The Leafs are experimenting with some new penalty killers this season, including star forwards Auston Matthews and William Nylander.
“You gotta be aware that they might be able to come down and score a shorty, but my job doesn’t change,” said defenceman Drew Doughty, who quarterbacks the Kings’ top power-play unit. “If they’re in the lane I’m going to shoot it just as hard as I would anyway. Sometimes it’s good to waste a puck off someone’s shin pad or whatever it may be. It’s part of the game.”
That comment elicited a chuckle from Mark Giordano.
“I don’t doubt it with Dewy,” the Leafs defenceman said. “But, I mean, for me, whenever you play against those top guys on the other side on the kill, you know they’re out there for sure. Wasting one into the shin pads is one thing but missing the net wide and giving them an odd-man [rush] the other way is a totally different thing. You’re aware when they’re out there for sure.”
It’s been hit and miss so far for Toronto’s stars when it comes to the penalty-kill audition. The opposition is only outshooting the Leafs 10-7 when Matthews is on the ice in 4-on-5 play, but Toronto’s top-line centre was also caught out of position for a goal against in Washington last week.
“Whether it is Willy or Auston when they are out there or even Mitch [Marner], when the plays are kind of broken, the pucks are available, and nothing is really set, they can really get going the other way,” said coach Sheldon Keefe. “The challenge is when the other team is set and has full control of the play. It is then about consistency, routes, and taking what you learned in your meetings onto the ice. There is a lot that goes into it there.”-
The Leafs rank 27th in penalty kill percentage (74.1) this season. Toronto finished 12th last year (81.9 per cent), but lost forward killers Alex Kerfoot, Ryan O’Reilly, and Noel Acciari to free agency. Sam Lafferty, another option, was traded away on the eve of the season. Pierre Engvall, another shorthanded contributor, was traded at the deadline last season. So, there are jobs now available.
“It is a work in progress,” said Keefe. “In a lot of ways, we are trying to manufacture penalty killers here. We are giving guys opportunities that they haven’t had before … It is going to take some time. The only way to get through it is to have some struggles like this. It is just part of the process.”
Matthews started the season paired with Marner on the penalty kill. Marner, who has killed penalties consistently for years now, returned to his usual spot on the top pair alongside David Kampf at the end of the recent road trip. At Monday’s practice, Matthews and Nylander took some reps together.
“Lots of fun,” Nylander said. “I’ve seen him and Mitchy out there a lot of times and they’ve been creating some nice chances, but the No. 1 focus is getting the kill and not trying to score. But if we get some chances, that’d be fun.”
“Of the guys that are somewhat fresh in their penalty killing, Willy is probably the guy who has done the most coming in,” Keefe noted. “He did it sporadically through the season last year. He was in every meeting all of last season. I feel like he is the guy who has had the most time and experience and has the least adjustment. That said, I have used him in a very similar role as last year. It is not consistent every single time. It is just kind of managing the situation depending on whether one of our penalty killers takes a penalty or what the rhythm of the game is like.”
The Kings have used top-line centre Anze Kopitar consistently on the penalty kill.
“I look at it as just staying in the game, really,” the two-time Selke Trophy winner said. “It’s better to be on the ice than on the bench and usually if you get into too much of penalty trouble then you get sitting on the bench. It’s nice to be in the rotation.”
Doughty, who has four goals in eight games this season, thinks seeing elite offensive players like Kopitar killing penalties is good for team morale.
“It’s a big thing,” he said. “It makes the whole team better, because when you see your best offensive player playing in the most key situations defensively that just shows you, like, that’s how you got win championships, that’s how you got to win games. We rode that the whole way through [to two Stanley Cups] and we still do today. He’s still doing the same stuff. It’s great to see.”
In the salary cap age, it’s also just the reality of the situation. You have to maximize your best players.
“A lot of players are paid very well,” said Kings coach Todd McLellan. “They should be able to contribute in all three areas and we use ours that way … The danger is blocking a shot, but we don’t seem to even talk about it when we put them out 5-on-5 and ask them to block a shot.”
Matthew Knies, a Hobey Baker Trophy nominee last season, is also getting a look on the penalty kill. The Leafs left winger was on the ice for two goals against on Saturday in Nashville.
“I need to learn the structure a little bit better,” the 21-year-old acknowledged, “and not be too aggressive when it comes time to chase down their best players. Just be patient and stick to our structure.”
Knies did kill penalties at the University of Minnesota.
“It’s very similar,” he said. “There’s just a lot more detail that goes into it. A lot more video, a lot more in-depth detail on other players and how they shoot, how they pass, plays they like to find, that’s a lot more of a focus at this level. Just got to take that all in and take more notes and learn about other payers in the league.”
Knies is still getting his feet wet in the NHL. Tuesday will be just his 12th regular-season game and first against the Kings.
“Every game I step into it’s kind of a new team to me,” he said. “It’s always fun to play against the best players and guys I grew up watching.”
On Friday, Knies and 19-year-old Fraser Minten got to experience a rite of passage in the NHL: the rookie dinner.
“Everyone has to go through it,” Knies said with a smile. “We were excited for it and the guys made it a special night and it was a lot of fun. Just an incredible time with the guys.”
Knies and Minten wore matching outfits.
“Gotta dress up,” Knies said. “Wear something nice. I think it was pretty fitting we were cowboys, right, in Nashville.”