John Tavares continues his 2.0 goals per game pace and the Toronto Maple Leafs remain undefeated in preseason after a 5-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night.
Player Notes
Zach Hyman – He looked fantastic getting in behind the defense in the first period and keeping pucks alive as he does so well. Unfortunately, he left the game hurt, but it doesn’t sound like it will put October 3rd in doubt.
John Tavares – Forgettable first shift in which he left the zone and Marner turned the puck over prior to the goal, but the second shift was that trio working just as it’s designed: Zach Hyman with a chip and chase retrieval followed by a couple of handoffs between Tavares and Marner on the cycle. Heavy in front, Tavares outmuscled the defenseman and nearly jammed it home in the crease.
The third shift was a piece of art: Tavares sprung Marner through the middle, Marner dropped the puck for Liljegren to step into, and Tavares picked up the loose change at the back post for his first home goal as a Leaf.
Tavares later sealed the game with a defensive zone draw win, a strip on the forecheck, and his fourth preseason goal as a Leaf into the empty net.
“It’s just preseason,” Tavares said after the game, but you couldn’t have scripted a better start for him as far as the production and the instant chemistry with Marner.
Mitch Marner – Tavares on his linemate at the intermission: “So cerebral with his sense of where everyone is on the ice. Always makes the right play out there.” Marner was absolutely flying all over the ice tonight — feet moving at all times, reading plays two and three moves ahead of time, and consequently, the puck was following him all over the ice. His skating — specifically his top gear — has taken another step this Fall and he is covering ice at a crazy rate. He was really noticeable on the penalty kill, where he can swing from right wing to left wing more than at 5v5. Babcock indicated after the game he’ll be joining the penalty killing rotation in practice and has the potential to be an “elite penalty killer.”
Josh Leivo – He was involved in almost every shift with lots of nice looks, shots or shot attempts. It never seems to go smoothly up the ice for Leivo, but more often than not, the puck is going in the right direction with him out there. Nice shift late in the first period where he threw a Sabre to the ice and fought for the puck on the wall. When moved up to the top line after Hyman left the game hurt, he nearly set up a goal at the back post and then almost banked it in himself. Through two exhibition games, Leivo is keeping the heat on Johnsson and Ennis for an opening night spot.
Pierre Engvall – Well taken goal. A disruptive presence on the forecheck with his long, powerful stride and persistent motor. Defensemen couldn’t shake him. He might be able to add a penalty killing dimension to his game if the Marlies staff work with him on it. He had a “wow” moment with his rush and net drive with eight minutes left in the second period. If the team wasn’t so deep, he’d be in there with a shot at an opening night spot; he’s had nothing but good showings in the scrimmages and his preseason games. The Leafs could really use a player like this up front; with their depth up front and the organization’s development approach that preaches over-ripe over under-ready, though, he’ll be left to prove he can dominate in the AHL.
Colin Greening – Good work to set up the Pierre Engvall goal along with a nice rush/net drive in the second period. He could probably be a serviceable fourth liner in a pinch on an organization without the same depth; instead, he’ll be a well-paid AHL vet and a possible Marlies captain.
Chris Mueller – Great goal created by his winger win off the faceoff. The goal really went to his legs and he was puck hungry for the rest of the night, competing well in his one-on-one battles.
Der Arguchintsev – He was unintimidated out there, which is impressive in its own right. He had some nice touches. He got a power play look in the second period and set up a Leivo one-timer that went just wide. He’s the second player from the 2018 class to earn an entry-level deal thanks to an excellent first NHL camp.
Dmytro Timashov – He’s a much-improved skater since he was drafted by the Leafs; he has a nice top gear now. After taking a flipper pass from Morgan Rielly, he showed off his top speed in a puck race he won versus Casey Middlestadt. He dropped Casey Nelson in the second period with a solid hit — he’s no shrinking violet with his short but sturdy build. He’s so drowned out in the depth here, though, that he’ll need to start putting up some numbers on the Marlies to stay on the radar.
Morgan Rielly – Showing lots of jump and looking explosive out there. As he should, he’s been confident carrying through all three zones and taking defenders on; a nice juke at the offensive blue line set up the Ron Hainsey 1-1 goal. Not a great moment on the 3-2 Sabres goal, but overall, this was a decent warm-up game. He’s getting progressively better at limiting shots against with more clever use of his skates and stick positioning, which was lacking when he first entered the league.
Ron Hainsey – Older players get longer leashes in the preseason. It doesn’t matter to most of them and it’s just a matter of getting into game shape. That said, Hainsey looks closer to what he was closing out the regular season and playoffs as opposed to what we saw early in the season last year.
