The Toronto Maple Leafs attempted to get back to a normal routine on Thursday, taking to the ice at their practice facility in Etobicoke, ON in preparation for their first encounter with the Boston Bruins at Air Canada Center on Saturday.
The club was in close proximity to the tragic events in downtown Ottawa Wednesday morning, where 24-year-old Cpl. Nathan Cirillo(a native of Hamilton, ON) was killed standing guard at the National War Memorial. Leafs players reportedly heard the echo of gunfire and were in lockdown at the Westin Ottawa Hotel while the situation was ongoing.
The game between Toronto and Ottawa Senators was wisely postponed by the NHL around 1pm and the Leafs flew back to Toronto late in the afternoon after the lockdown had been lifted.
Stephan Robidas said he found out at breakfast from Leo Komarov who told his teammates he had heard gunshots. #Leafs#NHL
The league announced the game has been rescheduled for Sunday, November 9 at 6pm at Canadian Tire Center, prior to the Senators three-game road swing through Western Canada.
The Leafs will be playing their third game in four nights following a road game in Colorado on November 6 and a contest with the Eastern Conference champion New York Rangers at Air Canada Center on November 8.
Toronto ended their two-game losing streak and evened their record at 3-3-1 with a 5-2 victory over the New York Islanders on Tuesday, on the strength of a four-goal second period outburst. Phil Kessel scored twice, Roman Polak and David Clarkson tallied in a span of 8:49 after Nick Leddy and John Tavares had given the Islanders a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes.
Jonathan Bernier was sharp, making 34 saves for his first victory of the season and appears to have reestablished his hold on the Leafs starting goaltending job, after his second straight strong outing. Bernier was particularly impressive in the third period, as Toronto sat back on the lead and allowed the Islanders 17 shots on goal.
Head coach Randy Carlyle opted to play seven defenseman and 11 forwards for the first time in New York, inserting rookie Stuart Percy in the lineup and sitting Matt Frattin. The lineup change is due to that unit failing to provide any consistent energy or production thus far and has contributed to the decision to decrease their ice time.
Back to work for the #Leafs this AM at MCC. David Booth just finished working on shooting drills off ice again today. pic.twitter.com/hqnHXpSbCN
Peter Holland’s assist on Clarkson’s goal was the first point registered by a fourth line forward this season.
The decline in ice time has been stark. The unit of Daniel Winnik-Holland-Frattin averaged 10:34 TOI in the season opener against Montreal, that amount dropped steadily game-by-game till the 1-0 overtime loss to Detroit last Saturday, in which Panik-Holland-Frattin averaged just 4:18 TOI. The use of 11 forwards shook up the line combinations, but resulted in more minutes for Panik, Holland and depth forwards Winnik, Clarkson and Mike Santorelli and not heavier than normal use of top liners Kessel, Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk.
The Leafs coaching staff at this point believe that Percy(who played 13:29 and kept the minutes of Jake Gardiner and veteran Stephane Robidas down around 15 minutes) is contributing more overall than an intact fourth line unit that plays 4-5 minutes per night.
The 11 forward option might be what the Leafs stick with until David Booth or Brandon Kozun are fully recovered from injury, but the veteran winger is not expected to be available until mid-November and the speedy rookie is likely out till early December with a high ankle sprain. With Frattin not making much of an impression, it also could open the door for Carter Ashton, Josh Leivo, Troy Bodie or Colton Orr to get another chance.
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