No time off for the most talented.
Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube had a bit of a chuckle on Thursday when he was asked whether he would consider giving captain Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner a rest for Toronto’s first game, on Saturday at home against the Carolina Hurricanes, following the 4 Nations Face-Off.
After all, there was no break for Matthews and Marner, who squared off against each other in the final in Boston for the United States and Canada, respectively, on Thursday night.
“You got somebody that’s going to go in and play?” Berube jokingly said. “As of right now, they’re playing in the game. These are big games (for the Leafs).”
The same probably can’t be said of veteran forward Max Pacioretty. After tweaking something before practice on Wednesday, Pacioretty was on the ice at the Ford Performance Centre as the Leafs held an optional skate, but he didn’t last long.
“He went out and tried to do some stuff, but it was a no-go,” Berube said. “We’ll see where he’s at (on Friday).”
How about Pacioretty, who missed 18 of the Leafs’ first 55 games because he was injured, playing on Saturday?
“Not (looking good) right now, unless he recovers really quick,” Berube said.
If Pacioretty is out, the chance that Alex Steeves, recalled this week from the Toronto Marlies, suits up for the fifth time with the Leafs this season rises.
There still was no sign of winger William Nylander, whose participation with Sweden in the 4 Nations Face-Off came to an end on Monday night. The expectation is that Nylander will join his Leafs teammates for practice on Friday.
For those Leafs who have been back on the job this week, the feeling has been one of optimism for the last run to the Stanley Cup playoffs. Once the Leafs get going against the Hurricanes, they won’t have much time to think on their feet as the condensed schedule won’t allow it. And just two of the Leafs’ first nine games back will be at Scotiabank Arena.
“We put ourselves in a good spot and now it’s up to us to take advantage of the situation,” defenceman Chris Tanev said. “We know it’s going to be a lot of tight games, tight hockey, as there’s so many teams competing for a playoff spot.”
Top spot in the Atlantic Division is up for grabs, as the Leafs are just three points behind the Florida Panthers but with three games in hand.
What can the Leafs do to be crowned division champs for the first time since 2021, when they won the all-Canadian North Division?
“Get back to what we’re doing well,” Tanev said. “Defending well, we need to have good special teams both ways and play a team game where we’re all involved and doing things for each other. That’ll go a long way.”
Considering the clubs jockeying for position in the division — the Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins are in the wild-card hunt, while the Leafs are trying to fend off the Tampa Bay Lightning — the competitive level won’t decrease.
Of the Leafs’ 27 remaining games, nine are against Atlantic Division foes. Under Berube, the Leafs are 11-5-1 in divisional games, making them the only team within the Atlantic that has more than 10 victories against the other seven teams.
It’s a big turnaround from last season, when Toronto was 11-12-3 versus the Atlantic.
“Everyone’s fighting for something,” defenceman Jake McCabe said. “Some (teams) are trying to fight to get in playoff position. Some teams like ourselves are fighting to stay in playoff position and climb the ladder in our division.
“It’s going to be some good hockey down the stretch and it’s important to find that consistency quickly after the break and get back to our winning ways.”
For Matthews and Marner, there was that one monumental game to play first. And Matthews said this week that the injury that kept him out of Team USA’s game against Sweden on Monday was not the same upper-body issue that has caused him to miss 15 Leafs games this season.
“A lot of pride for your country, a lot of emotion,” Berube said. “These games are intense, and playing in a game like this is very good for them both, being in this situation.
“Only one of them is going to win. It’s getting a taste of what it’s like, in my opinion, the intensity of it, the emotion that’s involved. Every play matters. Every shift matters. And it’s tight. There’s not a lot of room out there. You have to work for your room, and you have to work for everything.”
Tanev might have spoken for all his Leafs teammates regarding the impact that playing in the 4 Nations Face-Off final could have on Matthews and Marner.
“Hopefully they bring that energy back to us,” Tanev said, “and sort of springboard us to where we want to get in the last two months of the season.”
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