"In a lot of areas, obviously. Any time he is on the ice, he is a dangerous player with his abilities. He provides puck play, puck possession, and offensive threats. He is a threat out there every time he is on the ice, whether he is making a play or shooting it in the net. There is the power play, too."
"We had the meeting yesterday, and we went over some of the puck play that cost us the game in Columbus. We had some turnovers and situations where, if we didn't do that, it would've been a different game. We let it get away from us due to that. The message from me: Play to our structure and our identity for 60 minutes. We get away from it, and then we're good, and then we get away from it. It is costing us right now. That is the message."
William Nylander is unavailable, leaving a gap in puck play, possession, offensive threat and power-play production, and his presence and leadership are missed. Chris Tanev returns and brings a structured defensive game, effectiveness against top lines, net-front defense and penalty-kill support. The team reviewed costly puck-play turnovers from the Columbus game and recognized those mistakes changed the result. The coaching message is to play to the team's structure and identity for a full 60 minutes, manage the game better, be patient offensively and avoid forcing plays when scoring chances are not there.
Read at Maple Leafs Hotstove
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