John Tavares won a puck battle against three St. Louis Blues to help set up the game-winning goal by William Nylander late in overtime on Tuesday night. Head coach Craig Berube highlighted the play in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ dressing room after the game.
“That’s what it’s all about,” Berube told his players. “That’s what wins hockey games.”
Moments later, Matias Maccelli passed Tavares the team’s player-of-the-game belt.
Tavares had already been on the ice for more than a minute when defenceman Jake McCabe passed him the puck at the St. Louis blue line.
Tavares briefly bobbled it.
“Just was fighting the puck a little bit and couldn’t really get into a good spot where I could make a play towards the net,” he said.
So, Tavares carried the puck along the wall to try and buy time as McCabe and Bobby McMann started to head off for a change following a long spell of Blues possession.
“I actually had my back turned,” McMann recalled. “I don’t know if [Tavares is] coming out of this one with the puck so I was like, I better get off and make sure we have a fresh body out there. And then I turn back and the puck’s coming out to Willy.”
Tavares was surrounded by Pavel Buchnevich, Dylan Holloway, and Philip Broberg along the wall. Buchnevich and Broberg engaged with Tavares while Holloway waited a few steps away anticipating his teammates would pry the puck loose.
“Once I got a sense that I had the two guys on me and saw their other guy a little more towards the corner, I just had to hopefully fight them off long enough and just get the puck free,” Tavares said.
The Leafs centre somehow retained possession.
“He’s a beast,” gushed goaltender Joseph Woll.
“That was wild,” said Nylander. “That’s dad strength.”
‘That was incredible’: Leafs in awe of Tavares winning 1-on-3 battle in OT Maple Leafs forward John Tavares discusses winning a 1-on-3 battle in overtime, which led to William Nylander’s amazing game-winning goal, while his teammates share how in awe they are of the 35-year-old’s grit and determination on the play.
Tavares, a father of three, trapped the puck under his skate blade before sending a back-heel kick-pass to defenceman Morgan Rielly.
“That play there symbolizes John Tavares,” said Berube. “That’s what he’s all about.”
Tavares, who was the first-overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft, has always had the will to match his high-end skill.
“It was incredible, but you kind of expect nothing less,” said new Leafs defenceman Troy Stecher. “You remember that one-handed move he made with the Islanders in overtime, so he’s done it before. But it kind of leaves you speechless.”
The play by Tavares came at the end of a heavy-minute night for the 35-year-old, who is filling in as Toronto’s No. 1 centre while Auston Matthews is sidelined.
“Sometimes you’re going to have to compete when you’re tired and maybe not as fresh as you’d like to be,” Tavares said. “Those are the things you try to push yourself through in the off-season, every day in practice, and just having that mindset of finding a way to make a play or get it done even when you’re tired.”
With the Leafs holding an optional practice on Wednesday, Tavares stayed off the ice to get some extra rest. There’s no doubt he deserved it. Tavares ended up logging 23 minutes and 43 seconds on Tuesday, which was his highest total in a regular season game since Jan. 16, 2020.
“He was double-shifting in OT and in the last 10 minutes of the third,” noted forward Steven Lorentz. “It’s just that leadership that he brings, qualities like that, second and third efforts against three top players on their team to be able to win that battle.”
Tavares is averaging 21 minutes and 56 seconds of ice time in the three games since Matthews got hurt. That’s way up from the 17 minutes and 37 seconds he averaged in the first 17 games of the season.
“It’s a lot to ask of him,” admitted Berube. “But, you know, he’s willing for sure. He’s played pretty well. I think he’s handled it pretty well, but I’ve got to try to lower that.”
The overtime assist on Tuesday brought Tavares’ point total to 25. He’s on pace for 102 points, which would be a career high.
With their captain out, Tavares steps back into familiar role With the Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews out with a lower-body injury, John Tavares has stepped back into a familiar role for his team. Mark Masters has more on the 35-year-old dragging his team back into the fight on Tuesday night.
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Nylander made sure that Tavares’ hard work paid off by pulling off a goal-of-the-year candidate.
“Just kind of mesmerized watching Will,” said Woll. “Fired me up.”
The night got off to a rocky start for the 29-year-old Swede, who accidentally knocked a puck into his own net to gift the Blues a 1-0 lead.
“I got two goals tonight,” Nylander told TSN with a smile after the game.
What the heck happened on the “first” goal?
