Leafs better prepared for the Bruins

March 19, 2012 is a day that Randy Carlyle won’t forget.

“Terrible,” said the Maple Leafs coach describing how he felt following an 8-0 loss in Boston to the Bruins that night. “It was not a good feeling back there.”

That night the Bruins finished up going 6-0 against the Leafs for the season, outscoring Toronto 36-10.

Carlyle had been hired as Leafs coach a few weeks earlier, and his team was still in the playoff chase. That game pretty much ended all playoff hopes, while at the same time leading to the turnaround seen this season.

“That was part of us recognizing as a coaching staff and management that things had to change for our group,” said Carlyle on Monday, as the Leafs get ready to face the Bruins in this year’s playoffs. “We couldn’t afford to be embarrassed to that level and it was an eye opener for us.”

This is a different Leafs team. Among those who played in that game and aren’t on the roster now include Tim Connolly, Mathew Lombardi, Luke Schenn, Mike Komisarek, Colby Armstrong, David Steckel and Joey Crabb.

In are the likes of Nazem Kadri, Leo Komarov, Jay McClement, James van Riemsdyk, Mark Fraser, Cody Franson,  Colton Orr and Frazer McLaren.

This year’s Leafs have an attitude, won’t get pushed around and are not intimidated by the Bruins.

“The biggest change for us is we feel we can go into any building and have a chance for success,” said Carlyle. “I don’t know if you could say that before.”

The Leafs lost 3 of 4 to Boston this year (one loss in a shootout) but the games were much more competitive and Toronto was outscored only by a 9-7 margin.

“Last year is a total wash. We don’t even remember anything that has to do with last year,” said Kadri. “It’s a whole different season. I think Boston understands that too.”

“We’ve played them this year as hard as we have in the last four (years),” said GM Dave Nonis. “We were competitive in all the games.”

Toronto lost February 2 at home 1-0 as Chris Bourque scored the game’s only goal.

On March 7, Tyler Seguin scored a pair for the Bruins – including an empty net goal – 

in a 4-2 Bruins win.

Toronto snapped an eight-game losing streak March 23 with a 3-2 win over Boston on home ice.

Two nights later, the Bruins won on home-ice thanks to a 3-2 win in a shootout.

“We understand how we have to play in order to beat these guys,” said Kadri.  “We have a good fore-check and back-check system and it’s just a matter of doing it.”

“We are playing against an exceptional hockey team that’s very well coached and very deep,” said Nonis. “It’s a good challenge and measuring stick for our group.”

Thanks in part to an 8-0 whitewash to the Bruins last year, the Leafs feel they are better prepared for them in these playoffs.

Maple Leafs ready for new playoff memories

James van Riemsdyk knows the playoffs are a different animal.

“You can feel it, the desperation every shift,” said the Maple Leafs forward, who has scored 11 goals in 39 playoff games in his NHL career.

Now he will have a chance to add to those totals as the Toronto Maple Leafs are heading into the playoffs for the first time since 2004.

“We’re far from done. We want a long run in the playoffs,” said Ryan O’Byrne.

Carl Gunnarsson knows fans in Toronto are starving for post season hockey.

“Hopefully it’s going to be crazy and I think it will. I’m looking forward to that,” said Gunnarsson, who is in his 4^th season with the Leafs.

The Maple Leafs clinched a playoff spot on Saturday, and with back to back games in Florida later in the week, the Leafs arrived in Tampa early Sunday morning.

They golfed and lounged around the pool for a couple of days of rest and relaxation, before getting back to the ice on Tuesday.

“It’s great timing,” said O’Byrne. He called the time in Florida “invaluable” as they approach the final three games on the regular season.

Usually when the Leafs golf in late April, it means they missed the playoffs. This time it was a reward for making the postseason.

The games against the Lightning on Wednesday and Panthers on Thursday are both extremely winnable. The game Saturday at home against Montreal could potentially be for home-ice advantage in the first round, possibly against Montreal.

“You can feel the buzz around the city,” said O’Byrne.

You can only imagine what it would be like if it is Montreal the Leafs face in the first round. That hasn’t happened since 1978-79.

The Leafs earned a spot in the playoffs thanks to solid goaltending, a much improved penalty kill, more depth at forwards and a belief in how they were playing.

“This year we all pulled in the same direction,” said Gunnarsson. “We thought we were going to be a playoff team.”

As they head into the final week of the season, the Maple Leafs lead the league in fights (44), hits (1,518), and blocked shots (233).

While James Reimer has a save percentage in the top 5 (.926) and a penalty killing unit that is operating at 87%, also top 5 in the NHL.

The last time Toronto hosted an NHL playoff game the Iphone was still a few years away. There was no twitter, facebook or instagram. That was May 4, 2004. Gas was on average 87 cents a litre.

