Defence sparks Maple Leafs in romp over Senators

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Justin Holl was positively prepared for his close-up.

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However with two bloodied nostril plugs up his schnozz, he was in a position to get the rusty Maple Leafs on the board and himself on the massive display screen on an enormous evening for Toronto’s whole defence in its return to play Saturday.

Whereas Holl mentioned group timing could be off after practically three weeks, it didn’t imply himself or TJ Brodie, the latter with two assists on a pair of short-handed objectives 27 seconds aside and a purpose as well .

Whereas Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner and William Nylander finally obtained rolling towards the undermanned Ottawa Senators, it was the blue line crew that began 2022 on the suitable be aware with two objectives and 6 factors, sparking a 6-0 win. However Matthews, who owns the Sens with 39 factors in 24 video games towards them earlier than Saturday, noticed his 10-game factors streak finish, although Ilya Mikheyev added third-period insurance coverage, together with his second purpose.

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Jack Campbell had the 23-save shutout, his fourth this yr, however was happiest for the defence.

“They had been superb, holding them to that many photographs, getting sticks on rebounds and boxing out,” Campbell mentioned. “Then Hollsie, it’s nice to see him rating. And with nostril plugs (from being clipped by Rasmus Sandin’s skate) that was superior. The boys obtained a giant kick out of seeing that one.”

The Leafs’ first recreation since Dec. 14 was performed with a close to full lineup after the NHL’s newest COVID-19 disaster, however in a close to empty Scotiabank Area, reverting to early 2021’s strict native well being restrictions. Whereas COVID had pushed many Canadian dates again for all northern groups due to lowered crowds and income, it was agreed by all events to not let this Saturday evening window for rights holder Sportsnet to go and to get the 2 antsy groups again to work.

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Holl’s first of the season triggered the quickest two shorties in a recreation since 1986 in a group record-tying 27 seconds. It started after the over-zealous Toronto energy play had let two early possibilities slip off their sticks and Morgan Rielly had gone off for crosschecking.

Brodie began the Holl purpose, an excellent sliding defensive play to ship David Kampf away with Brodie’s defence associate. The Leafs had simply celebrated that when Brodie helped arrange a Mikheyev breakaway.

“Soup got here up with some huge saves, however the forwards did a superb job coming again,” Brodie mentioned. “That pressured them to do away with the puck and allowed us to get it shifting the opposite method.”

It had been nearly 9 years since Toronto had two short-handed the identical evening, whereas Holl and Mikheyev equalled the 27 ticks between Borje Salming and Greg Terrion’s objectives in November of ’86 at Chicago Stadium.

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Brodie, whose two short-handed assists had been additionally the primary by a Leafs’ defenceman since Larry Hillman in a 1966 recreation, made it 3-0 within the second interval on a wraparound through which Rielly assisted.

As for the massive weapons, they got here up empty throughout their first 5 energy performs earlier than Mikheyev’s second of the evening, preceded by Nylander’s 14th. The sport additionally marked the return of Marner from a shoulder harm practically a month earlier than, ahead Jason Spezza, suspended 4 video games after which downed with COVID and Sandin, who had a leg harm after which examined constructive.

“It was a humorous recreation for thus many causes,” head coach Sheldon Keefe mentioned. “First recreation in lots of weeks, no followers after which proper out of gate, two powers performs. From my perspective that was a worst-case situation.”

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The Leafs had returned to follow on Boxing Day, after which various their double-digit protocol instances slowly returned. Solely defenceman Timothy Liljegren stays sidelined, however not too long ago cleared Jake Muzzin was stored out late Saturday morning. Taxi Squader Alex Biega made his Leafs debut.

Nylander, additionally simply launched from protocol when the isolation time was reduce to 5 days, was in a position to play and get two objectives, whereas Nick Ritchie was a wholesome scratch.

It wasn’t a world-beater lineup they confronted, as Ottawa got here off its 13-day break, through which it canceled six video games, with a slew of accidents and COVID instances. They had been lacking No. 1 centre Josh Norris, Colin White, Josh Brown, Shane Pinto, ex-Leaf Tyler Ennis, Nick Paul and Dillon Heatherington.

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Toronto hadn’t been again at Scotiabank since beating Chicago on Dec. 11. with eight of its video games scrubbed amongst 80 throughout the NHL. Throughout their hiatus, the Leafs fell behind Tampa Bay and Florida within the Atlantic Division.

“In a whole lot of methods, it’s a reset for everyone, whether or not you had been going good earlier than the break or not,” mentioned Holl. “We’ll must exit and show ourselves another time.”

Whereas canned crowd noise and the same old recreation evening outing music continued, there was blue tarp throughout the empty seats behind the group benches.

Staff captain Tavares, additionally suffering from COVID for a spell, performed in his 900th NHL recreation.

“Regardless of the circumstances, we’re simply glad to get again to competing,” he mentioned “That is what you’re employed laborious for.

“Clearly it sucks (not having followers), we need to be taking part in in entrance of our followers and have a full constructing in our personal home. However circumstances have modified and we simply hope issues (with COVID) enhance shortly.”