Toronto Maple Leafs: Lineup Adjustments, Mental Reset, For Game 2

An emotional game 1 loss.  Images of their captain taken to the hospital in a stretcher.  The power-play giving up the game winning goal.  Carey Price showing zero rust in his return.  Josh Anderson playing like a a super human on a mission.  Plenty of things went wrong for the Toronto Maple Leafs and right for the Canadiens in game 1.

The question now, what does the team do to change the momentum?  How do the Torotno Maple Leafs adjust, and mentally reset, in order to take command of this series?

John Tavares.  That’s how.  They will play for their captain.

Official update on the health of John Tavares is that he is out of the hospital and doing better today.  At the time of writing this, the only official diagnosis is that he has a concussion.  All things considered, this is great news for him and his family.  Good news for the Leafs as well, as it leaves open the possibility of a return at some point.  He is currently out indefinitely.

Get well JT.  The team has your back.  They got this.

Toronto Maple Leafs Vs Montreal Canadiens Game 2

They will also be unleashing the reclamation project.  Alex Galchenyuk will get a crack at his old team, as Keefe makes a series of adjustments to his lineup at practice on Friday.

If you’re like me, you read that tweet and think “ok.  Not so bad.  Wait…where’s Campbell?!”.  Not to worry…

Now let’s get to the roster adjustments.

Nick Foligno moving to center is an interesting decision by Keefe.  Foligno is a competitive player with great versatility and defensive impact, so it seems like a good fit at first glance, but he actually hasn’t played that much at center in the NHL.

Foligno was drafted as a natural center in junior, but when he made the Ottawa Senators as a rookie it was on the wing.  Turns out, he’s really good on the wing, he can get in and fore-check with reckless abandon.  It was a match made in heaven and he carved out a name for himself as a power forward.

Even after he was dealt to Columbus in 2007, he only saw time at center during spot duty.  It wasn’t until 2017, when the Jackets desperately needed him to play center, that he really got a long look there at the NHL level.  He had 33 pts in 72 games, a 51.46 CF%, a 52.42 xG%, and a 45.9 FO% while taking 741 draws (stats via naturalstattrick.com).  Of note, those possession numbers were about average for his team and above average for his career.  So he did well in terms of driving play.

This isn’t a guy that has excelled at center ice.  But, he has proven that he is capable, and in the wake of an injury he should do just fine as a stop-gap.  If the Toronto Maple Leafs get past the Habs, and I believe that they will, Tavares may be able to return to action at some point in the future.  Until then, we may have to rely on an a rotation that is less than ideal in the short term.  Next man up.  Get it done Nick.

Alex Galchenyuk, or as I like to call him, the reclamation project, is finally getting his chance at his old team in game 2.  I like this move.   He has played well at times this year and posted a 57.57 xG% and 61.31 HDCF%, showing a strong positive impact in high danger areas.  He is one of the better fore-checkers on the team and should help provide additional offense.

He was also drafted by the Canadiens with the 3rd overall pick.  He has a bone to pick here, so to speak, with the team that kind of screwed with him as a young player.  In mostly limited minutes, he had 13 hits in 8 games against them this year and plays them hard.  He wants retribution.  It would be a great story if he gets in and makes a difference.

Nash coming out was kind of a no-brainer, the game looked too fast for him on Thursday night.  He’s a good player but the rust is still there.  Bringing in Engvall was a bit of a surprise though.  Engvall has been very good lately, but his inconsistency was what put him on the practice squad to begin with.  I just hope we get the “good” Engvall, not the “bad” one.  He can be a difference maker if he wants to be.

Either way, no matter who is in, the veterans like Spezza and Thornton need a better effort.  Those guys can’t take bad penalties and turn the puck over.  They need to help lead…on the ice…not just in the dressing room.

And at the end of the day, this team is built around it’s superstars.  Matthews looked good and seems to be slowly ratcheting his game up a level.  Expect him to dominate Saturday.  Nylander probably played one of the best games of his career in game 1, so he’s already going strong.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are playing for their captain, and I fully expect a dominant effort moving forward.

Bring it.

Go Leafs!