“Snipe,” Nylander said with a grin. “To be honest, I don’t even know what I was thinking, but it was a little bit reactionary, I think. But it was nice to find the back of the net early.”
Tavares could only shake his head.
“He never ceases to amaze me,” Tavares said. “I personally don’t worry, in situations like that, [about] his ability to just kind of let it go and focus on the rest of the game and stay with it.”
“That’s elite,” Woll said. “His persona is kind of his superpower … whether he scores on our net or their net, he’s pretty much the same, so pretty awesome”
‘His persona is kind of his super power’: Leafs captivated by even-keeled Nylander After scoring on his own net early in Tuesday’s game against the Blues, William Nylander redeemed himself by netting a potential goal of the year candidate in overtime. The Leafs share how impressed they are by Nylander’s ability to shake things off so easily.
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Nylander apologized to Woll after the misplay.
“I said, ‘Sorry,’” Nylander recalled. “He said, ‘It’s all good.’ I said, ‘Thank you.’”
“He made up for it so all good,” Woll confirmed.
Woll stopped 28 of the 29 Blues shots fired his way on Tuesday to earn his first win of the season.
“Pretty sweet,” he beamed. “Pretty nice to win at home with the fans like that. Yeah, I always try to look around [and] take it in when we win like that, especially in overtime.”
The St. Louis native notched his first win against his hometown team after going 0-2-0 against the Blues last season.
Woll now has a .934 save percentage in two games since returning from personal leave.
“It’s like he’s in mid-season form,” said McMann. “He’s solid. He looks square to every shot. He’s athletic across the crease. I think he’s just been elite, honestly, since he’s been back. I think maybe the ones that have gone in aren’t necessarily on him, they’re more on us. He’s been great.”
But considering Woll missed training camp and the start of the season, the team will be careful with his workload. The 27-year-old stayed off the ice on Wednesday.
“We got to make sure we manage the practice time,” Berube told TSN before the game against St. Louis.
Goalie Anthony Stolarz has not been on the ice since suffering an upper-body injury on Nov. 11 in Boston.
Woll on beating his hometown team to taste victory again: ‘Pretty sweet’ Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll explains how it feels to pick up his first win since Game 6 of last year’s second round series against the Panthers and accomplishing it against his hometown team.
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The Leafs are currently dealing with injuries to seven regulars, including winger Matthew Knies, who was a late scratch on Tuesday. Berube said Knies has been dealing with a lingering lower-body issue that recently got worse.
Knies did not stake on Wednesday and will also miss Thursday’s game against the Blue Jackets.
The only injured player who may return on Thursday is centre Scott Laughton, who has been sidelined since taking a big hit from Bruins defenceman Nikita Zadorov on Nov. 8.
“He’s progressing,” said Berube. “We’ll see.”
Laughton, who was a full participant in Monday’s practice, missed the start of the season after blocking a shot off his foot in a pre-season game. He was only playing his second game back when the Zadorov hit caused an upper-body injury.
Matthews, who sustained a lower-body injury on Nov. 11, and defenceman Chris Tanev, who was stretchered off the ice with an upper-body injury on Nov. 1, skated by themselves before the optional practice on Wednesday.
Matthews is improving, but is unlikely to play this week. Tanev remains “a ways away,” Berube said.
Centre Nicolas Roy (upper body), defenceman Brandon Carlo (lower body) and Stolarz stayed off the ice on Wednesday.
Winger Sammy Blais left Tuesday’s game after coughing up blood following a bodycheck to the chest. After tests came back clear, he was back on the ice on Wednesday and is available for Thursday’s game.
Leafs Ice Chips: Laughton may return Thursday; Matthews skates again After practicing in a regular sweater on Monday, injured centre Scott Laughton was back on the ice for the Leafs’ optional skate on Wednesday and head coach Craig Berube said it’s possible the forward returns to the lineup Thursday night against the Blue Jackets. TSN’s Mark Masters has more.
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Tuesday’s win snapped a five-game skid (0-4-1), which was Toronto’s longest winless streak since April 2021.
“It’s no secret how big that one was for our group,” said Lorentz, who scored Toronto’s second goal. “Everyone knows what’s going on. It hasn’t been the greatest little stretch here for us, but carving out a win like that one, especially with so many guys out, it’s definitely a vote of confidence for our group. That’s why guys are extra happy.”
