TORONTO — In a span of 44 seconds early in the middle frame, all the diligent work the Toronto Maple Leafs had poured into the first period got wiped off the board.
Two hard forechecks by the Nashville Predators, last season’s 30th-place finishers, resulted in two lost pucks that — bingo bango! — found their way into the back of the home team’s cage.
It was only three nights ago that head coach Craig Berube had witnessed the same scenario, a familiar sag in execution and disinterest in the details.
A 2-0 lead vanishing before the thirstiest fans could locate their seats after intermission.
Watching the Leafs get pushed off pucks for quick strikes by Michael McCarron and Erik Haula on back-to-back shifts, Berube burned his timeout 24 minutes into Tuesday’s game and let the Leafs have it.
What was the coach’s level of frustration?
“Like a 70… 75. Out of 100,” Berube smiled post-game, calmed by his group’s swift response and a 7-4 winning score (padded by two empty-netters).
“Our intensity level wasn’t where it needed to be. The guys responded.”
Berube was commending the Leafs’ ability to give their heads a shake and score three unanswered goals, produced by three different lines, and put away a weaker opponent.
Zoom out a notch, though, and Toronto needed this response after failing to earn a standings point during their Thanksgiving weekend home-and-home against the Detroit Red Wings, another non-playoff opponent.
This is how good teams correct.
They take care of business and beat the teams they should.
Not unlike many an October in these parts, the hockey club has yet to submit a 60-minute masterpiece.
Chemistry has been slow to form, the power play (now 0-for-8) has yet to pose real danger, and the quality of goaltending they should expect to receive in the two hole remains a question.
The 2-2 Maple Leafs have benefitted from light travel and an absence of heavyweights on their schedule.
Still, Tuesday marked progress. And points in the bank. No need for fans’ concern level to rise above a 70.
Rookie Easton Cowan’s motor was still churning on the second half of a back-to-back, and Auston Matthews scored on a goaltender — Nashville’s overwhelmed and under siege backup, Justus Annunen, on a patient give-and-go with Matthew Knies.
Toronto’s middle six connected for its most scoring chances and dotted the scoresheet, too.
Thirteen Leafs skaters finished in the plus column of the ledger.
“One thing that we talked about before the year, going into the season, is that we need everybody to chip in and play up to the standards that everybody can,” said defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, hot off a three-point showing. “Tonight was a good example of that. We look pretty deep when we play that way.
“So, it’s obviously a great feeling having that.”
The off-season departure of Toronto’s top scorer to Vegas will demand more offence by committee, and the blueliners play a role in filling that void.
This is the new formula for generating at even strength.
Berube has encouraged his defencemen to look for openings to pinch in.
Morgan Rielly is off to a point-per-game pace. Ekman-Larsson and Jake McCabe opened Toronto’s scoring on this night.
“Any opportunity we can get them up in the rush is a good play,” Berube said, “because you can catch people and get odd-man rushes.”
Added Ekman-Larsson: “I know I have it in the bag.”
Like a W that, for a mid-game moment, looked in doubt.
Collect it, move on, but don’t let up.
Fox’s Fast Five
• Waiver pickup Cayden Primeau didn’t need to be spectacular in his Maple Leafs debut.
Well-protected by the defence in Period 1, the new backup found his feet, battled second-period adversity and locked down the two points.
Solid enough. That’s all they ask for. And they’ll ask for it again next week with another back-to-back incoming.
The Leafs blocked 20 shots to the Predators 11.
“I was nervous, not being able to play a pre-season game and not being able to play a game with the group,” Primeau said. “It feels good to get the win, but it wasn’t pretty at times.”
How many family members did the nephew of ex-Leaf Wayne Primeau have in attendance?
“Not as many as I thought. It’s my sister’s birthday.”
• Berube publicly challenged William Nylander and John Tavares to produce more after consecutive losses to the Red Wings.
The second line took the coach’s message to heart, outscoring the Preds 2-1.
Tavares notched his first goal of his 17th season on a nifty passing sequence and added two assists. Nylander registered two primary helpers, sifted in his second empty-netter and leads all Leafs with seven points despite a sluggish start.
“That’s why I think Willy does tremendously well in this market,” Tavares said. “More than anyone, he will look himself in the mirror and knows maybe that he can do more, he can play better.
“He responds really well.”
“It's coming along. I mean, it's always slow at the beginning of the season. So, just getting that back.
• Steven Lorentz (upper body) has the greenlight to play Thursday versus the Rangers. Who sits after a win?
Calle Järnkrok (minus-2) and Dakota Joshua (minus-1) are candidates. They were Tuesday’s least-used wingers and finished as minuses in a dominant win. The top nine all showed flashes of chemistry.
• Bit of a bummer for fifth-overall draft pick Brady Martin, who was healthy scratched by Nashville throughout the Predators’ lone trip to his home province of Ontario.
“We have a plan for him,” coach Andrew Brunette said of the Kitchener, Ont., native. “We want to manage him to the best of our abilities. Again, he’s an 18-year-old kid. This is a hard league as it goes forward. But he’s a very competitive kid that’s risen to every challenge, and I’m really excited to have him part of our organization and to watch him grow.”
Silver lining: The boys did take Martin out to Sotto Sotto Monday night.
• Veteran Brandon Carlo got a kick out of big-league dining with rookie Easton Cowan, who notched his first NHL point Tuesday.
“We went to dinner the other night, and he was just having a great time enjoying the meal. It was pretty funny because there was a lot of things where he was like, ‘I’ve never had this before,’ ‘I’ve never had this before.’ And I remember being in that same position. It’s great to see the game through young eyes again. We can all feed off that energy,” Carlo smiles.
Turns out, the Cowboy didn’t scarf a lot of tuna tartare growing up on the farm in Mount Brydges, Ont.
“One of those meals that I didn’t grow up having in Colorado, by any means. We’re like, ‘Yeah, I guess you can get used to it a little bit.’ But I think he liked it.”
