How the Maple Leafs are preparing for Tkachuk's 'funny business' in Round 2

TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs have turned the page.

After taking a moment to revel in a long-awaited series-clinching win, after soaking in the adoration from a grateful Leafs Nation — which, for Mitch Marner, meant fielding more than a few videos from buddies out on the town post-victory “getting after it pretty hard” — the blue and white were back at the Ford Performance Centre in Etobicoke on Monday commencing preparations for their next test.

It won’t be an easy one, not with Toronto set to meet a Florida Panthers side that just dismantled the best team in the league in Round 1, and did so by way of sheer indomitable determination. Twenty-four hours out from Game 1 of the club’s first second-round series in 19 years, the Maple Leafs looked hungry for a chance to keep this thing rolling.

And they’re well-aware doing that starts with containing Matthew Tkachuk.

“There’s a lot to handle there,” head coach Sheldon Keefe said of the Panthers winger after Monday’s on-ice session. “He’s so dynamic — he can hurt you on the rush, he can make a play, he can score a goal, he’s going to drive the net, he’s going to be around the crease. He’s as good as any player in the NHL behind the goal line and along the back wall. So there’s a lot to handle there.”

The former Calgary Flame was pivotal for Florida as they clawed their way back from a 3-1 series deficit and toppled the Presidents’ Trophy winners in Round 1. Fresh off his second straight 100-point regular season, Tkachuk collected five goals and 11 points against Boston, putting him in the company of the Maple Leafs’ best — his point total leaves him level with Marner, the two of them tied for second in the league’s playoff scoring race; his goal sum sits tied with Matthews’, the pair tied for fourth league-wide.

That Tkachuk was the engine that drove the Cats through the first round, and right through the Bruins, is no surprise to Matthews, though. Back when the two Arizona natives were teenaged teammates with the U.S. national program, in 2014-15, Matthews got a front-row seat to Tkachuk’s unique skill-set.

“He was silky, really good hands. Just a competitor,” Matthews said of his memories of Tkachuk from those days. “His game hasn’t really changed much — he plays with an edge, he’s in front of the net all the time, he’s physical. He does a lot of little things that maybe aren’t as fancy, or maybe don’t get as much recognition, but he’s an extremely smart player.”

The Bruins felt the full force of that on-ice intelligence as their season collapsed, Tkachuk repeatedly coming up with crucial moments over the course of the Panthers’ three-game run to their eventual series win — including on the series-clinching overtime goal in Game 7, which saw the pesky winger take on three Bruins behind the net and come out with the puck, which he dished to a teammate before drifting to the netfront and screening netminder Jeremy Swayman on Carter Verhaeghe’s game-winning shot.

“He’s a competitor. I mean, you saw it all series there — he’s the heart and soul of that team,” Matthews said of No. 19. “He’s just a gamer. And you know he’s going to be out there competing and doing what he does best. So he’s definitely a guy that you have to be aware of when he’s on the ice. He’s a big difference-maker for them.”

Marner’s fairly familiar with the Panthers standout too, of course, he and Tkachuk wreaking havoc on the OHL during their days as linemates for the London Knights, the pair putting up a combined 223 points in their final season together, en route to a Memorial Cup title.

He knows Tkachuk’s game as well as anyone. And he knows well the other side of what the all-world agitator brings to the table for his teams, too.

“Obviously what he did in Round 1 has been talked about a lot. He did a great job,” Marner said of his former linemate. “We know what kind of player he’s going to try to be. And that’s around the net, trying to get in faces and stuff like that. So for us, it’s just making sure we’re trying to do our best to keep him off our goalie. 

“And trying to stay out of the funny business after whistles.”

“There’s obviously the emotion and energy he brings to the game,” his coach added. “For us, it’ll be trying to neutralize him as much as we can, in terms of his ability to play with the puck. But also not get distracted, as he would like us to be, with any of the other stuff outside of the gameplay.”

You don’t need to look back too far to get an idea of the problems Tkachuk’s needling style can cause for Toronto. Just rewind to Game 1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, to the battles the Bolts baited Michael Bunting into. The end result that night: Bunting tossed, eventually suspended, and the Bolts gifted a five-minute power play in that series opener, which they used to put the game out of reach.

Avoiding a similar catastrophe against a team that will surely look to sway the game in that direction will be key. That said, if the final game of Toronto’s first-round series is any indication, Bunting showed he’s capable of being effective without engaging in any of that ‘funny business.’

“I thought he had tremendous jump. I thought he was really focused,” Keefe said of the winger’s return to the lineup last game, after serving a three-game suspension and an extra game watching from the press box. “He just went out and played, competed hard. I don’t think he was distracted by anything, or concerned about anything other than doing what he had to do — to play well for us. So, I really liked how he approached the game, and how he performed in the game itself.”

He’ll need more of that from No. 58 on Tuesday night in order for his Leafs to start Round 2 better than they did Round 1. Still, don’t mistake the Cats for a goon squad simply looking to bait the Maple Leafs into extracurriculars. They can hurt you every which way. And for Tkachuk, along with linemate Sam Bennett, containing them will be just as much a pure X’s-and-O’s task as it will be an emotional one.

“Obviously those guys are effective players, in particular down low, beneath the goal line, beneath the circles,” defender Luke Schenn said of the Panthers duo. “They create a lot of havoc around the crease, and create a lot of offence just through forechecking and buzzing around the net. … Obviously they’ve got some guys who can make some plays off the rush too, with a lot of skill. 

“Give them credit, they had a heck of a series. They played great. They’ve kind of been playing playoff hockey for the last month or two — they’ve obviously adapted their game to play a certain style, probably a little more high-flying off the rush in the past than they’ve been playing the last couple months. 

“They’ve definitely earned the position that they’re in. It’s going to be a tough task for us.”

LINEUP NOTES

The Maple Leafs returned to a 12-6 formation Monday after going 11-7 for their series-clinching win, with Zach Aston-Reese taking up his former spot on David Kampf’s wing. Alex Kerfoot skated with the fourth-liners, while rookie Matthew Knies remained up top with Auston Matthews.

Also of note, Matt Murray joined the group for practice Monday, continuing his recovery from a concussion. Per Keefe, Murray will join the team as Toronto’s third goalie for Round 2, replacing Erik Kallgren, who filled that role in Round 1. Joseph Woll will stick as Ilya Samsonov’s backup for the time being.

Lines at Monday’s practice:

Matthew Knies — Auston Matthews — William Nylander
Calle Jarnkrok — John Tavares — Mitch Marner
Michael Bunting — Ryan O’Reilly — Noel Acciari
Zach Aston-Reese — David Kampf — Alex Kerfoot
Extras: Wayne Simmonds, Conor Timmins, Sam Lafferty

Morgan Rielly — Luke Schenn
Jake McCabe — T.J. Brodie
Mark Giordano — Timothy Liljegren
Erik Gustafsson — Justin Holl

Ilya Samsonov, Joseph Woll, Matt Murray