The Maple Leafs held a practice at Ford Performance Centre on Tuesday. <\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
The Leafs are eliminated and playing out the stretch of a lost season, but John Tavares<\/a> is continuing to produce. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not going to be in the playoffs, but you want to play your game and keep building and keep getting better and impact the game the way you\u2019re expected to,\u201d the 35-year-old centre said. <\/p>\n Since top-line centre Auston Matthews<\/a> sustained a season-ending injury on March 12, Tavares leads the Leafs in scoring with eight goals and 16 points in 12 games. <\/p>\n \u201cI appreciate the opportunity and never take it for granted and go out there and enjoy the ability to compete and play in the NHL and obviously play for this club,\u201d said Tavares, who piled up seven points during Toronto\u2019s three-game swing through California last week. <\/p>\n With 30 goals and 68 points in 77 games, Tavares ranks 44th in NHL scoring entering Tuesday\u2019s play. Among those ahead of him on the points board, only 38-year-old Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a> centre Sidney Crosby<\/a> is older.<\/p>\n The Leafs are set to miss the playoffs for the first time in the decade, but Tavares continues to do what he does best. <\/p>\n \u201cHe started off extremely well this year,\u201d noted coach Craig Berube<\/a>. \u201cObviously hit a wall. Everybody hits a wall at some point and at his age that\u2019s going to happen. He really knows how to deal with it. He keeps doing what he does and he knows he\u2019s going to get out of it at some point, which he has now. He\u2019s back to playing at the level he was at the beginning of the year, in my opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n With four goals in the last three games, Tavares has reached the 30-goal mark for the eighth time in his career. <\/p>\n \u201cTo be honest, I don\u2019t think he\u2019s really doing anything different than what I\u2019ve seen since I\u2019ve played with him,\u201d said goalie Joseph Woll<\/a>. \u201cHe\u2019s a pretty steady guy … and [that\u2019s] something I try and draw a lot from with just [being] very process-driven. Regardless of what the results are, he comes in and does the same things.\u201d<\/p>\n The season has not gone to plan in Toronto, but Tavares rarely shows any signs of frustration. <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s the type of guy that has a love for the game and loves the Leafs and so he works his way out of everything,\u201d Berube said. \u201cHe just continues to do his routine day in and day out. Nothing changes. No complaining about this or that. He just comes to work and works his way out of things.\u201d <\/p>\n ‘He works his way out of everything’: What does Tavares’ hot finish mean for Leafs next season? John Tavares has started to heat up down the stretch for the Leafs scoring five goals and having three assists in his last five games. He discusses why he values finishing the year strong despite the Leafs missing the playoffs. <\/p>\n —<\/p>\n Oliver Ekman-Larsson<\/a> returned to practice on Tuesday and is eager to get back in the Leafs lineup regardless of the team\u2019s situation in the standings. <\/p>\n \u201cYou always want to try and get better,\u201d the 34-year-old defenceman said. \u201cYou always try to build even in [this] situation … I don\u2019t think it\u2019s a lot of games that you\u2019re [feeling] 100 per cent from training camp. It\u2019s a privilege to play in the league and you want to get every chance you can to get out there. So, that\u2019s how I look at it.\u201d<\/p>\n Saturday marked the first time Ekman-Larsson missed a game due to injury this season. He got hurt during last Thursday\u2019s game in San Jose. <\/p>\n \u201cNothing too serious,\u201d he assured \u201cObviously wasn\u2019t good enough to play last game, but feeling better and able to skate today.\u201d<\/p>\n Ekman-Larsson was spotted shaking his hand with his glove off after leaving the ice on Thursday. The team called it a lower-body injury while Berube referred to it as an upper-body issue. <\/p>\n \u201cSomething between upper and lower body,\u201d Ekman-Larsson said with a grin. <\/p>\n Ekman-Larsson was paired with 24-year-old William Villeneuve<\/a>, who was called up on an emergency basis, at Tuesday\u2019s practice. <\/p>\n \u201cJust put him there because I wasn\u2019t sure if he was going to be available tomorrow,\u201d Berube explained. <\/p>\n The Leafs host the Washington Capitals<\/a> on Wednesday, which is the start of a busy final stretch of the season. Toronto will play its last five games over an eight-day stretch. <\/p>\n ‘Privilege to play’: Banged-up OEL eager to get back in even though Leafs eliminated Oliver Ekman-Larsson discusses what kept him out of the Leafs game against the Kings on Saturday, how he is feeling now, and what keeps him motivated despite the Leafs being eliminated from the playoffs. <\/p>\n —<\/p>\n The Leafs called up 22-year-old centre Luke Haymes<\/a> from the American Hockey League on an emergency basis even though they already had 13 forwards available for practice.