The Leafs will look to create some new playoff memories starting in a week.

“I can’t wait to see the ACC (Air Canada Centre) for our first playoff game. It’s going to be nuts,” said O’Byrne.

Mikhail Grabovski isn’t complaining.

“See my smile,” said the Maple Leafs centre after a shootout loss to the New York Rangers. “I’m not frustrated at all.”

He isn’t bothered by playing on the 4^th line with noted tough guys Colton Orr and Frazer McLaren.

“It doesn’t matter who I play with,” said Grabovski, who played just 11:00 while firmly entrenched in coach Randy Carlyle’s doghouse. The game before (also against the Rangers) he played a season low 10:39, while being benched for much of the 3^rd period.

“I just want to play. On the ice I’m happy.”

Yet here was Grabovski, asked to take part in the shootout. His attempt fell short.

When he was asked if he was surprised to be shooting, he replied, “Not really. Are you surprised?”

Actually Mikhail, yes, yes I was.

Is this a relationship that is beyond repair?  Grabvoski said he doesn’t speak much to Carlyle but rather “the 2^nd coach” (Assistant Greg Cronin).

For his part, Carlyle said he was pleased with Grabovski’s game in New York and gave him more shifts in the 3^rd period, after being used sparingly in the 1^st two periods of the game.

“I thought he played fairly well,” surmised Carlyle. “I thought he was on the puck, showed more desire and more effort out there, and he was very noticeable out there.”

This has been a trying time for Grabovski, who last year signed a 5-year, $27.5 M deal. The fire, passion and tenacity we have seen in his game in past years under Ron Wilson has been missing.

He was a fixture last year on the Leafs second line, averaging 17:36 of ice-time a game last season. He was often matched up against the team’s top lines.

This year he is averaging 16:00 of ice-time a game and has become more of a 3^rd line player.

The Leafs need Grabovski to return to form soon, as the team looks to be a tough out in the playoffs, should they get in.

Carlyle has shown to be consistent in his demand for his players to be at their best at all times. John Michael-Liles was a healthy scratch for 12 games. Jake Gardiner has been used sparingly and Matt Frattin has lost his place in the lineup.

It doesn’t matter what experience you have or how much money you make (Grabovski is the highest paid forward on the Leafs) if you don’t perform you don’t play.

No one knows that better right now than Mikhail Grabovski.                                                                

Jay McClement helping the Leafs PK

He wasn't a big name free agent pick up, but Jay McClement will go down as one of the best moves Brian Burke made as GM.

McClement agreed to a 2-year, $3M deal with the Leafs this off season and his effort to solidify the club's 3rd and/or 4th line has been huge.

But McClement's biggest strength has been on the penalty kill, a unit that under Ron Wilson was among the NHL's worse.

But this season thanks in part to better goaltending and largely to McClement has suddenly become one of the league's best.

The Toronto penalty kill was perfect in all five chances on Saturday evening in New Jersey– allowing exactly one shot against. They killed off a 64 second 5-3 disadvantage, without allowing a shot. The Leafs penalty kill is now at 86.7 percent for the season (4th in the NHL) and 92 percent over the past 27 games (killing 81 of 88 opportunities over that stretch.)

McClement deserves a lot of credit for that as a guy who takes key faceoffs and against the Devils was on the ice 4:19 while his team was shorthanded.

“When we started it was a little rough just because none of us had played together,” McClement said. “That's probably the biggest part is everyone knowing what the other guy's going to do in reads and obviously our goaltending (Reimer) again tonight, made some huge saves.”

Last year in Colorado, McClement averaged the 3rd most short-handed ice-time in the NHL and won more than 50% of his face-offs. This year he leads the Maple Leafs in shorthanded ice-time per game (3:32).

He does what the coaches call the "little things" which turn out to be huge for a team that last year was 29th in penalty killing.

"I've done it a lot over my career so experience and learning the hard way," McClement said earlier this year. "Getting beat different ways, all kinds of different ways making mistakes; trying to learn from those. I've definitely done that over my career."

"The skill that he has is he outworks people," Carlyle said a few weeks ago. "People always talk about skill and it is a skill to be able to go out and show that dogged work ethic that he demonstrates day in, day out. That's what really separates him in a lot of situations."

McClement knows plenty of tricks to the trade. For example, “not always extending your stick the entire way, having a little bit more to give you so you can bait them a little bit and then he tries to pass it maybe slide it out a little the last couple of inches and try to get a piece of it.”

That knowledge and work ethic have been huge for the Maple Leafs. Remember the last six seasons, Toronto’s PK has not finished better than 27^th.

It's why the Leafs penalty kill is among the NHL's best and why Toronto looks to be on its way to making the playoffs for the first time since 2004.