Games having significant consequences haven’t been on the agenda for the Toronto Maple Leafs for most of 2015, but the club will have an important part to play in a pair of Atlantic Division rivals post-season aspirations.
The Leafs face a red-hot and motivated Boston Bruins club at TD Garden on Saturday night. The Beantowners have won four straight games and hold a tenuous three-point lead over the Ottawa Senators for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference
Toronto plays the provincial rival Senators at Air Canada Center on Easter Sunday, with another chance to pour cold water on their playoff chances as they did in a 4-3 come-from-behind victory last Saturday.
Interim head coach Peter Horachek indicated that goalie James Reimer will get the start in Boston, the site of the biggest nightmare in his professional career just under two years ago, while Jonathan Bernier will be between the pipes against Ottawa.
Peter Holland(out of the Toronto lineup since March 13th) was thought to have a chance to make his return on Saturday, but Horachek indicated that he will hold off bringing the center back until Sunday.
Defenseman Andrew MacWilliam will take the place T.J. Brennan, who was sent down to the AHL Toronto Marlies on Thursday and winger Casey Bailey will play on the fourth line with David Booth and Zach Sill.
******* The Toronto Marlies showed off some late-game heroics to stay in the playoff race for an AHL Western Conference with a 4-3 overtime victory over the Lake Erie Monsters on Friday night.
After falling behind 3-0 in the second period, the Marlies replied with a Josh Leivo goal before the end of the middle frame, a third-period power play tally by Brennan and Byron Froese’s tying goal with 1:05 left in regulation.
Not finalized, but I think this is the Toronto Marlies On-Ice GF/GA .. Brendan Leipsic has both Mil & Tor totals pic.twitter.com/IkpVDOQArF
— Gus Katsaros (@KatsHockey) April 3, 2015Matt Frattin scored his club leading 21st goal for the win, as Toronto moves to within four points of Chicago and Milwaukee for the final two playoff spots with eight games remaining.
Leafs 2014 top pick William Nylander assisted on the tying and winning goals, raising his offensive totals to eight goals and 13 assists in 29 AHL games.
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An interesting tidbit from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman from his always informative 30 Thoughts that will provide more fuel to the fire for Don Cherry in his criticism of the Leafs being in love with “college guys….
One avenue that Toronto may avail themselves of this summer is a different aspect of free agency, where unsigned NCAA prospects from other NHL teams decide to leave college and turn professional for the purposes of signing with other teams.
If the player turns pro and does not sign with the team that drafted them by August 15, they are free to sign with another club.
This is the scenario that played out with Ducks draft choice Justin Schultz, who left Wisconsin after his junior year and signed with Edmonton in 2012 and appears to be possible with University of Minnesota defenseman Mike Reilly and University of Michigan forward Zach Hyman.
Reilly (a 2011 Columbus draft pick) led the Gophers with 42 points in his junior season and there are indications that the Minnesota native will shop his wears on the open market this summer.
Friedman indicates that Hyman(a 2010 Florida Panthers fifth round pick) is likely to do the same after leading the Wolverines with 22 goals and 32 assists in his senior season, since his road to the NHL may be tough with Panthers pipeline loaded with a bevy of young forwards like Aleksander Barkov, Nick Bjugstad and Jonathan Huberdeau.
The 22-year-old Toronto native is described as a good skater with the versatility to play center or wing, who improved his two-way play, puck possession and strength during his four seasons in the NCAA.
The rebuilding Leafs could be well positioned to sign Hyman, since assistant GM Kyle Dubas was his advisor before becoming GM of the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds.
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McEichel Race – Points(Games Played)
8. COLUMBUS 80(77), 7. PHILADELPHIA 80(78), 6. NEW JERSEY 77(78), 5. CAROLINA 69(78), 4. TORONTO 64(78), 3. EDMONTON 59(78), 2. ARIZONA 54(78), 1. BUFFALO 52(768)
Current Leafs odds at winning Draft Lottery(9.5%) Same
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