The Maple Leafs finished off the preseason with an impressive 5-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings at Air Canada Center Friday night, which may have cleared up some battles for roster spots, as head coach Randy Carlyle and his staff will have to get the club down to 23 players by Tuesday in preparation for the start of the regular season.
Dion Phaneuf had a pair of goals, Jake Gardiner, James van Riemsdyk and Brandon Kozun had single tallies.
The diminutive Kozun may have cemented his spot on the club with a three-point performance. In the opening 20 minutes, the 24-year-old assisted on Gardiner’s opening goal, set up linemate Mike Santorelli for a quality scoring chance and scored an impressive backhand goal past former Leaf goalie Jonas Gustavsson. He also registered an assist on Phaneuf’s third period goal.
“He’s very noticeable. We think that he’s gotten more comfortable.… Head coach Randy Carlyle said following the game. “He’s playing desperate and that is the word to describe it. He’s making life difficult for the opposition and making life easy for the coaching staff and management to notice.…
Kozun appears to be up to the challenge to handle the tough going of the NHL after four seasons in the American Hockey League, but he is not ready to celebrate just yet.
“Those decisions are out of my hands.… Kozun said following the game. “I’m just going to try to get better like I’ve said and hopefully I can help the team in any way possible.…
The game also marked the Leaf debut of veteran defenseman Stephane Robidas, who was surprisingly sharp playing almost 20 minutes on the top pairing with Phaneuf in his first game since breaking his leg in a playoff game with Anaheim last April.
“I didn’t really know what to expect. I felt great physically and mentally before the game, I was ready, nervous, excited, all those mixed feelings.… Robidas said. “For me it was just keeping it simple and make strong plays and try to communicate.…
The Leafs have until Tuesday to make their roster reductions. One player whose status has changed is defenseman Viktor Loov. The hard hitting Swede was expected to head back to the SHL for another season, but according to Michael Traikos of the National Post, the Leafs are looking to place the 21-year-old with the Toronto Marlies.
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