Coach Craig Berube is keeping his best three forwards on the Maple Leafs’ No. 1 line.
There are conditions attached.
“The issue is, they have to get to the net, too,” Berube said on Tuesday after the Leafs practised at the Ford Performance Centre, where the coach had captain Auston Matthews between William Nylander and Mitch Marner.
“They can’t all be on the outside wanting the puck and making plays, it’s about doing things right. We’ll see how it goes.
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“I’ve used them time to time throughout the season in different situations in the offensive zone, but I thought they were good together. I thought they created a lot of good opportunities, I thought they moved the puck around well.”
As Berube said, it worked in the Leafs’ favour on Sunday against the Buffalo Sabres when he made a switch between top two lines, moving Nylander up and dropping Matthew Knies to play with John Tavares and Max Pacioretty. The Leafs rallied to win the game 5-3, sending the Sabres to their 10th loss in a row.
The Dallas Stars will be a harder, smarter opponent on Wednesday night than the Sabres, as the Leafs start a two-game trip that concludes on Friday in Buffalo.
Not only did Berube like the new-look Matthews trio, he enjoyed watching Tavares centring Knies and Pacioretty.
“I thought they were really solid in the game and that’s a big, heavy line,” Berube said.
Though it doesn’t get mentioned every day, Tavares’ physical strength is a formidable asset. More often than not, the veteran wins puck battles — and not just because he out-thinks the opponent.
“He has such a low centre of gravity, especially when he has the puck in the corners, and he is so strong, kind of similar to Sid (Crosby) in that regard,” Matthews said. “Maybe not the biggest guys, but the way they are able to shield the puck off defenders (is key).”
Said Tavares: “That has always been a foundation of my game, is being strong on my stick, strong on the puck. There is so little space out there at times, you have to be good in tight areas, and I feel like that’s always been something that is a big part of my game. No doubt, it’s important for me.”
David Kampf centred the fourth line on Tuesday and is slated to return to the lineup after missing the past 12 games with a lower-body injury. Kampf hasn’t played since Nov. 16.
“Gives us more flexibility,” Berube said. “I like his size down the middle and he moves well. He has his job and he has been doing it well.”
Connor Dewar and Pontus Holmberg would be the odd men out at forward. The third line, which was effective against Buffalo, was intact with Max Domi between Bobby McMann and Nick Robertson.
On the blue line, Berube is keeping Philippe Myers in the lineup and scratching Simon Benoit. Myers will play with Morgan Rielly.
“Simple, physical, direct with the puck,” Berube said of Myers’ attributes. “Does a good job killing penalties too when he is out there. He makes hard plays with the puck out of his zone. It’s not always tape-to-tape, but he gets the puck out.”
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