If Craig Berube didn’t know Nick Robertson before this training camp, he’s now well-acquainted with the winger and his impressive scoring ways.
Two more tallies in Thursday’s 2-0 shutout in Detroit — he’s scored the Leafs’ past five goals in the exhibition schedule — puts Robertson in the driver’s seat for a spot on the opening-night roster, a month after many doubted he would be around following a summer trade request. He eventually agreed to a one-year deal and hasn’t looked back.
But Robertson wasn’t the only Leaf to catch the coach’s attention on a road test of aspiring Toronto players against a near-full Red Wings lineup. Anthony Stolarz made 30 saves as he challenges Joseph Woll for the opening-night assignment Wednesday in Montreal.
The Leafs are 3-1-1 in pre-season action with one to go Saturday versus the Red Wings at Scotiabank Arena. Final NHL rosters are to be filed by 5 p.m. Monday, EST.
Those Leafs on the bubble could not have asked for a better test, with Detroit playing its best. Toronto shut down the Wings’ power play four times to continue a 20-for-20 exhibition record in an area of concern last season.
The Leafs responded with an extra-man goal of their own. Just as significant for Berube was Robertson’s first goal on a give-and-go with Easton Cowan, himself trying to catch the coach’s eye. Cowan’s pass gave Robertson a clear lane to snap it past Cam Talbot.
Late in the third period, Robertson made a nice defensive play, then jumped into the rush before taking a Max Pacioretty pass on a two-on-one and deking Talbot for the insurance tally.
Robertson also saw penalty-killing duty as he pushes for at least a taxi squad job on a crowded Leafs depth chart.
Pacioretty, trying to find his niche as the club’s elder statesman, was also on the first power play unit and earned two assists.
Left winger Steven Lorentz was given a more elevated role Thursday than he can expect as a projected fourth-liner with David Kampf and Ryan Reaves. He was with goalie and fellow Florida Panthers Stanley Cup winner Stolarz, against their former teammate Vladimir Tarasenko. All three shared some yuks when Stolarz flashed the leather on Tarasenko shot from the slot, the first of two impressive saves on him.
Lorentz, who is on a PTO, though expected to sign, called Stolarz “one of my great buddies,” during an intermission interview on Sportsnet. “He’s so humble, you’d never know he was a hockey player.”
The undrafted Marshall Rifai, a key to extending Toronto’s pre-season penalty-killing mark, shone again on the same day the Leafs put his higher ranked Harvard University teammate, forward Nick Abruzzese, on waivers. The Beaconsfield, Que., native, blocked four shots Thursday, tied for the team high. He also showed some offensive flair last spring for the Marlies with three playoff goals.
Defenceman Philippe Myers (158 NHL games) and forward Cedric Pare (four blocks) had a solid nights, as well. Pare, who earned notoriety for the wrong reasons last week for an unintentional knee-on-knee that injured Montreal’s Patrik Laine, had a great slot chance in the middle period.
Winger Alex Nylander was in his third exhibition game, but it was a quiet one and as expected, he will have to hone his game on the farm to earn a shot with older brother William on the big team.
Cowan, 2023’s first-round pick, who has yet to have a breakout game, can’t be placed with the farm team Marlies. Rather than return him to the OHL London Knights, where he’s already over-achieved, Toronto might keep him as a reserve for at least nine games before a final call would have to be made on returning him to junior with an eye to him eventually playing for Canada at the world junior hockey championship in December.
With Stolarz starting, Woll would appear to be in line for the last exhibition game. But Woll did appear to be labouring a bit at Thursday’s practice a bit after extending his lower body on a save.