The Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets skated at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday.
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What has the start of this season been like for Scott Laughton?
“It’s been great,” the 31-year-old centre said with a deadpan delivery. “It’s been awesome. No. I mean, it’s obviously not ideal.”
Laughton missed the start of the season with a lower-body injury after blocking a shot off his foot in a pre-season game on Oct. 2. In only his second game back from that injury on Nov. 8, Laughton absorbed a big hit from Nikita Zadorov and suffered an upper-body injury.
“It’s hard sometimes, but you stay on top of things,” the Oakville, Ont. native said. “It gives my other injury a little bit more time to heal … I’ve never been in this situation before in my career. I’ve missed a couple games here and there, but the last five or so years, I haven’t dealt with this. So, it’s something new to me and something that I’ve had to deal with, but I try to stay grounded.”
Bobby McMann dropped the gloves with Zadorov after the hit on Laughton and coach Craig Berube said it looked like a head shot.
“Thought it was clean,” Laughton said. “I honestly thought he was backing up when I took a peek. He stepped up. I lost the puck a little bit, and he’s 6’7, I’m 6-foot, so there’s going to be some contact there. He got the best of me. I had more of an issue with a couple of his other hits in Boston [in the next game between the teams]. But, yeah, I thought it was a clean hit. You’ve got to keep your head up and keep going.”
Did Zadorov reach out afterwards?
“No. I wouldn’t really want him to either.”
Laughton will draw back into the Leafs lineup on Thursday night when Toronto hosts the Columbus Blue Jackets. He will slot in as the third-line centre with Steven Lorentz and rookie Easton Cowan on his wings. That trio enjoyed a lot of success while playing together at training camp.
“We’ve talked about it a little bit this morning already,” Laughton said. “Just got to kind of find that again and then continue to talk. I’ve been playing with Stevie here since I’ve kind of got here. Cowboy’s playing with a lot of energy. We’ve got to continue that.”
Laughton ready to return to Leafs lineup; says Zadorov hit was clean Scott Laughton has been out of the lineup since early November with his second injury of the season but will return Thursday against the Blue Jackets. The forward spoke about dealing with the rash of injuries and reuniting with Steven Lorentz and Easton Cowan on the third line. Laughton also revealed that he believes the hit he took from Nikita Zadorov was clean.
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Laughton’s return offers some rare positive injury-related news for the Leafs, who are missing several key contributors while attempting to get their season back on track. Toronto snapped a five-game skid with a 3-2 overtime win on Tuesday against the 30th-place St. Louis Blues.
“A big win last game,” Laughton said. “We obviously have some key injuries. Those wins kind of bring you together throughout the season and can change the momentum. It was a big win for us. We’ve got to keep it rolling here. You’ve got to string some together.”
“By no means does that mean we’re out of the woods or everything is great,” said defenceman Morgan Rielly. “We want to build off what we thought was a pretty good game, pretty good effort, and start playing some better hockey over a long period of time.”
The Leafs held a lead in four of the five games during their winless streak. That inability to retain the lead was a theme that stuck out to Rielly.
“We were in games and we kind of lost control of them in a third period,” Rielly noted. “I think that’s the one thing that kind of stands out to me, and not because we were taking chances or being risky, I think it’s the opposite.”
On Tuesday, Toronto led St. Louis 2-1 in the second period before watching the Blues tie it and then control possession down the stretch.
“Once you lose one, I mean, you do tighten up a little bit,” Rielly said. “I think that’s a natural thing. This time of year, it’s important that you work through those things and you get more comfortable and you learn to trust the structure and trust each other, and that’s what we’re working towards.”
Leafs look to build on slump-busting win against Jackets It took overtime but the Maple Leafs pulled out a much-needed win over the Blues on Tuesday. What can that kind of win do for a team trying to find consistency? The players spoke about what the key is to building on the victory. The Blue Jackets got the better of the Leafs in a late October meeting but know they will have to play even better than they did to get a win in Toronto.
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Veteran winger Calle Jarnkrok is moving up to the top line with John Tavares and William Nylander for Thursday’s game.
“Just a little bit for matchups and also just the familiarity that William and him have together,” said Berube.
Nick Robertson, who is a more offensive-minded player, started Tuesday’s game with Tavares and Nylander.
Nylander and Jarnkrok are countrymen and good friends off the ice.
“One of the best players in the world,” Jarnkrok said. “Usually when you give him the puck something good’s happening.”
Do they ever talk in Swedish when they are linemates?
“Well, he’s Canadian,” Jarnkrok said to laughs.
Nylander was born in Calgary when his father, Michael Nylander, played for the Flames.
Nylander played the overtime hero on Tuesday after starting the night with an accidental own goal.
“He had probably the nicest goal this season and the biggest blooper of the year,” Jarnkrok said with a grin.
You can understand why Berube is looking for a bit more defence on the top line on Thursday night. The Jackets hung six goals on the Leafs during a 6-3 win in the Ohio capital last month.
“We know what Columbus is all about, so we’re going to have to be a tight checking group tonight,” Berube said.
The Jackets have won five of seven games against the Leafs while scoring at least five goals in all of their wins.
Jarnkrok earns promotion to Leafs top line thanks to chemistry with Nylander Calle Jarnkrok was asked about what it’s like playing alongside William Nylander and head coach Craig Berube explained why he moved Jarnkrok up to play with Nylander and John Tavares and what he can bring to the power play.
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Jarnkrok is also getting a look as the down-low man on the top power-play unit.
“Right-handed shot down there,” said Berube. “That’s one thing I think we kind of miss, obviously, and that was the reason we put him there.”