“Just relief,” said McCabe, who liked how resilient the team was in the wake of the Nylander own goal.
“One goes off our own twig in the net. It could have been like, ‘Oh, f—k, here we go again,’ kind of thing, but we stuck with it.”
The Leafs ended up outshooting the Blues 10-4 in the first period and evened the score thanks to a goal by McCabe.
“I thought our forwards worked their butts off all night forechecking, you know, tracking through the neutral zone,” McCabe said. “I thought us defencemen did a pretty good job protecting the middle of the ice too.”
But consistency has proven elusive for the Leafs this season.
“It doesn’t mean much,” McCabe noted. “A long way to go here to keep building our identity and building with this group … We’re not going to be satisfied just getting one win. I mean, that’s a big monkey off our back in a sense, but we got to start stringing them together and stringing efforts like that together.”
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The Blues did start taking control of the game in the later stages of the second period.
“Second period I thought was one of our better seconds until I started taking penalties and kind of messed up the flow,” McCabe said.
McCabe was whistled for tripping Nathan Walker and Jordan Kyrou in the middle stanza. The Blues converted on one of the power plays to tie the game up at 2-2.
McCabe didn’t appear thrilled by either call.
“I think I have a case for both of them, but also they’re borderline and I can’t disagree with them,” McCabe said. “So, yeah, don’t get me in trouble now.”
Berube was willing to say a bit more.
“The second one’s a tough one for me,” the coach said. “He’s jumping out of the way of the guy. He’s kind of trying to jump around him. I don’t know, that’s a tough call in my opinion. But it is what it is. It’s a split-second [decision] right? It’s hard. And they’re going to get it wrong sometimes. So it’s the way it goes. We have more time to look at it.”
McCabe has taken five penalties during the last five games.
‘Don’t get me in trouble now’: McCabe elects not to plead case on two penalties vs. Blues Maple Leafs defenceman Jake McCabe praises the resiliency of the team after beating the Blues in overtime. McCabe takes blame for “messing up the flow” during the club’s solid second period by taking a couple of penalties, but elects not to plead his case on either call.
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The Blues, meanwhile, didn’t like it when Buchnevich was whistled for holding Stecher in the first period.
“They thought I dove,” Stecher said with a grin. “I just tried to use my feet to escape pressure.”
Stecher, who was claimed off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers over the weekend, logged 13 minutes and 31 seconds and finished plus-one in his Leafs debut.
“Surprisingly, I actually didn’t have any nerves,” the 31-year-old said. “I’ve been traded three times, so I’ve been familiar stepping into different locker rooms.”
Stecher was playing for the first time since Oct. 30.
“I felt actually really good, which I kind of honestly expected,” he said. “Like, I hadn’t been playing very much in Edmonton, so I’ve been getting a lot of extra skating in, so my legs and cardio felt really good. Besides my compete level, I feel like my greatest strength is my feet, so it definitely helped with feeling comfortable out there, knowing that I was going to have my legs last night.”
McCabe lauded Stecher for being vocal during the game despite having just joined a new team.
“The biggest thing they’ve stressed with me so far up to this point is just to be myself,” Stecher said. “I’m a vocal guy throughout the game. I’m honestly a bit of a cheerleader on the bench. It’s nice any time that you feel you can be yourself and you don’t have to be somebody you’re not. That was just a good way for me to also feel part of the game.”
Shot attempts favoured the Leafs 10-6 in Stecher’s 5-on-5 minutes, per NaturalStatTrick.com. He led the team in that department (62.5 per cent CorsiFor).
“Just made simple plays and made a difference,” McCabe said. “He gave us a little spark on the back end.”
“He’s a great skater,” said McMann. “I didn’t realize how good of a skater he is and how well he can get himself out of those D-zone scenarios with his skating and puck moving.”
Stecher comfortable in debut; Leafs impressed by newcomer’s skating ability, poise Troy Stecher talks about how much fun he had in his Maple Leafs debut and explains that he didn’t have any nerves on the ice. Meanwhile, the Leafs share how impressed they are by the veteran defenceman’s skating ability and poise.
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Leafs lines at the start of Tuesday’s game:
Robertson – Tavares – Nylander
McMann – Domi – Cowan
Maccelli – Quillan – Blais
Joshua – Lorentz – Jarnkrok
Rielly – Ekman-Larsson
Benoit – McCabe
Mermis – Stecher
Woll
Hildeby
