KANATA, Ont. — One bounce. That’s what it comes down to.
On a night when both sides of the Battle of Ontario were much more concerned with protecting their fort than attacking the other side, Shane Pinto drove to a good spot and got a little lucky.
A flying puck ricocheted off the net-driving Ottawa Senators forward and trickled in past the far side of Joseph Woll. Hard earned and hard to come by, Pinto’s 2-1 winner was enough to spoil the evening for the legions of Toronto Maple Leafs fans who had made the trek east on their winters to invade Canadian Tire Centre.
“It’s a tight, tight game. I think both teams were playing strong defensively and keeping it close,” Woll said. “At the end of the day, it’s an unlucky bounce, and that’s the difference.”
Despite losing two straight and generating all of two goals this week, no one on the Leafs side of the equation seems overly concerned with the result or the process.
The first-place Leafs are missing four forwards from their lineup, so their current bottom six of callups and grinders isn’t threatening for offence.
Their path to low-event victory these days is through sturdy defence and the bet that their game-breakers will connect enough at even strength or on the power play to get the job done.
That didn’t happen Saturday, but you won’t hear coach Craig Berube criticize an honest, patient effort from a depleted lineup against a desperate foe.
“I thought our team played hard. We were ready to go. Thought we did a lot of good things, except score,” Berube said. “There was a bunch of loose pucks around there. We just didn’t put them in.
“You play hockey like that, we’re going to win a lot of games. But in the end, we just didn’t score enough.”
Sens goalie Anton Forsberg was solid, and the skaters in front of him did well to stay disciplined (one penalty, which was killed) and push Toronto to the perimeter. So, credit Travis Green for getting his young group to adopt a stingier style and transform into a top-eight defensive team (by goals against).
Still, the Maple Leafs, who looked like a one-line threat Saturday, need to generate more Grade-A chances.
Part of that is personnel-based, which should change with improved health and a deadline addition.
But part of that, according to Jake McCabe, falls on the forwards, who must clog the net front for tips and rebounds, and the defencemen, who must create shooting lanes and sift pucks through.
“Shoot our way in. Land two at the net,” McCabe said. “I mean, it’s a pretty simple formula.”
And when the opponent shuts down the rush game that feeds the fans, it’s the only solution.
“I think they were maybe sitting back a little bit more than usual,” noted Bobby McMann, the Leafs’ lone scorer. “Kind of letting us come to them. Usually, they’re a little bit more on top of us. I think maybe we forced to a few too many plays trying to get behind them there, and they were kind of waiting for it.”
Now, the Maple Leafs must wait till Wednesday to get their offence kick-started again.
The trouble is, the Minnesota Wild will be rolling into town, and they’re a top-10 shutdown squad, too.
Fox’s Fast Five
• On the day of undrafted prospect Quillan’s NHL debut, teammate Chris Tanev (also undrafted) reflected on his first NHL game, 14 Januarys ago.
“I feel like I blacked out for the start of it, honestly,” Tanev didn’t recall. “Warm up, I feel like I don’t remember it all. But once you get going, it’s so much fun. Obviously, well-earned for him, and it’s an amazing accomplishment.”
And advice from a vet to rookie?
“Just go out there, play, and enjoy yourself. It only happens once, right?”
• The Maple Leafs have now lost four in a row to the Senators for the first time since January 2018. Their power play has gone 0-for-8, and they’ve been outscored 14-6 during this Battle of Ontario slump.
• McMann had jump subbing in for the injured Matthew Knies on the top line. He converted on a perfect Mitch Marner slot pass to give the Leafs an early lead and ripped a game-high seven shots.
“He should be doing the same thing that Kniesy did,” Berube said. “Get in there on the forecheck, create loose pucks, go to the net, all the work there. He’s done that throughout the season, so that could be a good fit.”
• Going head-to-head the past two post-seasons, Nick Cousins and Brad Marchand have had their share of run-ins, but the Panther-turned-Senator can’t recall anyone removing their glove and wrapping their hand around an opponent’s throat.
Which is what Marchand did to him in Boston Thursday:
“Definitely not a hockey play,” Cousins said Saturday morning. “It’s an unfortunate play. I mean, he’s got a track record for that kind of stuff. I don’t even know if the ref saw it, but I think the ref was staring right at me. I don’t know. I didn’t get an explanation at all.”
Cousins sounded bothered that Marchand went unpenalized on the play but managed to see the upside.
“No kissing or licking,” he said, “so it’s a positive.”
• Injury roundup!
Connor Dewar has yet to skate since suffering an undisclosed upper-body injury Monday and has been retroactively placed on IR, with Toronto recalling Nikita Grebenkin.
“It’s going to take a bit of time,” said Berube. The coach hesitated to place a timeline on Dewar’s return, describing the ailment as a “feel thing.”
Max Pacioretty and Knies (both upper body) are skating, and Pacioretty is likely to rejoin team practice next week.
Finally, Anthony Stolarz (knee) travelled to Ottawa for more practice and is looking nearer to game shape. Bet on him squeezing in a start before 4 Nations.
“Good omen. Nice to see him out there. Anytime you have a guy that’s been out for a bit and he’s joined back with the team,” Woll says, “it brings the morale up.”
