Special Teams/Line Configuration
Though this post was written ahead of last night’s game, the lines where scheduled to look something like this for game 1:
Hyman Matthews Marner
Foligno Tavares Nylander
Mikheyev Nash Kerfoot
Thornton Spezza Simmonds
Reilly Brodie
Muzzin Holl
Sandin Bogosian
There are some choices in the lineup which may be a surprise. We have not seen Riley Nash in a Maple Leafs uniform yet, but we did get a look at him on the opposite side last year in the play-in series versus Columbus.
Nash is being thrown on a third line with Mikheyev and Kerfoot as a shutdown, defensive zone line, which Keefe truly believes is necessary for playoff success. I am excited to see this line out there, how they mesh together, and how successful they can be at shutting down the oppositions top lines.
Bogosian being back for game 1, after being out with a shoulder injury since April 20th, cannot be understated as an important piece to play with the young Rasmus Sandin, who gets the start over Travis Dermott.
I assume that these lines will likely be shaken up, not just throughout the series but throughout each game as Keefe sees necessary. Injuries are also, unfortunately, part of the playoff experience, so I expect some of the players waiting in the wings – Dermott, Alex Galchenyuk, Pierre Engvall – will at some point get an opportunity to play. Where the Maple Leafs may see the most shuffling is on special teams, specifically on the struggling power play.
The current 1st unit power play has the big four, Matthews, Marner, Tavares, Nylander, with Sandin quarterbacking the point. This unit had not seen a lot of reps during the regular season, but the power play has been so bad the last half of the season that it literally cannot get any worse and could be on the verge of exploding success. They have also been practicing with two PP units with the big four forwards split between the two, which if successful could become the long term plan.
If the Toronto Maple Leafs can get their power play back to the point it was in the beginning of the season they will end up being the most dangerous team in these playoffs. If the Leafs cannot get their power play going and continues to struggle, it will be imperative for the penalty kill to step up and keep the puck out of their net.
The Leafs were the best 5-on-5 team, statistically, all season, so the special teams will need to at least need to be even for the team to have a successful run.