With Mitch Marner departing in the summer, Toronto’s top power-play unit has only featured one right-hand shot, Nylander, this season.
The Leafs are 0/7 on the power play in the last three games.
Matthew Knies, who will miss a second straight game with a lingering lower-body issue, usually plays in front of the net on the top unit.
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Auston Matthews joined the Leafs skate on Thursday morning. It was his first team session since sustaining a lower-body injury on Nov. 11 in Boston.
“It’s good to see him out there with us,” said Berube. “Just talking to him, he’s feeling a lot better. I thought he was shooting the puck pretty well, so that’s a good sign.”
There’s still no timeline for the top-line centre’s return. Matthews sustained the injury in the process of hitting Zadorov in a retaliatory move after the Bruins defenceman knocked him down from behind.
“He looked good out there today,” said Laughton. “And we’re going to need him for sure.”
Matthews joins Leafs skate, but still no timeline for return Auston Matthews stayed on the ice for the Maple Leafs skate Thursday morning, marking the first team session he has participated in since his injury. Head coach Craig Berube said it was good to have him join but did not have an updated timetable for his full return.
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Anthony Stolarz also got hurt in that game in Boston on Nov. 11. Initially, Berube said the upper-body issue was minor and Stolarz was expected back soon.
“Obviously, worse than we thought,” the coach acknowledged. “He’s not ready to get on the ice yet and do the things that he’s needed to do. So, hopefully it’s soon. I mean, I really don’t have a timetable for him. Like maybe tomorrow he’ll be on the ice. I’m not sure.”
Joseph Woll, who has played the last two games after returning from personal leave, will make a third straight start on Thursday night.
Woll was kept off the ice on Wednesday.
“He seems fine,” said Berube. “That’s a good rest day for him yesterday. He feels good and feels like he’s got great energy out there.”
Cambridge, Ont. native Jet Greaves gets the start for the Blue Jackets.
Leafs Ice Chips: Rolling with Woll; Stolarz still not on the ice Joseph Woll is set to play in a third straight game when the Maple Leafs host the Blue Jackets on Thursda, but despite the workload since his return, head coach Craig Berube says his netminder feels like he has great energy out there. TSN’s Mark Masters has more on the team being careful with Woll’s workload and Anthony Stolarz’s injury, which Berube revealed was, ‘worse than we thought.’
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After playing in Winnipeg on Tuesday night, the Jackets got into Toronto very early on Wednesday morning.
“I got to go from the airport straight home, which never happens,” said centre Adam Fantilli. “Got to wake up in my childhood bed. My mom made breakfast. It was kind of cool. It was a good time.”
Is his room still looking the same?
“No, they actually just finished a renovation like four months ago,” the 21-year-old from Nobleton, Ont. said. “All my stuff’s gone … It’s in a box in the basement.”
The Jackets enjoyed a full day off on Wednesday.
“I had like 30 people at my house for dinner,” Fantilli said. “I got to see all the people that are really, really close to me and then have conversations and stuff, which is great. After the game, I don’t get too much time to talk to them.”
Last season, Fantilli thrilled friends and family by recording his first career hat trick at Scotiabank Arena on Jan. 22.
“It was an exciting day,” he said. “It was really special for me and my family. It was a blast of the day. Hopefully we can get some of that magic going tonight too. That was pretty special.”
What does he remember most about it?
“Just seeing my parents after,” he said. “It was really exciting. Obviously, you dream of playing in this arena, and to have a night like that, it was really special.”
Fantilli looks to channel hat trick magic against hometown Leafs, Tavares After a slow start to the season, Adam Fantilli has found the back of the net four times in the month on November as he prepares for a homecoming in Toronto. It’s still a big deal for the young forward, who netted a hat trick against the Leafs last season.
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Jacob Quillan earned a good review from Berube for his performance on Tuesday in what was his second career NHL game.
“From last year to this year, I saw a lot of growth in him,” the coach said. “He is confident and comfortable in his play. His speed is dangerous. He got behind their D a couple of times. Overall, he was a pretty good player for us.”
Quillan admitted feeling a bit overwhelmed when making his NHL debut last season. It was a much different sensation this time around.
“I felt good,” the 23-year-old centre said. “I felt like I had good legs, good jump to my game. When I got the puck, I felt Iike I had a little more time and space than I initially thought, so that’s good.”
Quillan even generated a clean look at Jordan Binnington off the rush, but decided to try a backhand pass instead of going to the net.
“I was thinking pass,” he said. “My instincts kind of took over. It didn’t end up being the right look. Probably should have shot it. You live and you learn.
Quillan has 12 assists in 14 games with the Toronto Marlies in the American Hockey League this season.
“It was just my instinct,” he said. “Sometimes my reads aren’t 100 per cent. If I get a look like that next time, I’m probably shooting.”
Another adjustment Quillan is looking to make is on faceoffs. He lost all five draws he contested on Tuesday.
“It wasn’t good enough,” he said. “Just going to try to get better. I’ll learn from the guys here, talk, watch a little more video on the other team and, you know, get better at it.”
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Lines at Leafs skate:
Nylander – Tavares – Jarnkrok
McMann – Domi – Robertson
Lorentz – Laughton – Cowan
Joshua – Quillan – Maccelli
Matthews, Blais
Rielly – Ekman-Larsson
Benoit – McCabe
Mermis – Stecher
Myers
Woll starts
Hildeby
Power-play units at Leafs skate:
QB: Rielly
Flanks: Nylander, Cowan
Middle: Tavares
Net front: Jarnkrok
QB: Ekman-Larsson
Flanks: Domi, Maccelli
Middle: Robertson
Net front: McMann