There was a lot of disorganized energy on the ice tonight at the Air Canada Centre, as expected with seven new faces in the lineup including four who were making their National Hockey League debuts.
But there was also a noticeable injection of skill in the Leaf lineup. Kapanen and Nylander out together late in the game trying to tie the game up with the ACC crowd behind them — finally something to cheer for. This game was akin to the sun coming out after six months of cloud cover. Get out your sunglasses because the future looks pretty bright.
Scary to look at all the young, impact players the Leafs brought up today & think it doesn't include Marner, Brown, 2016 1st rounder, etc.
— Anthony Petrielli (@APetrielli) March 1, 2016
Quick thoughts on the debuting youngsters:
Kasperi Kapanen – Showed excellent speed throughout the night. Looked explosive jumping into holes and quite confident for an NHL debutant. Had the puck on his stick with time winding down and elected to pass below the dots to a poor option; he has a great shot and needs to either pick a corner or pass the puck off the goalie. Played on a line with Peter Holland and Brad Boyes and fared well there before he was moved into his familiar spot with Nylander and Hyman, his two Marlies linemates of late. Looked better than he has in many Marlies games and was the pleasant surprise of the night among the youngsters. Assumed Kapanen might look the furthest away based on age and an inconsistent year in the AHL, but it wasn’t the case. Skated really well, had plenty of puck time, extended plays, showed off a toe drag move in the slot for a backhand chance, and flashed a quick release on two or three occasions. Put three shots on goal in 16:48 of icetime with 1:44 on the powerplay. Credited with four individual shot attempts, two high-danger scoring chances, and a +13 shot attempt plus/minus when on the ice.
William Nylander – Started the game off by winning his first ever draw and following it up with nice defensive effort in the offensive zone — picking off an Anton Stralman pass with good anticipation before drifting a soft pass back to top of the circle for a shot on goal. Lined up mostly against the Val Filppula line at 5v5, who got the better of the possession. Turned over the puck once in the first leading to a chance against. Guilty of some drifting defensively on occasion where a few extra hard strides were best, but he anticipates the play well and knows where to be. As expected, Willy flashed tantalizing displays of skill and confidence on the puck as well as his sneaky ability to close fast on the forecheck, and he had a couple of good looks that he fired just wide on. Won eight of fifteen on the faceoff dot.
Quote of the night from Willy: “When you’re standing across the draw from Steven Stamkos, you realize, ‘this is the NHL, yeah.'”
Zach Hyman – Played with a high motor throughout, his best moment was a fearless net drive in the second period that bowled over Andrei Vasilevskiy. Played 15:58 with two shots on goal and half a minute on the penalty kill. He’s a “hunter” — if there’s a loose puck, he’s fearlessly retrieving it or trying to separate it from the puck carrier. Mike Babcock loves this type of player — the Komarovs and the Abdelkaders, and, who knows, potentially one day a Hyman.
Mike Babcock: “A relentless worker who can still make plays.”
Connor Carrick – It’s unfair to judge any player on one viewing, let alone a player in Carrick’s situation. He was cast into the most difficult situation of any of the debutants, making his first NHL appearance since December on a new team with unfamiliar systems and linemates, without so much as a single practice to adjust. He destroyed TJ Brown late in the game with a hit in the corner and drew him into a fight in which he fared pretty well; his YouTube clips suggest he’s not afraid of physical confrontation for a guy his size. Threw three hits in 19:13 time on ice with 1:44 on the powerplay. Looked shaky at times adjusting tot the pace, but he wasn’t the Leafs worst defenceman on the night – that honour goes to his more experienced partner, Martin Marincin.
Mike Babcock: “I liked Carrick, too. I thought he had some grease to him.”
Nikita Soshnikov – Like the other three Marlies, he looked like he belonged. Hard on pucks, won loose puck battles, kept otherwise dead plays alive with strong board play and was driving the net with reckless abandon. Lacked cohesion on his line, but that’s to be expected. Played 14:12 and put three shots on goal. Played with Kadri and Komarov which meant lining up against Stamkos’ line for nine minutes at even strength; not an easy assignment and Babcock remarked on his two-way game afterward.
Mike Babcock: “Sosh I thought was good both ways.”
For a guy who was just traded from the team and city his heart belonged to, from one of the best teams in the NHL to a bottom feeder, this was an impressive first interview by Brooks Laich:
Game in 10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-2xtoWS7fM
Mike Babcock Post Game
Shot Attempts
Shot Location Chart
Leafs Player Stats — Tampa Bay 2 vs. Toronto 1
| Player | G | A | +/- | SOG | MS | BS | PN | PIM | HT | TOT | PP | SH | EV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B. Boyes RW | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13:00 | 2:16 | 0:00 | 10:44 |
| C. Carrick D | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 19:13 | 1:44 | 0:00 | 17:29 |
| F. Corrado D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11:46 | 0:00 | 0:44 | 11:02 |
| J. Gardiner D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 21:53 | 1:26 | 0:26 | 20:01 |
| M. Grabner RW | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12:03 | 0:00 | 0:44 | 11:19 |
| C. Greening LW | 0 | 0 | -1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 13:25 | 1:44 | 0:00 | 11:41 |
| P. Holland C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16:04 | 2:16 | 0:00 | 13:48 |
| M. Hunwick D | 0 | 0 | -1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 22:03 | 0:00 | 1:34 | 20:29 |
| Z. Hyman C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15:58 | 0:00 | 0:32 | 15:26 |
| N. Kadri C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 16:43 | 2:16 | 0:00 | 14:27 |
| K. Kapanen RW | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16:48 | 1:44 | 0:00 | 15:04 |
| L. Komarov C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18:00 | 2:16 | 0:44 | 15:00 |
| B. Laich C | 0 | 0 | -1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12:27 | 0:00 | 0:56 | 11:31 |
| M. Marincin D | 0 | 0 | -1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 18:14 | 0:00 | 0:00 | 18:14 |
| W. Nylander RW | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18:41 | 1:44 | 0:00 | 16:57 |
| M. Rielly D | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24:40:00 | 2:34 | 1:16 | 20:50 |
| B. Smith RW | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13:00 | 0:00 | 0:44 | 12:16 |
| N. Soshnikov F | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14:12 | 0:00 | 0:20 | 13:52 |
