Sometimes a struggling team needs a different voice and once the Maple Leafs decided not to change head coaches, that infusion had to come within the room, not behind the bench.
The Maple Leafs’ 4-0 win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday marked the first time Auston Matthews (hurt), William Nylander (hurt) and Mitch Marner (traded) were all missing at the same time in nearly 10 years, and with John Tavares having a relatively quiet night it was the understudies’ hour.
All but four Leafs had at least one hit in a night that continued a slow, but methodical climb towards a wild card spot. Toronto remained dominant in the dots without Matthews, added another power play goal, went 3-for-3 on the penalty kill and when Devils captain Nico Hischier engaged in a fight with Matthew Knies to get his team going, it had the opposite effect of a Toronto goal.
The Leafs had cranked the volume on their new celebratory song Come On Eileen, adding Wonderwall for goalie Joseph Woll when the room opened. A lineup of unusual suspects including Nick Robertson and Bobby McMann did the talking.
Defenceman Troy Stecher, a waiver pick-up who has helped the turnaround, said the perilous playoff positioning is powering the desperation on display. That’s points in four straight games (3-0-1).
“It’s the same message, our division and conference are so tight,” Stecher said. “Points are magnified and any time you get a win, you’re going to try and enjoy it before you turn the page.”
It was Stecher who came out of the game-ending scrum of the 7-5 Battle of Ontario win over Ottawa, exhorting Scotiabank Arena to cheer louder. Being so demonstrative was never in the script for the Core Four, who simply filled the net, but as the standings are flipped this year and these Leafs need help, blue-collar efforts of the past few home games have gone over well.
“Hey, the guys in here love when the atmosphere is good. People don’t realize how much that plays a factor for our team. The louder they are, the better.
“This is my 10th year in the NHL and I always loved coming here and Montreal to play, the two centres of the hockey world.”
Nothing stirs a hockey audience like big saves and penalty kills and the Leafs provided both on Tuesday. The past five games have seen 9-for-9 perfection and 92 per cent to lead the league since Dec. 1.
“Newsy (assistant coach Derek Lalonde) is the head of it,” Stecher praised. “We go out every game understanding what the other team is trying to achieve on their looks. And when there is a breakdown, we’ve had phenomenal goaltending. Whatever four guys are out there are taking a lot of pride in getting the job done.”
Lhornby@postmedia.com
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