Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube doesn’t seem to be he’s pressured.
Not when it considerations the Leafs’ goaltending, as irregular because it has truly gone to instances contemplating that the 4 Nations Face-Off break completed.
“Little up and down, but they have had real good games too,” Berube knowledgeable media in Los Angeles after the Leafs practiced onFriday “Little bit like our recreation, a bit of bit inconsistent at instances, however they’ve performed rather well for us this 12 months.
“They have been really solid. They’re going to have off-nights like everybody has off-nights.”
With 10 video video games persevering with to be within the routine interval, at the moment has to do with the second that an individual of Anthony Stolarz or Joseph Woll must be taking the starter’s spherical and maintaining it.
But after Woll was unstable in a 6-5 shootout loss in San Jose versus the Sharks on Thursday to start the Leafs’ three-game journey with California, Berube actually didn’t immediately reveal Stolarz because the starter for Saturday’s online game in L.A. versus the Kings.
“Maybe,” was Berube’s response when he was requested whether or not Stolarz would definitely stay in goal.
There has truly been discuss exterior concerning which goalkeeper the Leafs would definitely prefer to have in web for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs, but truly, what it must boil all the way down to is that performs supreme in what stays of the routine interval.
Whether it’s Stolarz or Woll, every must have an uptick in his online game in his persevering with to be begins.
The forms of each goalkeepers have glided contemplating that the 4 Nations break completed.
Prior to the break, Stolarz performed in 18 video video games, going 10-5-2 with a. 929 preserve p.c and a 2.08 goals-against customary; contemplating that, he has truly performed in 10 video video games, going 5-3-1 with a. 895 preserve p.c and a couple of.96 goals-against customary.
For Woll, the pre-break doc was 19-11-0 in 30 video video games, with a. 909 preserve p.c and a 2.65 goals-against customary; contemplating that, he’s 5-2-1 in 8 video video games with a. 892 preserve p.c and a 3.42 goals-against customary.
The following prepared Stolarz will definitely be his twenty ninth, a career-high. Woll’s 38 video video games are a career-high, as his earlier excessive was 25.
“That’s part of the rotation we have used,” Berube acknowledged concerning caring for the work in web. “These guys haven’t had that a lot work of their profession ever. I believe we now have managed it effectively with the rotation.
“I think they are in a good spot. I don’t think they are overused or tired, not sensing that and I’m not sensing that from them.”
On prime of the rise in job, Stolarz wanted to handle a knee concern that maintained him out for nearly 2 months.
“I feel really good about it,” Stolarz acknowledged of his online game contemplating that the 4 Nations break. “My job is to come back in right here and win video games. Doesn’t matter in the event you give one, two, 4 or 5.
“If you get scored on, you have to forget about the goal, worry about the next shot because you can’t do anything about the last one. There is a lot of positives in my game that (goalie coach) Curtis (Sanford) and I have been working on, a couple of little things. Getting extra work with him last couple of days has been huge and I really like (his own) last two games against the Rangers and Flyers.”
Whoever enjoys from the bench on Saturday will definitely get hold of the start on Sunday in Anaheim versus the Ducks.
For Woll, the key is to disregard his unhealthy play in San Jose.
“I don’t think it was my best performance,” Woll acknowledged. “I do know that and the necessary factor is to have a brief reminiscence.
“I’ll do the work of constructing certain I’m studying from the experiences as finest I can and staying in my course of in addition to I can. From a staff standpoint, I believed it was fairly superior by the blokes to come back again and rating two late ones (within the remaining minute of the third interval).
“It was pretty cool to see them pick up the slack for me a little bit like that.”
LOOSENED FALLEN LEAVES
Berube, as is his methodology, had an uncomplicated answer concerning the Leafs’ enhanced protecting play this era. “More than anything, it’s just a commitment,” Berube acknowledged. “Defence is a commitment. I don’t care what system you play, teams win with different types of systems. It’s a commitment to doing it and doing the little things within that system that really buckle you down defensively.” It aids, naturally, that the Leafs licensed defenceman Chris Tanev to guide as a result of location … After captain Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner each performed higher than 25 minutes in San Jose, every took the selection of not training on Friday … Berube acknowledged forward Pontus Holmberg will definitely return in after he was scraped the earlier 2 video video games, but Berube acknowledged he was uncertain that would definitely be remaining … Woll on the target by the Sharks’ William Eklund, which got here when Woll mistakenly banked the puck proper into the web off the skate of the hard-charging Eklund: “Just a bad play. Sometimes you make bad plays. I think I was looking up ice and the brain turned off for a second.”
tkoshan@postmedia.com