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re just dealing with some, not injuries, but stuff where it could keep guys out so it\u2019s nice to have [those] guys up here to get acclimated to things,\u201d Berube said of Haymes and Villeneuve. \u201cIf we need them we\u2019ll get them [in].\u201d<\/p>\n Haymes skated as an extra forward at practice. <\/p>\n The coach did not commit to dressing either Villeneuve or Haymes, who have yet to play in the NHL, but acknowledged it could be helpful to their development.<\/p>\n \u201cI always think there\u2019s value in getting young guys a game or two up here,\u201d Berube said. \u201cI don\u2019t think it hurts. It gets them kind of a taste of the NHL. I don\u2019t see it hurting anything.\u201d <\/p>\n Leafs Ice Chips: Will Villeneuve and Haymes make their NHL debuts? The Toronto Maple Leafs called up William Villeneuve and Luke Haymes with five games left in the season, and Craig Berube had Villeneuve playing alongside Oliver Ekman-Larsson at the Leafs practice on Tuesday. TSN’s Mark Masters has more on Berube pairing the two defenceman and what Berube’s plan is for Villeneuve and Haymes. <\/p>\n —<\/p>\n Woll allowed a career high seven goals in Saturday\u2019s overtime loss in Los Angeles. He did not meet with the media after the game, but held court with reporters on Tuesday. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a tough one, because I didn\u2019t really feel like I played bad,\u201d he said. \u201cSome good flash-screen goals, some weird bounces … I probably shouldn\u2019t have passed it to their guy coming out of the box (smile), but just a kind of a flukey thing. It just sucks. It\u2019s not fun giving up seven goals, but I didn\u2019t feel like I played a terrible game or something. So, yeah, kind of flush and move on to the next.\u201d<\/p>\n With the Leafs playing on Wednesday and Thursday, Woll will likely be back in the net soon. Is there value in finishing the year strong? <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to give up seven going into the offseason,\u201d he said with a chuckle. \u201cI think there is value. Like, you want to have good momentum going into the offseason.\u201d<\/p>\n The 27-year-old then paused for a moment. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s always going to be some sort of motivation,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you have a bad end to the season then you\u2019re motivated to not have that and if you have a good finish then that\u2019s momentum to carry. I\u2019m just going to do what I try to always do and be very process driven and do my best to give our team a chance to win.\u201d<\/p>\n ‘I don’t want to give up seven going into the offseason’: Woll grateful Leafs have more games Joseph Woll discusses how difficult it is to play in a high-scoring game as a goaltender, how he processed allowing seven goals to the Kings on Saturday, and what’s the value of a strong finish from his perspective. <\/p>\n — <\/p>\n Wednesday may be the final time Alex Ovechkin<\/a> plays in Toronto. The 40-year-old Capitals captain, who is in the final year of his current contract, has not revealed his plans for next season. <\/p>\n \u201cHowever he wants to do it, he\u2019s earned that right,\u201d said Tavares. \u201cNot many guys probably can ride off into the sunset quite like he\u2019s going to. Pretty special for him to earn that.\u201d<\/p>\n Ovechkin became the NHL\u2019s all-time leading goal scorer last season. He\u2019s kept on scoring this season, piling up 31 more goals.<\/p>\n Ovechkin has now scored 928 career goals, including three against Woll. <\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately I don\u2019t have one of those cool Ovi beers because he has scored on me,\u201d Woll said with a grin. <\/p>\n After Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky<\/a>\u2019s record last year, Budweiser sent special cans to all the goalies who faced the Great 8 without allowing a goal. <\/p>\n \u201cI remember the first time I played him I was pretty excited,\u201d Woll said. \u201cLike, the first time he shot on me I was like, \u2018Woah, pretty cool.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI just remember playing him for the first couple of times and those first few times you\u2019re really excited and think it\u2019s pretty cool,\u201d Tavares said. \u201cObviously you\u2019re competing and playing, but the odd time you have to pinch yourself.\u201d <\/p>\n Tavares on Ovechkin keeping future plans quiet: ‘He’s earned that right’ Ahead of the Leafs game against the Capitals on Wednesday, John Tavares praises Alex Ovechkin for how he’s been able to develop his game throughout his career, and if he’s surprised that Ovechkin has kept his future plans quiet. <\/p>\n —<\/p>\n Dennis Hildeby<\/a> had the chance to play Ovechkin for the first time earlier this season. <\/p>\n \u201cSeeing his shot all my childhood, I got to face it in Washington there, which was very special,\u201d the 6-foot-7 Marlies goalie said. \u201cI think he hit the post like three times, but he didn\u2019t score. That was a special experience.