For the latest Leafs updates or Follow @mikeinbuffalo on Twitter The Toronto Maple Leafs had another full day of practice and familiarizing themselves with the changes that Sheldon Keefe is implementing at the Ford Performance Centre on Tuesday before heading to Detroit for the final leg of their six-game road trip against the Red Wings on Wednesday.
The atmosphere and way the club went about their tasks reflected a different approach than under former coach Mike Babcock, with music playing in the background during drills and the motto ““It’s a privilege, not a right… removed from the locker room at the club’s practice facility.
Brave New World continues at Leafs practice: Music playing, five development coaches on the ice and tailored small-group skills sessions. pic.twitter.com/PWEhuMsG33
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) November 26, 2019
"I think (Sheldon) just wants everyone feeling good about themselves and really trying to portray that through himself, to guys individually and to the group." Team captain John Tavares said. “"I would say (changing the coach in mid-season is) probably not ideal. I think we're in this situation because we didn't play well enough. At the same time, I think when something like that happens as a group, as a team, and individually as players.
You feel a responsibility that we haven't played well enough. Certainly with the added attention to changes we're making, we have to continue to hunker down and really focus and dial things in considering the circumstances. It can be difficult, but at the same time I think we've got a really talented team, and we know we want to be a lot better and continue to get better."
The club made a couple of adjustments to their lines in the wake of the two-game suspension to Alex Kerfoot. Nic Petan skated on the left side of the third line with veteran Jason Spezza and Kasperi Kapanen and Dmytro Timashov replaced Nick Shore on the fourth line with Pierre Engvall and Frederik Gauthier.
The club also recalled goalie Michael Hutchinson on Monday and it is expected that the veteran backup will draw in for one of the two games against the Buffalo Sabres on Friday and Saturday. The 29-year-old went 3-0, with a 1.95 GAA and .942 save percentage with the AHL Marlies after being sent down two weeka ago.
"(Hutchinson) has gone down to the Marlies and has played very well down there, and it's just that he has played." Keefe said. "He's got three games now and played two games on the weekend, so he's gotten those reps. We're going to be in a situation where we're going to use backup goalie this week. It wasn't really the one versus the other, it was fact that Hutch has played and is sharp and has the experience and we want to give him another chance."
Keefe did not reveal whether he would start the backup in the first of back-to-back games on Friday afternoon in Buffalo, something that would be counter to Babcock’s preference to start Frederik Andersen with a rested team, but since the Leafs will be playing the same opponent and are 0-5-1 in the last game of back-to-backs, it is possible that Hutchinson will get the nod on Black Friday.
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— The Leafs Convo (@TheLeafsConvo) November 25, 2019