Leafs Open Preseason with Overtime Loss to Sens

 

Photo From Toronto Sun 

Last night, the Maple Leafs began their preseason at home against the Ottawa Senators. Ottawa came away with an overtime win. Now, I’m not going to break down the game or overanalyze it because both Toronto and Ottawa have zero points in the standings. Besides, Leafs fans are already in fine form, trashing players.

Instead, I’ll share my thoughts on a few players and give my impression of the team's overall play. To start, I think the Leafs' defensive play will improve as camp progresses and the pairings become more comfortable with each other. I liked the Rielly-Tanev pairing because Morgan can play to his strengths, like moving the puck up the ice, while Tanev can be the stay-at-home defender, focusing on making simple plays. Tanev also had a positive night offensively, collecting three assists.

After the game, I noticed a few fans criticizing Oliver Ekman-Larsson, which made me laugh. In typical Leafs fan fashion, they seem to forget he’s coming off a Stanley Cup win where he helped control Florida’s top power play. Sure, he had a few struggles, but that’s to be expected when you’ve only been on the ice for four days, adjusting to a new team and system. Ekman-Larsson will be just fine as a Toronto Maple Leaf.

When training camp opened, a big topic was Toronto trying William Nylander at center again. I know fans, upon hearing that, thought, “We’ve seen this before—it didn’t work.” But I think we need to have some patience and trust that Berube will dedicate time to this experiment, rather than give up after one game or two shifts like Sheldon Keefe did. Oh, and that reminds me: I heard a few people complaining about Nylander once again avoiding the corners for pucks. I want to take a moment to explain something.

When you play center, your job is to patrol the middle of the ice—it’s not the centerman’s responsibility to go into the corners when forechecking. If the center decides to go into the corner, it could be a massive mistake. If the opposing winger wins the board battle, they could pass to their centerman in the middle of the ice, setting up a dangerous play. Nylander had a good first game as a center, and if he stays there, people will need to get used to him not going into the corners for pucks.

Max Pacioretty made his preseason debut for Toronto, and I thought he had a great game. He was noticeable every time he was on the ice. He finished with two goals and one assist, which is always nice, but what stood out was how he does a lot of little things—much like John Tavares—that don’t show up on the score sheet but are extremely valuable during a game. Max was excellent at takeaways last night. There were several instances when Ottawa thought they could leave the zone and go on the attack, but with a simple stick check or by sealing off the wall, Pacioretty kept Toronto on the offensive. Hopefully, Max’s training camp continues positively, because if he can stay healthy, he’ll be very productive for the Maple Leafs.

Even though it’s preseason, you never want to lose a game. But I’m not rushing to push the panic button. This team will work on improving and making the necessary adjustments in preparation for opening night. I think Berube and his staff are going to bring a fresh and exciting brand of hockey to Scotiabank Arena. He’s going to want a team that plays hard on both the offensive and defensive sides of the puck and of course, a team that plays hard without the puck.

For now, Leafs fans, take a deep breath and relax—this team will be fine. Thanks, as always, for reading.