Let’s talk about that ‘other’ streak involving the Maple Leafs, the one with playoff implications.
As impressive a turnaround as five straight wins is to end November at 11-1-3, they enter the new month three points behind an even hotter club in Boston, which has three games in hand. Meanwhile, a regulation loss Saturday in Tampa Bay could move that club within four points with a game in hand, pending the Bolts at Philadelphia result on Thursday.
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Thus Toronto can’t relax, if it wants to strengthen its hand to retain home ice in another playoff series or take the next step to a division crown and potentially more favourable first round match.
“I don’t do a whole lot of looking back,” head coach Sheldon Keefe said after Wednesday’s 3-1 win over San Jose. “We’re obviously in a good place now, feeling good as a team, have a lot of confidence and feeling we’re where we should be. You could say if we’d started better, we’d be in an even better spot, but a lot of things happen over the course of 82 games.
“The calendar is going to turn and that’s what I said when it went from October to November (to keep the faith when the team looked rattled). We have to push on. Early in the season, we were losing these kinds of games.”
‘Winning ugly’ is getting to be a repetitive phrase in the Leaf room, especially the tendency for forwards to drop back and muddle the opposition while covering for a blueline weakened by four injuries. It used to be Leafs forwards needed to score the team out of trouble created by defensive miscues of poor goaltending. Replacements have filled in nicely on the line and in concert with goalies Matt Murray, Erik Kallgren and now Ilya Samsonov, the Leafs have held foes to two goals or less 10 times in November.
“Not the prettiest game,” said Auston Matthews of Wednesday. “But Sammy made some big saves, we battled through, defended well when we had to and on that (winning goal) a great play by those (third line) guys to get to the net and create some havoc.”
ANOTHER INJURY FORCES CHANGE
Keefe will have to tinker with his lines when the team returns to practice Friday, owing to the groin injury suffered by second unit left winger Calle Jarnkrok. Keefe predicted he’d miss some time, pending results of x-rays or an MRI.
That’s a break for Nick Robertson who has seen sporadic action amid pundits urging Keefe to let the youngster play regularly with the Marlies. Robertson could slot in with John Tavares and Mitch Marner. Either Denis Malgin or Wayne Simmonds will be activated to take Jarnkrok’s roster spot.
HIGHLIGHT REELS
While Marner was chirped by his pals for not burying two great empty net chances before eventually extending his points streak to 18 games, Toronto’s first two goals on Wednesday had rave reviews in the room.
Matthews, quickly bonding with rookie defenceman Mac Hollowell, appreciated him settling a bouncing puck before delivering a perfect slap-pass for him to tip.
“Beautiful play. Great vision, great poise. I just tried to get in a good spot for him and Cheese put it right on by my tape. We had a lot of fun celebrating that one (Hollowell’s first home point).”
“First, David Kampf picks off a pass, he counters, gives it to (Alex) Kerfoot, who doesn’t mess around, he just puts it on net and Pierre’s in a good spot to bury it. That’s a very important goal by those three. Sometimes you need those types of efforts to win a game.
“And (Marner’s) was an important goal. You don’t want to defend a one-goal lead until the end, especially with 65 (Erik Karlsson) out there.”
LOOSE LEAFS
Engvall, one of six Swedes on the roster, reflected on the 21-second silence in honour of late countryman and Leaf star Borje Salming before Wednesday’s game: “He’s going to live with Toronto forever. It’s really sad what happened. We’ve been playing a lot of games for (his memory) lately” … Keefe wasn’t pleased the Leafs gave up three Sharks breakaways in the first period, but said there were a couple of unlucky deflections that set them up and of course Samsonov was there to stop them. “He told us he was ready, so we said let’s find out,” mused Keefe of his first game in almost a month. “Credit to him. It was not an easy start, but he stood his ground. They were a similar type of play (a penalty shot) that he was hurt on” … Keefe passed Ron Wilson for seventh place in regular season wins by a Leaf coach, now up to 131.
lhornby@postmedia.com