More than four months after the coronavirus pandemic knocked the NHL into the proverbial penalty box, the league is gearing up for its first game action Tuesday night.
Players from the 24 teams who are participating in the National Hockey League‘s 2020 restart are now in their respective bubbles in Toronto and Edmonton, two so-called secure zones that they will call home for the next few weeks as they attempt to finish one of the most challenging seasons in history.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will play their first game Tuesday night, an exhibition tilt against the rival Montreal Canadiens at Scotiabank Arena, since a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 10.
There are a few critical things that Leafs fans will be keying in on when they watch the team play their one and only tune up game for the upcoming best-of-5 play-in series vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets.
First and foremost, they have been practicing as a team for a couple of weeks now but will there be any rust in the Maple Leafs game?
Every team will have to battle through this and as long as Toronto’s highly skilled players don’t rely on making the perfect play all the time they should find their groove.
Another key point Toronto fans will take notice of is the team’s play in their own zone. Notorious for granting the opposition a number of quality scoring chances throughout a game, the offensive minded Leafs won’t get very far in the Stanley Cup playoffs if they don’t tighten up their defensive play.
Perhaps the biggest focus of attention will be between the pipes, where starting goalie Frederik Andersen will be counted upon to be the team’s last line of defence. ‘The Great Dane’ was forced to face the Leafs’ top six forwards throughout their summer camp to prepare for the playoffs so he’s been peppered by some of the best in the biz.
Tuesday’s game will also allow us to see Auston Matthews in action for the first time since he confirmed testing positive for COVID-19 during the NHL’s pause in Arizona and we will get to see rookie Ilya Mikheyev (who was named the MVP of the Leafs’ summer camp) back on the ice since a gruesome wrist injury on Dec. 28.
The game against the Habs may just be an exhibition, but if the Maple Leafs have an impressive outing it could provide Toronto with a confidence boost when the games start to count.
Rick Zamperin is the assistant program, news and senior sports director at Global News Radio 900 CHML.