DENVER, Colo. — The suddenly streaking Toronto Maple Leafs were granted a full day off Friday, but their captain hit the ice anyway.
Photos and texts began circulating around town: Auston Matthews is playing shinny at Greenwood!
“My buddy lives out by that park. We had the day off, and so we surprised his daughter and flew in for a little skate,” Matthews told Sportsnet.ca Monday at Ball Arena, ahead of his showdown against Nathan MacKinnon and the juggernaut Colorado Avalanche (Sportsnet, Sportsnet+, 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT).
“We went in the middle of the day, so it wasn’t too busy, and then it kinda picked up steam towards the end. But everybody there was super nice. And I played, like, 10 minutes of shinny with some of the guys that were there. And it was fun.”
Matthews mentioned that Chris Tanev, who lives in the east end, not far from Greenwood, sometimes hits the ODR too. He didn’t feel overwhelmed by fans during his impromptu drop-in and was happy to pose for a couple pics.
“I got a lot of text messages, like, just weird connections and stuff. Yeah, it’s fun. It’s a good rink too,” he said.
“Everybody’s pretty respectful there. I was there with my buddy and his little daughter, and she was just skating around stuff too, and then we went over and played a little bit. It was my first time outdoors this year, so it was fun.”
Bonus Matthews connection to the city: Former Raptor Kyle Lowry — whose jersey should one day hang from Scotiabank Arena’s rafters — returned to Toronto with the Philadelphia 76ers this week and donned a black No. 34 Maple Leafs sweater for the occasion.
“Auston literally was here the whole time as me, and I respect the hell out of Auston. We have a mutual relationship. I gotta pay tribute to my city,” Lowry explained of his pre-game getup.
“I’m a Maple Leafs guy. I didn’t know how big those damn jerseys were, but it looked good on my ’fit, though. I wanted to show support for the city and also to him for giving me the jersey.”
Yes, Matthews, who was honoured in a similar manner by Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerror Jr., caught the clip.
“Pretty cool,” Matthews smiles. “He’s obviously a Raptors legend, Toronto legend, and a guy I got a lot of respect for. I bumped into him a few times in my tenure here, and he’s been nothing but class. So, it was pretty cool to see him wear that jersey.”
When the relaxed dress code goes right…
Bobby McMann strolled into Scotiabank Arena Saturday night sporting a grocery-store work vest and a name tag reading “KEVIN” in a silent tribute to a fan, a friend.
“Yeah, I started to get to know him like three years ago, Kevin Wilson. He’s a cart guy at Loblaws that I go to all the time. Just a really good spirit, really good person. Affected a lot of people positively, I think, when they walked into that place,” McMann explained Monday.
“And then he was just a lifelong Leafs fan. Always wanted to talk hockey, would always record the games, watch them later. Always had positive things to say, so I just wanted to honour him because he passed recently.”
McMann, 29, posted a photo of himself wearing the vest on an Instagram story and captioned it: “Walking with my guy Kev.” With a blue heart.
Kevin passed away during a Leafs game last week at the age of 48.
“He was always wearing Leafs gear, every time I saw him,” HockeyIlluminati’s Frank Crupi said in an explanatory Instagram post. “We’d always stop and chat about the Buds for five, 10 minutes.
“This man, my boy Kevin, might have been legitimately the biggest, most diehard fan in Leafs Nation.
“His favourite Leaf was Bobby McMann, who would also pop into the Loblaws every now and then, and he got a photo with him one time.”
Nicely done, Bobby.
Carlo’s ‘very meaningful’ return
While fellow stay-home righty Chris Tanev contemplates groin surgery from the sidelines, Brandon Carlo’s return to the lineup has paid immediate dividends.
Toronto’s penalty kill has been a perfect 12-for-12 since the steady shot-blocker returned from his foot injury three games ago, and Carlo has averaged 19:02 during a trio of victories in which the Leafs have allowed a total of two goals.
“Very meaningful. It’s great to have him back. He’s looked really good,” coach Craig Berube said. “He’s being physical, for one. He kills plays, right? Block shots. It’s been great to have him back.”
Carlo has had a stabilizing effect on his risk-taking partner, Morgan Rielly, who is a plus-3 since reuniting with his six-foot-five, 220-pound partner.
“They work well off each other,” Berube said. “Mo can do his thing up the ice. Brando is going to be back there protecting.”
Carlo feels he’s still building his game back, and his usage has increased nightly since his return. He’s encouraged, too, by the uptick in energy around the dressing room, which is fueling Toronto’s nine-game point streak.
“Everybody’s playing well. So, it’s been a lot of fun to be back,” Carlo said.
“It gave me a different perspective sitting out, but as you get to come in and be a part of the group, be a part of the energy on the bench, those are special things. So, I’m really enjoying having fun playing game right now.”
Stolarz could return before Olympics
For the first time since Nov. 11, when he went down with his undisclosed injury, Anthony Stolarz is traveling with the team on a long road trip and practising with his teammates.
While Berube won’t place a date on the goaltender’s return, he allows there is “a chance” Stolarz plays a hockey game prior to the Olympic break.
“He’s getting pretty close. Just needs the reps, needs the conditioning,” Berube said.
The catch here is that Stolarz requires practice time the Maple Leafs don’t have right now.
A hectic game and travel schedule has Toronto playing 13 games in nine cities within 22 days before the break.
One-Timers: Defenceman Dakota Mermis (knee) was loaned to the AHL Marlies on a conditioning stint…. Philippe Myers, Matt Benning and Calle Järnkrok will be scratched again as Berube goes with the same lineup that shut out Vancouver Saturday…. That includes Joseph Woll in net, who starts opposite the Avalanche’s third-stringer, rookie Trent Miner (.925 save percentage in five career NHL appearances)…. Dennis Hildeby gets the nod Tuesday in Utah…. Colorado will wear its Quebec Nordiques throwbacks…. Colorado Springs native Carlo on the key to winning in mile-high altitude: “Just drink a lot of water and do your best to take short shifts.”
Maple Leafs projected lineup Monday in Colorado:
Knies – Matthews - Domi
Maccelli – Tavares – Nylander
Cowan – Roy – Robertson
McMann – Laughton – Lorentz
Rielly – Carlo
McCabe – Ekman-Larsson
Benoit – Stecher
Woll starts
Hildeby
