The shorthanded Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Bell Centre in Montreal for the first time this season with one win in their first six games and near the bottom of the NHL standings, while the Canadiens have a perfect 8-0-0 record after demolishing the Sabres 7-2 in Buffalo on Friday.
The Maple Leafs enter the game without the services of center Tyler Bozak and defenseman Jake Gardiner (who were placed on injured reserve Friday) and will likely not have center Peter Holland in the lineup. 24-year-old Byron Froese, who was called up on Friday from the AHL Toronto Marlies to take the roster spot of Bozak, will get his first NHL start in Montreal.
“(Froese) has competed hard. The coach’s down there tell me he’s been their best player and their most competitive guy.… Babcock said. “We’re trying to be more competitive down the middle of the rink and so the ball’s in his court.…
Holland was elevated to the second line between Shawn Matthias and Brad Boyes against Buffalo on Wednesday and registered no shots on goal in just under 13 minutes of ice time. Babcock is getting little production from their centers so far, with just eight points from Nazem Kadri, Bozak, Holland, Nick Spaling and Mark Arcobello.
“I’m not interested in wake up calls, I think when you play in the National Hockey League, you know every day if you don’t compete, someone’s gonna have your job.… Babcock said. “I don’t think we’re doing that at all, we’re just trying to find a way to evolve our lineup to be the best it can possibly be.…
Jonathan Bernier will start his third straight for Toronto after a 34-save effort on Wednesday, but the Leafs are still looking for his first victory of the season with their number one goalie between the pipes. Hart Trophy winner Carey Price will get the start in the second of back-to-back games for the Habs, after backup Mike Condon started and won in Buffalo on Friday.
Forward Leo Komarov was did not skate on Saturday but is expected to be in the lineup tonight. The veteran forward appeared to be in discomfort on Wednesday after taking a hit from Sabres forward Nicolas Deslaurier.
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The Maple Leafs passed their first test regarding their new philosophy of not calling up young prospects until they are ready. With Bozak injured and Babcock not happy with the effort of other centers, this would have been where past Leafs management teams would have brought up William Nylander for his NHL debut instead of Byron Froese.
Nylander leads the Marlies with six points and scored his third goal of the season in a 8-2 win over the Rochester Americans on Friday, but the 19-year-old still has room for improvement before he is ready to handle the challenges of the NHL.
The 2014 top pick is highly advanced as a playmaker and scorer, but has to work on defensive awareness and faceoffs. According to reporter Kyle Cicerella, Nylander took no faceoffs in the defensive zone in the 3-2 win over the Albany Devils last week and lost nine of 15 draws in the offensive or neutral zone.
With Toronto trailing late in regulation, Nylander was moved to the wing so Froese could take a key offensive zone faceoff. The draw was won and Nylander set up Froese for the tying goal.
Situations such as these are indicative that Nylander is not prepared for the NHL. The Leafs are looking for the youngster to dominate at the AHL level, perhaps shine on the world stage at the World Junior in Helsinki in December and make a run for the Calder Cup with the Marlies before getting a legitimate shot with the Leafs next season. “One of the things with William, we aren’t really looking to protect him, sometimes things happen with the flow of the bench,… said Keefe. “We need to put him in tough spots. Willy needs to be in some tough spots to find his way through it.…
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