Nick Robertson was partially to blame for taking William Nylander out, but could have just saved his own job, all in the same 2-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.
The young winger was already on the fringe of coach Craig Berube’s new-look Leafs roster when his attempt to help Nylander catch up to Montreal forward Christian Dvorak backfired. The 40-goal forward Nylander sped past Robertson trying to backcheck and Robertson instinctively tried to push him a bit further ahead with the blade of this stick. But that seemed to knock Nylander off balance head-first hard into the knee of Dvorak.
It occurred at the game’s 12:16 mark, after Nylander had already been dumped hard into the end boards on an uncalled penalty and was slow to get back in the play. After the collision with Dvorak, he quickly exited to the nearby Leafs dressing room tunnel at Scotiabank Arena and didn’t return for what the club said was a “precaution.”
Robertson’s night wasn’t over, however, as he buzzed the Canadiens net and was finally rewarded in the second period when he stripped defenceman Adam Engstrom and beat stubborn Habs goalie Jakub Dobes.
It was Toronto’s first exhibition win after two losses to Ottawa.
With top scorer Auston Matthews already trying to get through an upper-body injury that has curtailed his practices this week, the Leafs don’t need bad news on the Nylander front. But he wasn’t likely to play in Saturday’s return match in Montreal and the Leafs have just two pre-season games after that late next week against Detroit.
Nylander has suffered migraine headaches in the past which led to him using a tinted visor, an issue that kept him out of the first three games of the spring playoff series against Boston. Watching events unfold was club franchise scoring leader Mats Sundin, a guest of the team for the next few days in a rare sojourn from Sweden and a good friend of the Nylander family.
Robertson began the game on centre Nylander’s right side with Bobby McMann. Berube moved Max Domi into that spot after starting him in the middle of a ‘London Knights’ line with junior alumni Mitch Marner and Easton Cowan. Marner had a big night on special teams.
This was a big opportunity for 2023 first-round pick Cowan, in his third exhibition game, the first two being rather underwhelming. He had some glorious chances, but Dobes had his number, as well as that of a few other Leafs until Robertson got rolling.
The problem for general manager Brad Treliving is that Robertson can’t be exposed on waivers or he’ll surely be snapped up, while Cowan has done everything he can at the junior level and can’t be placed on their AHL Marlies farm team.
The pre-game hype was around 35-year-old Max Pacioretty in his first game as a Leaf against the team he once captained. Though there were a few of his old Montreal sweaters in the audience, the visiting fans made their feelings known about him leaving for the Vegas Golden Knights, booing him every time he touched the puck.
“It was definitely weird going back there at the beginning and getting booed by some fans then playing in the playoffs,” Pacioretty said Thursday morning. “I think it’s a cool rivalry though. I remember playing (Toronto) opening night and setting the tone to the season, good or bad.
“I haven’t played in a rivalry like this definitely since I’ve been gone from Montreal. The history of both teams, it’s such an honour, so that side of it doesn’t feel weird at all.
“I go back every summer, all my friends are there, I love the city, loved my time there, grew up there and started my family” he said, adding “not many guys are left on the team since I was there.”
Pacioretty, who scored twice in the exhibition opener at Scotiabank against the Senators, almost had a deflection goal in the first period and had the last of the Leafs’ 13 shots in the first.
The period’s only goal came on Toronto’s first power play, which was 1-for-3 on Sunday against Ottawa and kept rolling for new assistant coach Marc Savard. Marner, who was a force on penalty-killing with Max Domi in the box, found John Tavares alone at Dobe’s doorstep.
Berube had split camp into two groups that included almost all the projected roster. The fourth line was the exhibition debut of Florida’s Stanley Cup champion left winger Steven Lorentz, who is on a PTO and skated with David Kampf and Ryan Reaves.
In net, Anthony Stolarz faced just 10 shots through 40 minutes, giving up a Dvorak goal, while Matt Murray had a busy third.
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