Steven Lorentz, Auston Matthews and John Tavares got on the board for the Toronto Maple Leafs during a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings to close out the preseason. Joseph Woll made 18 stops and the Maple Leafs now look ahead to Wednesday’s regular season opener against the Montreal Canadiens.
Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube did not comment on any imminent moves, but there may be a flurry of activity as the club finalizes its opening night roster.
Here are three takeaways from the preseason finale:
Ryan Reaves, Steven Lorentz generate flash plays during excellent night for fourth line
Ryan Reaves isn’t necessarily lauded for his puck skills but he was generating flash plays constantly for the Maple Leafs on Saturday night against a Red Wings team that rested most of their NHL regulars.
Reaves helped the Maple Leafs rally back into the contest during the first period, delivering a punishing hit against Red Wings defenceman Brogan Rafferty, then worked behind the net to find an open Lorentz for Toronto’s first goal of the evening.
“They were great tonight,” Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said of the line post-game. “I know they got a goal, but just controlled the play and made it tough on the other team. Ragging pucks in the offensive zone, checking well. That’s what we need. They’re a big line.”
Reaves bullied his into prime scoring locations and narrowly missed a golden chance where he was digging for a puck near the crease. It was an inspired performance from the 37-year-old, who was mired in a first-half slump last season.
We’ll know what the opening night roster looks like on Monday, but Lorentz may have secured a spot on the team’s fourth line, using his speed well throughout the game. Lorentz didn’t speculate on his roster status but told reporters he’s proud of his effort and performances throughout camp, while lauding the Maple Leafs’ overall depth.
“That’s out of my control. I did my part. I’m happy with the way I played. It’s a deep team and they have a lot of hard decisions to make,” Lorentz said post-game with a smile.
Lorentz impressed Saturday and it’s now a numbers game for the Maple Leafs. Nick Alberga reported that the Maple Leafs will sign Max Pacioretty to a one-year deal on Sunday, and it’ll be compelling to see whether a team poised for Cup contention begins the year with two players who entered camp on professional tryout agreements and cap management certainly will come into focus Monday.
Conor Timmins vs. Timothy Liljegren may come down to risk profile
Timothy Liljegren was the odd man out of Saturday’s lineup as Conor Timmins was paired alongside Simon Benoit. Liljegren drew some candid criticism from Berube on Friday and it’s likely that his $3 million cap hit is an element that is being considered when trying to optimize Thursday’s roster.
“Everything can happen, right? I’m just trying to take it day by day. I know we got to make some changes, so we’ll see where it goes,” Liljegren said Friday via Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun.
If the Maple Leafs can trade Liljegren to make their cap number manageable, then Brad Treliving could explore all options on the table. There’s an inherent risk: namely, that the 25-year-old Liljegren still has the raw tools to graduate into a top-four defenceman and it wasn’t long ago that he was considered to have some of the highest upside from the 2017 draft class.
From an on-ice perspective, it may come down to risk profile. Timmins plays a high-end offensive game but Sheldon Keefe never trusted him consistently in the lineup. Timmins has impressed Berube during camp, but Saturday’s game may provide the Maple Leafs’ management group with some consternation.
Timmins was muscled off the puck in his own defensive zone rather easily, especially during the first period. Bad luck tends to compound and Timmins was unfortunate when William Wallinder’s shot ricocheted off his leg onto Andrew Copp’s path, who one-timed the puck into the net for a 2-1 Red Wings lead. The 26-year-old also took a slashing penalty in the third period, the result of taking a poor angle to the puck.
He skated into, and out of his way from a jam at the offensive blue line in the third period, but his most glaring mistake came during the final minute of the contest. Detroit emptied its net for a 6-on-5 scenario and with no one closing down on him, Timmins roofed the puck over the glass with 20 seconds remaining. Toronto closed the door, but if Detroit managed to score, we’re possibly talking about an entirely different environment.
Timmins’ underlying numbers were terrific last year at 5-on-5, sporting a plus-eight goal differential, while the Maple Leafs controlled 60.7 percent of the expected goals when he was on the ice via Natural Stat Trick. He makes a ton of fun offensive plays and skates with real confidence exiting the zone, and with the puck on his stick overall. Liljegren underwent an underwhelming training camp and his cap hit may prove too much for the new regime to bear, but ultimately, Toronto’s No. 6 defenceman spot may come to risk profile and risk management.
Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner are more than ready for the regular season
This isn’t groundbreaking by any means but even star players need to get some game reps in and Auston Matthews looked like the best all-around player in the world Saturday night. Berube lauded Matthews for his defensive excellence, but his offensive game shone in the way that only Toronto’s captain commands.
Marner teed up Matthews for a perfect one-timer on the power play during the second period, a routine sequence we’ve seen throughout their shared tenures. It changed the tone of the game, where the Maple Leafs shook off a slow start to overpower a Red Wings team that rested most of their NHL regulars.
Matthews dug deep into his own playmaking bag, working in tandem with Marner again. Marner sealed the wall off, winning a puck battle against Christian Fischer, tapped the puck out to Matthews, who dangled through two defenders before wiring a partial no-look feed to a wide-open Tavares, for what stood as the eventual game-winner. Tavares had all day to wind up and place a seeing-eye missile into the net, and it was in large part due to the Matthews-Marner tandem.
Marner created 10 chances, and the Matthew Knies-Matthews-Marner line outshot their opponents 6-2 in nearly 11 minutes of action at 5-on-5. You can only play the opponent in front of you, but the Knies-Matthews-Marner combination torched opponents during the regular season in 2023-24 and they’re off to an encouraging start.
Let the regular season begin!