Martin Marincin – His pairing alongside Connor Carrick really struggled to get the puck moving. The puck was a grenade on his stick and it’s clear he cannot move the puck well enough to play regularly at the NHL level. He was constantly making poor reads and putting himself into spots where he doesn’t have the recovery speed to get back into the right position. As the game wore on, his confidence clearly dropped and he wasn’t even able to complete short 4-6 foot passes. He’ll be a nice AHL defenceman for the Marlies again.
Connor Carrick – He got outworked in front after the rebound from Sparks on the Sabres 1-0 goal. He also had plethora of giveaways in the first and was behind the pace throughout. He was danced cleanly by Tage Thompson on the 3-3 goal. He’s thinking way too much when the puck is on his stick and taking too long to make plays. The puck is rolling on him when he delays passes or double-clutches, and it’s compounding matters — making the game more difficult for him as he runs himself out of options and creates his own bobbling puck issues. It’s his second preseason game, but he’s looked like he’s fighting the game in every facet at this stage.
Rasmus Sandin – Calm, confident, heads-up. He juked a Sabre in front of his own net in the first period. Good gaps and poised puck movement with Liljegren early, although the pairing slowed down a little as the game wore on. He’s not big or strong yet, but he understands how to separate the man from the puck effectively on cycle – sees an opening, jumps inside, extricates the puck, and turns it up ice. Not flashy, but he’s the modern-day defenseman archetype. Lots to look forward to here.
Timothy Liljegren – Looks like he’s adjusting to some added weight over the summer. A tad sluggish/lacking in urgency, but he had nice moments moving the puck. He was stripped pretty badly in the first period for a scoring chance and took a couple of penalties. He jumped up nicely in the play on the Tavares goal and ripped a heavy shot on goal to create the rebound. So far in preseason, he has had difficulty stringing together a full shift without errors. He showed some of his physical edge tonight, but more shifts were on and off.
Curtis McElhinney – Excellent work from the Leafs’ backup, who closed out the game with aplomb. Perfect on the night. This was a bit of a statement performance, at least as far as a 30-minute preseason showings go.
Garret Sparks – Bad rebound on the first goal; he then lost the seal of his pad on the ice and got beat five hole. On the Sabres’ second goal, he took himself out of the play after falling forward. One really nice save on the Alex Nylander breakaway, but he was shaky overall with three goals against on 12 shots. Not exactly “taking your job” stuff, but he’ll have a few more games still to try to turn the tide. It would take something special at this point.
Mike Babcock Post Game
John Tavares said it was a good learning experience. Can you apply that in different ways?
Babcock: Obviously, things happened… we gave up a goal on the first shift and things happened pretty easy for us, and then when they happened easy for us, instead of doing things right, we didn’t. I mean, we ended up winning the game, but that was the lowest level we’ve played at this year — turning the puck over like crazy, didn’t play as good or as hard as we should’ve. I think it’s real important when you find a way to win, so we did that. It’s also important that you establish work ethic and structure at home and it becomes automatic. You win every night and you play hard every night, and the other team knows you have no opportunity. They wouldn’t be leaving here tonight thinking that. In saying all of that, though, we got a win and let’s move on.
What happened with Zach?
Babcock: He’s got a hip pointer, I think they call it, or something like that. He got cross-checked in the hip. He’s fine. Those are hard; he’ll be off for a few days, but you get better quick.
What did you think about Josh Leivo? He stepped up a little bit when Zach went down.
Babcock: I just thought that he’s had pretty good exhibition thus far. I think he has worked pretty hard. He’s in way better shape. I’ve said this a number of times: If he works hard, he’s going to have success. He’s just got to catch himself doing it every day.
Is Pierre Engvall making things interesting for you this early in camp?
Babcock: No. He’s a good kid. He’s got good fitness and he’s a good skater. He needs probably a year, maybe two.
How did you think John and Mitch looked on the penalty kill?
Babcock: I thought John was real strong on the faceoff. I think Mitch can be an elite penalty killer for sure. We’ll see as time goes on. We haven’t used him in practice. We’re going to have to start using him every day in practice as well, so we’ll get a rotation on that going and then I think that will give him a better chance.
Are you surprised by how fearless Sandin is?
Babcock: He’s a good player. The guys who are smarter than everyone else look like they’re fearless, right? It is no big deal. It’s just hockey for them. He just makes good plays, as you can see. He knows how to play and knows what to do. He doesn’t force things. He plays simple. Looks like a smart player to me.
He’s got a calmness about him. I always think that the really smart guys, though, just know the game so they look like that. They don’t tend to make as many mistakes because they don’t force things. They just make the simple play all the time. He’s one of those guys. He’s a good player.
