all know he’s earmarked for Marlie duty and none of this really matters.
PA Parenteau – Quiet game highlighted by one net drive that created a chance. Three shots on goal, but he played only 12 minutes and change tonight.
Brad Boyes – Good with the puck on his stick, but he didn’t have too many touches, as his line did not look overly hungry for the puck and failed to generate much in the way of offensive zone time. This is already an emphasis of Babcock’s, to no one’s surprise: “I don’t think we play heavy enough in the offensive zone and spend enough time there.”
Shawn Matthias – Wasn’t heard from until about ten minutes left in the third, when he won a puck race and broke in alone on Robin Lehner for one of the best Leaf chances of the game, following it up with a good hit in the defensive zone. Mostly looked to be taking the night off.
James van Riemsdyk – Four shots on goal, but the 15 minutes of ice time tell the story. Best players have to be our best players, said Babcock.
All Situations Possession Stats
Mike Babcock Post Game Presser
