Insider points out something interesting about how the Leafs responded to the Canucks with Reaves scratched
The Leafs ended their 5-game home stand on Saturday with a dominant 5-2 win over a very tough Vancouver Canucks team. While there were a lot of good things to look back on from that game, perhaps the most important factor in the win was the Leafs standing up for themselves and one another.
A pair of hits from Dakota Joshua and Ian Cole on David Kampf and Nicholas Robertson prompted a pair of fights from Mark Giordano and Max Domi, who immediately stepped in to have their teammates' backs. Both Kampf and Robertson appreciated the gestures from Gio and Domi and both scraps provided the team with the energy it needed to dispatch of the Canucks to move to 8-5-2 on the season.
On Monday's edition of 32 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman pointed out that Ryan Reaves' absence from the lineup may have actually had something to do with why the team played a lot more physical and stood up for one another on Saturday. Friedman suggested Reaves' absence from the lineup created sort of a "next man up" mentality, as if Reaves wasn't there to do the dirty work, someone else had to.
"I thought it was interesting. Saturday night Ryan Reaves didn't play and the Leafs got two instigators, Domi and Giordano for defending themselves. The only thing I think about there is normally they're waiting for Reaves to do it and now with him not there, the group is saying we can't look for anybody else, now we're gunna do it. When they talked about standing up for themselves that's exactly what they were talking about. It was almost as if, Reaves isn't in the lineup, well we can't wait for him, we have to do it ourselves." - Friedman on Reaves' absence from the lineup forcing others to step up
Nothing was stopping anyone from doing the dirty work before, but when Reaves is on the bench, I think the common misconception is that it's all up to him to drop the gloves and deal with the opposition's worst. Everyone on the Leafs' bench was looking for Reaves to handle the on-ice justice when, really, anyone can do that.
It's an interesting conversation for the coaching staff to have with the team. Since Reaves is a 4th liner, these types of responses may have to be handled by other guys on the team sometimes as well. I was glad to see Gio and Domi step up in his absence, but I'd also like to see them and others do the same while Reaves is in the lineup as well, because it isn't ALL on him.
Previously on Maple Leafs Daily
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 13 | 344 ANSWERS Insider points out something interesting about how the Leafs responded to the Canucks with Reaves scratched Do you think the Leafs still need Ryan Reaves after Saturday against the Canucks? | ||
| Yes, he's still an important piece | 102 | 29.7 % |
| No, he's expendable now | 124 | 36 % |
| No, he never was a need for the Leafs | 118 | 34.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
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