The Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t have a perfect roster heading into the playoffs, but with the addition of Scott Laughton up front and Brandon Carlo on the back end, they plugged almost every hole they had to fill. The one area of concern was the bottom six, the combination with which the Leafs would be best served, and which player would get the duty of playing on the second line with William Nylander and John Tavares. So, it probably turned some heads when head coach Craig Berube gave Pontus Holmberg those honours.
Holmberg just finished his second full season, with seven goals and 19 points in 68 games. He’s one of the weaker offensive players on the team, and there’s no arguing that. So why would Berube stick him with two of the most talented offensive players on the team? Simply put, he’s seen a different player in the last month or two than the one from the first half of the season, and the fans are starting to pick up on it, too.
“He draws a lot of penalties,” Berube said when asked about what’s impressed him about Holmberg early on. “He’s very good at that, one of the best. I talk about Pontus, and to me, his game has gone to another level in the last 20 [games] or so, where he’s way more aggressive. Like I said, he has the ability to hang onto pucks and keep pucks and win battles, but for me, the skating part of it has gone to another level.”
Holmberg collected two hits in Game 2 on Tuesday night, and although he’s yet to show up on the scoresheet in the goals or assists columns, he’s channelled the perfect combination of keeping things simple while playing with confidence and going after plays.
“He’s not waiting to be safe, he’s just going now,” Berube continued. “I thought he had a real good game tonight, he was strong on the corner, helping out, battling. He was at the net most of the night with that line, too, which is important.”
Max Domi was bumped off the Tavares/Nylander line about midway through Game 1, which is when Holmberg originally got his promotion. Domi’s struggles continued into Game 2, finding himself on the ice for the Senators’ tying goal in the third period, but all of it was moot when he stepped onto the ice in overtime and scored the goal to clinch the game. Berube said that Domi has worked hard through an up-and-down season for him, and that it was good to see him get rewarded for it.
“He works hard,” Berube told the media following the game. “He’s always trying to improve and get better and work with people, skill guys at practice and stuff like that.”
Domi is just finishing the first of a four-year contract with the team, and with a dip offensively during the regular season, the pressure was on him to show up when it matters, and he had his moment in Game 2.
“It’s a great feeling to get one of those, I have a couple,” Berube said, getting a couple of laughs from the scrum. “I’m very happy for him. He’s a hard worker, I thought he had a good game tonight, overall. I always say when Max skates and attacks, he’s on his game.”
While the Leafs kicked off the game bringing more of the same, pouncing on Ottawa early and taking a 2-0 lead into the second period, the Senators weren’t so quick to mail it in. They played better hockey between the two teams in the second and third periods, and Berube knows that the team will need to tighten up for Game 3 in Ottawa.
“I thought in the second we stopped skating and watched a little bit, and stopped making plays,” Berube explained. “It is frustrating, but as a coach, we’re asking our players to be composed, I have to be composed too. Talk to them about things, try to motivate them a little on the bench and get them skating again. It was a funny period because there were a lot of different matchups going on, and whistles, a couple of penalties, so certain guys don’t hit the ice, they get out of rhythm a little bit. But we definitely gotta play better in the second period.”
The Leafs are up 2-0 in a series for the first time since 2002 and will look to capitalize on their momentum when they travel to Ottawa for Game 3 on Thursday night.
