Max Domi politely deflected a question about his highlight reel goal, following the Leafs’ win on Tuesday, but got rather emotional when asked about Tanev’s return.
Ahead of Tuesday’s game, however, things began to turn around as the Leafs announced that Chris Tanev would return to the lineup for the first time since November 1st.
Tanev’s Return Has Immediate Impact
Playing his first game in nine weeks, Tanev had a bit of a rough first period, including giving what he called a ‘Christmas present’ up the middle. Thankfully, Joseph Woll bailed him out and let him get his legs back under him.
The veteran defender settled in for the second and third periods, turning back into the reliable, defensive defenseman the Leafs missed dearly the past two months.
Despite the severity of his injury, the undrafted defenseman didn’t shy away from contact or taking hits to make plays and gave the Leafs another defenseman that can move the puck efficiently out of their zone.
Domi Reveals Biggest Gain From Tanev’s Return
Although he scored a highlight reel goal that ultimately became the game-winning goal, Domi was quick to deflect questions about it and focused on the team.
Asked about Tanev’s return to the lineup, the former first-round pick revealed where Tanev’s return has the biggest impact.
“You look up ‘teammate’ in the dictionary, he’d be right there. He’s the ultimate pro, does the hardest things, eats pucks for breakfast lunch and dinner. That’s on the ice. Off it, his leadership and experience just calms our whole group down.”
The calmness Domi is describing is something the Leafs had not had much of when the Toronto native was out of the lineup. instead, they showed an inability to hold leads or defend tight games, cracking under pressure.
Hopefully, the return of the rugged blueliner and the calmness he brings will continue to be felt when the Leafs return from the Christmas break against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.
Previously on Toronto Hockey Daily