But Mikheyev goes down with an injury.
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John Tavares is ready to put reality in motion.
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The Maple Leafs captain played with a sense of purpose in the preseason and brought it to life Saturday night, scoring one goal and assisting in another as the Leafs beat the Ottawa Senators 4-1 at Scotiabank Arena.
However, for the Leafs, the final preseason outing was not without pain, as winger Ilya Mikheyev suffered a hand injury in the first period.
“We’ll know more on Monday, but it doesn’t look like it’s in the short term,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. “Its a big lost. He has had a great camp, he is a good player for us, he does many things for us ”.
All that stands between the Leafs and the 2021-22 regular season opener against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday is a couple of practices after a day off on Sunday.
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As for Tavares, his recovery from a concussion and knee injury suffered in Game 1 of the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs against Montreal was uneventful over the summer.
He certainly didn’t hit any of them during the preseason, either.
Tavares set up Pierre Engvall for a goal in the second period and then had a shot from TJ Brodie come out of him and past Senators goalkeeper Matt Murray.
In his three preseason games, Tavares looked strong, rested and determined.
“Things have been going really well, so I just want to keep building on that,” Tavares said. “Having that amount of time and feeling as good as I did, and being in a really good place, allowed me to be aggressive with things and continue to get in better shape. Back to a long 82-game routine, but I’m excited about it. “
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The saying goes that what happens in the preseason does not matter much. Well, we’d say that given the way the Tavares season ended last spring, what happened to him at the shows definitely mattered. And with the authority Tavares has shown, he’s ready for Wednesday.
GAME IN
With Mikheyev out, Michael Bunting had a chance to play on Tavares’ left, with William Nylander on the right. In the long run, Bunting’s hands are probably better suited for a top-six role than Mikheyev contributes … Speaking of hands, Nick Ritchie went on to show that his are soft, providing more evidence when he threw a Wayne pass. Simmonds to the network. for a 2-1 Leafs lead early in the second. Ritchie and Mitch Marner have good chemistry, and just a hunch, it won’t be long for Ritchie and Auston Matthews to find something too … Morgan Rielly scored the first goal of the game on a Toronto power play at 11:03. of the minute. the first when his shot overtook Murray. The man’s lead came thanks to an instigator call from Ottawa’s Scott Sabourin, who went after Leafs defender Justin Holl following a Holl punch (it was more of a mistake) on Sens youngster Tim Stuetzle. As Sabourin skidded to the checkout, I heard him from the Leafs bench … Nice to see Jack Campbell go old school, frustrating Logan Shaw on a getaway with a poke-check … Simmonds hit the ex Leaf Nikita Zaitsev on the side tables with great success in the second period. In the third, Simmonds decisively won a fight with Sabourin. “We love Simmer,” Tavares said. “Everything that it brings, be it that, the presence that it brings, you can’t teach that.” … With Matthews reaching the final stages of his recovery from offseason surgery on his left wrist, Keefe put David Kampf between Ritchie and Marner to start. “Playing against the best guys on other teams, that’s a role that Kampf can take on for us at different times,” Keefe said. “One thing about Kampf, offensively he hasn’t produced much in his career and he’s looking to take a step there, and we’re looking to help him with that process. He has a good skill set. “… Toronto finished the preseason with a 5-1-0 record … The Leafs put forward Kurtis Gabriel and defender Alex Biega on waivers. If they punctuate Sunday, the expectation is that they will join Toronto Marlies … “We’re ready to rock,” Rielly said of the looming start of the regular season. “(Camp) has been fun, it’s been good, but it’s time to put it behind us and start playing for real.”
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GO FORWARD, DERMOTT
Keefe on Saturday morning didn’t exactly have words of endorsement for defender Travis Dermott, who is entering his fifth season on the Leafs’ blue line.
What had Keefe seen of Dermott on the right side?
“I think a lot about what we’ve seen of him in the past,” Keefe said. “I don’t think he did anything other than do what we’ve seen of him. I’m still waiting, and I’ve had this conversation with Travis, (for him) to take the next step. “
What would the next step look like for Dermott?
“It’s about consistency,” Keefe said. “Consistency in decision making, consistency in the ability to physically play and be tough on opponents, consistency in being considered a penalty shootout killer. That’s the kind of thing you’re looking for as a young player to hold onto, a role and an identity of what they’re going to bring to the team. “
Reference-torontosun.com