Photo credit: Gerry Angus-Imagn Images
The Toronto Maple Leafs are treating this division rival matchup with Detroit as a game that’s must-win, and their comments ahead of the game show exactly why.
The team is going to have Joseph Woll in net, Troy Stecher is back after missing practice, and although his status is still iffy, the team should have Matthew Knies ready to do some damage too.
Toronto focused on the mental game ahead of Detroit matchup
But it’s less the physical aspect of the game the team is focusing on, but the mental game as they are treating this as a must-win game with a playoff-like atmosphere.
Comments from Craig Berube, Troy Stecher, and Jake McCabe all show that the team understands how important this game is and what they need to do in order to come out on top:
Huge game. You gotta take a playoff-type approach to it. – Craig Berube
We got to get back to our game. Kind of a one-off last game, & understanding the magnitude of tonight. Division rival & these points are crucial. – Troy Stecher
McCabe and Berube then explained that the team seemed to need a refresher with how they’re supposed to play and the group feels a lot more confident heading into the game:
It’s just nice to run through some systems & refresh on some things. – Jake McCabe
You don’t practice, you lose structure. I thought that we lost structure on our PK [on Monday]. We lost structure on our 5-on-5 defensive game. – Craig Berube
McCabe has been struggling defensively lately, with a minus-seven rating over his last five games and not showing that elite shutdown defense we have come to expect.
The Maple Leafs are still fairly banged up and without William Nylander, and though Knies should be playing, he realistically should be resting because he’s been dealing with something since before Christmas.
Toronto will look to Joseph Woll and hope he can come back from back-to-back outings where he’s given up five goals or more and are going to need him to stand on his head especially if the defense continues to slip.
But it’s great to see that the team is taking this game as seriously as they are, because this is not only one of the more important matchups on this homestand but cut Detroit’s lead over Toronto to just six points.
If the team comes out flying and have some relentless energy and passion behind them then we’ll know they took things seriously though another sluggish start may cause more headaches for both the team and the fans.
Previously on Hockey Patrol
POLL
52 MINUTES AGOÂ Â Â |Â Â Â 25 ANSWERS
The Leafs are sending a message before puck drop, and their approach vs. the Red Wings is changing
Who do you think comes out on top tonight between Toronto vs. Detroit?