\u201d<\/p>\n That start in Washington on Dec. 18 was part of an impressive 19-game run in the NHL at the start of the season for Hildeby.<\/p>\n \u201cHe had a lot of success when he was up,\u201d noted Marlies coach John Gruden<\/a>. \u201cHe definitely looked like he belonged so that\u2019s definitely a positive.\u201d<\/p>\n Hildeby posted a .912 save percentage in the NHL, but was sent back to the AHL after Anthony Stolarz<\/a> returned from a nerve-related injury. <\/p>\n Hildeby has a .900 save percentage in 19 games with the Marlies, which is down from .908 in 30 games last year. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a little bit up and down,\u201d the 24-year-old Swede admitted. \u201cObviously had a long stint up there with the Leafs and really enjoyed that. I think it\u2019s been a good development season. Just working on some stuff and feeling like I\u2019m going in the right direction.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cIt was probably a bit of a letdown to him,\u201d Gruden said of the demotion. \u201cIt takes a while.\u201d<\/p>\n Hildeby is focusing a lot on his pace of play. <\/p>\n \u201cTrying to get better at it all year long and still trying to,\u201d he said. \u201cStill some work to be done with just tracking the puck, rotations and everything. It\u2019s small things that put together makes a big difference.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOne thing I really like about Dennis\u2019 game is his preparation,\u201d Gruden said. \u201cHe\u2019s always ready.\u201d<\/p>\n Hildeby, a fourth-round pick by the Leafs in 2022, is being pushed for playing time by Artur Akhtyamov<\/a>, a fourth-round pick in the 2020 draft. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a competitive environment, which is great for both of us,\u201d Hildeby said. <\/p>\n Akhtyamov has a .903 save percentage in 36 games and the 24-year-old Russian was also selected to represent the Marlies at the AHL all-star game. <\/p>\n \u201cThey see each other as good competition,\u201d Gruden said. \u201cCompetition is always a good thing to have in your organization when it\u2019s healthy and those guys do it the right way. They try to make each other better. They support one another. It\u2019s a good problem for us to have.\u201d <\/p>\n ‘Competitive environment’ fueling Leafs goalie prospects Hildeby, Akhtyamov Dennis Hildeby describes his season as being “up and down.” The 6-foot-7 goalie started strong in the NHL, despite a rough outing against Connor McDavid’s Oilers, but has struggled to get in a groove with the Marlies. Hildeby is competing for playing time with AHL all-star Artur Akhtyamov. <\/p>\n —<\/p>\n When asked why he thinks the Leafs can return to contender status quickly, MLSE president and CEO Keith Pelley dropped a surprising name last week. <\/p>\n \u201cWe all know \u2014 everybody in this room \u2014 that we need to acquire more draft choices and prospects,\u201d Pelley told reporters one day after firing general manager Brad Treliving. \u201cBut, [there\u2019s reasons for optimism] if you look at the foundational pieces or generational players that we have, and you look at how active we\u2019ve been in potentially signing the most impactful players in the college [pool] with Vinny [Borgesi], who was the captain of the Spengler Cup and the captain of Northeastern and is showing unbelievable skill with the Marlies in such a short period of time.\u201d<\/p>\n The Leafs signed Borgesi, a 5-foot-8 right-shot defenceman, to a two-year contract beginning in the 2026-27 season. He\u2019s currently with the Marlies on an amateur tryout. <\/p>\n What did Borgesi think about Pelley promoting his arrival? <\/p>\n \u201cJust kind of an honour to be mentioned, right,\u201d the 22-year-old from Philadelphia said. \u201cI didn\u2019t really know it went down until I came in the rink the next morning and the guys were like, \u2018Oh, you got a shout out!\u2019 And then I kind of looked at it. Pretty cool and super grateful for that.\u201d<\/p>\n Borgesi is determined to reward the faith shown by the organization. He\u2019s long been doubted because of his diminutive size. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been my whole life,\u201d Borgesi said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of people out there that never really believed in me and super grateful for this organization to give me a shot.