BOSTON – The call back to the NHL came sooner than Peter Holland expected and it arrived just one hour before the Toronto Maple Leafs boarded a flight to Boston to face the Bruins. Talk about a last-minute change in strategy.
Holland’s return to the Leafs after just two games in the American Hockey League signaled the start of a new approach, according to coach Randy Carlyle, who wants to coax a little more offence out of the team.
The Leafs have spent most of the last month with a third line that included Jay McClement, David Clarkson and Nikolai Kulemin – three players who embraced a checking role, but generated next to no offence while they did it. Heading into Tuesday’s game against Boston, it sounded like Holland would be given a chance on a revamped third unit.
"There’s a lot of hockey to be played and we’re going to have to utilize everybody on our bench," Carlyle said after the morning skate at TD Garden. "That might mean that we abandon the checking line role for some games. We think at times we’re overtaxing Jay McClement – we’re playing him way too much – and it shows in the results that come back in our penalty killing and his ability to continue to provide energy."
Holland comes with a lot more offensive upside than McClement, who has been playing about 18 minutes per night on average since mid-December. However, at the end of his first stint with the Leafs, Holland was languishing on a little-used fourth line that didn’t exactly accentuate his talents.
He was demoted to the Toronto Marlies last week and ended up scoring three times in two games in St. John’s, N.L., over the weekend. The 23-year-old was preparing for a long road trip with the Marlies when he got called up by the Leafs on Monday afternoon. Carlyle pulled him aside after the morning skate.
"The message Randy gave to me after practice today was: `Just be a little bit more physical, get inside on guys and fight for a job,"’ said Holland, who has six goals and 10 points in 26 NHL games this season.
The exact look of the Leafs lineup was unclear on Tuesday morning because Clarkson was forced to miss the morning skate with a flu that has affected roughly half of the team in recent days. He was considered a game-time decision.
"He was up most of the night vomiting," Carlyle said of Clarkson. "I don’t know where he’s going to be at."
Jonathan Bernier appeared set to make his ninth start in 10 games for the Leafs against Boston’s Tuukka Rask. The Bruins are returning from an up-and-down road trip through California, but continue to lead the Atlantic Division.
They’ve also had Toronto’s number – beating the Leafs in 11 of their last 12 regular-season meetings, plus the first round of last year’s playoffs.
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PROJECTED LEAFS LINEUP
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ONE-TIMERS
The Leafs have allowed 45 more goals against – nearly one per game on average – more than Boston this season … Rask is fourth in the NHL with a .930 save percentage … Bruins captain Zdeno Chara will play his 1,100th NHL game … Leafs winger Phil Kessel is on pace for 36 goals, which would match a career high … Toronto’s last victory at TD Garden came March 31, 2013 in a shootout … Nazem Kadri has won at least half of his faceoffs in five of Toronto’s last seven games … Three of Boston winger Brad Marchand’s 10 goals have come short-handed … Boston has balanced offensive attack with six players in double digits for goals. Sophomore Reilly Smith leads the way with 15 … Leafs winger David Clarkson has gone seven games without a point … Bruins centre Patrice Bergeron, at 60.9 percent, is tops in faceoff winning percentage among those who have taken at least 500 draws this season … Boston defenceman Dougie Hamilton was ruled out of the game with a "mild concussion," according to coach Claude Julien … The Bruins lost 27 man games to injury over the first 29 games of the season and 72 over the last 16 … The Leafs return home after the game and host Buffalo on Wednesday.
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QUICK QUOTES
"We’ve talked about upping our game as well … Both teams are built with some physical players and a lot of it is from the back end. It is a physical game every time we play each other." – Bruins coach Claude Julien on the Leafs.
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"When you come into their building, you have to earn your space and earn your ice. That’s really what we’re up against." – Carlyle on the Bruins.
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"Iggy was a big part of my time in Calgary, he was a great teammate and a guy that I learned a lot from. He’s a complete pro and he’s been around for a long time and he keeps doing it year after year. I’m happy to see that he’s having a good year." – Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf on Bruins winger Jarome Iginla, his former teammate in Calgary.