\u201d<\/p>\n Borgesi models his style on Minnesota Wild<\/a> captain Jared Spurgeon<\/a>, who has played more than 1,000 NHL games despite standing just 5-foot-9. <\/p>\n \u201cTwo-way player, defends really hard, takes a lot of pride in all the areas of the ice and brings some offensive ability too and just takes care of the puck everywhere he goes,\u201d Borgesi observed. <\/p>\n Despite Pelley\u2019s compliment, Borgesi is still facing an uphill journey on the road to the NHL. <\/p>\n What\u2019s the next step? <\/p>\n \u201cUnderstanding when to live to fight another day,\u201d said Gruden. \u201cYou want to make plays, everyone wants to make plays, but unfortunately your job is also to keep the puck out of the net. When he understands that, I think he\u2019s got a lot of upside. He\u2019s competitive for his size. You can see he has that confidence to him that he belongs. It\u2019s going to take some time, but you can see there\u2019s a lot of upside to his game.\u201d<\/p>\n Undersized Leafs prospect Borgesi ‘super grateful’ to get shout out from Pelley Northeastern product Vinny Borgesi was surprised to get a shout out from MLSE president and CEO Keith Pelley during a news conference last week. “An honour to be mentioned,” Borgesi said with a smile. The 5-foot-8 defenceman is eager to reward the Leafs faith despite concerns about his size. <\/p>\n —<\/p>\n The Leafs have also added Union College forward Brandon Buhr and St. Thomas right-shot defenceman Hayes Hundley during the NCAA signing season. It\u2019s clear what makes Toronto an attractive landing spot for college free agents. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re pretty spoiled here,\u201d Hundley said. \u201cWe get treated unbelievable. We get breakfast and lunch provided every day, which is something I\u2019ve never had.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, it\u2019s amazing,\u201d gushed Buhr. \u201cWe\u2019re treated like an NHL team full-on. Like, it\u2019s beautiful. Coming here, I was in shock, actually, how well we were treated. It\u2019s great. Just having protein shakes out for us after every skate. We have two sets of equipment, practice equipment and game equipment. Just surreal really.\u201d<\/p>\n And the surreal feeling extends on the ice. Toronto\u2019s player development staff is full of former NHLers. <\/p>\n \u201cBeing able to work with guys like Jake Muzzin<\/a>, Kyle Clifford<\/a> and [Marlies assistant coach] Mark Giordano<\/a>, like, just guys who know the game, it\u2019s been huge for development,\u201d Hundley said.<\/p>\n Hundley stayed out late for extra work with Muzzin after a practice this week. <\/p>\n \u201cJust working on going back for pucks, breaking pucks out,\u201d the 20-year-old from Ohio said. \u201cAnd shooting with my eyes up, so keeping my head up and always constantly surveying and gathering information. It seems like common sense, but when you get into the thick of the game maybe you\u2019re looking down at the puck too much. It\u2019s just little things, but they go a long way.\u201d<\/p>\n ‘I was in shock’: From Muzzin’s mentorship to fabulous food, NCAA signees feel ‘spoiled’ by Leafs The Leafs NCAA signees \u2013 Union College forward Brandon Buhr, Northeastern defenceman Vinny Borgesi and St. Thomas defenceman Hayes Hundley \u2013 are feeling “a little spoiled” and “in shock” with all the resources in Toronto. They are already benefitting from work with player development staff member Jake Muzzin. <\/p>\n —<\/p>\n Lines at Tuesday\u2019s practice: <\/p>\n Cowan – Tavares – Nylander<\/p>\n Maccelli – Domi – Knies <\/p>\n Joshua – Groulx – Robertson<\/p>\n Lorentz – Quillan – Jarnkrok<\/p>\n Haymes, Pezzetta<\/p>\n McCabe – Carlo<\/p>\n Rielly – Myers<\/p>\n Benoit – Stecher<\/p>\n Ekman-Larsson – Villeneuve<\/p>\n Stolarz, Woll<\/p>\n Power play units at Tuesday\u2019s practice: <\/p>\n QB: Ekman-Larsson<\/p>\n Flanks: Cowan, Nylander<\/p>\n Middle: Tavares<\/p>\n Net front: Knies<\/p>\n QB: Rielly<\/p>\n Flanks: Domi, Maccelli<\/p>\n Middle: Robertson<\/p>\n Net front: Joshua <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Maple Leafs held a practice at Ford Performance Centre on Tuesday. — The Leafs are eliminated and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":546757,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5106],"tags":[4759,5,34145,20,5172,4,45360,66,31,32467,5171],"class_list":{"0":"post-546756","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-toronto-maple-leafs","8":"tag-apple-news","9":"tag-hockey","10":"tag-john-tavares-sports-hockey-player-player-nhl-api-8475166","11":"tag-maple-leafs","12":"tag-mapleleafs","13":"tag-nhl","14":"tag-oliver-ekman-larsson-sports-hockey-player-player-nhl-api-8475171","15":"tag-toronto","16":"tag-toronto-maple-leafs","17":"tag-toronto-maple-leafs-sports-hockey-team-team-nhl-api-10","18":"tag-torontomapleleafs"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116367289472574851","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/546756","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=546756"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/546756\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/546757"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=546756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=546756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=546756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}