Maple Leafs Winger Nick Robertson's Attitude Turning Heads in Toronto
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Maple Leafs forward Nicholas Robertson was up to his old tricks, returning from a healthy scratch to score twice, but it's his attitude that has been most surprising.
Inserted into the lineup out of necessity thanks to an injury to David Kampf, Nick Robertson did what he does best on Saturday - scoring in his return to the lineup after being healthy scratched for several games.
The former second-round pick had been scratched for the Leafs' previous three games due to on-ice discipline issues. Instead of getting down on himself and the decision of head coach Craig Berube, Robertson has brought a newer, more positive attitude this season and is doing his best to use his healthy scratches as opportunities to rest and reset.
"It feels great," Robertson said after scoring twice on Saturday. "You want to make an impact on the game and scoring a couple does that. You just try to feed off that and continue that confidence. (The scratches) gave me a reset, gives me even more of that hunger to get back in there and be effective and try and make the most of any opportunity I'm given."
His change to a more positive attitude this season under Berube has been noticeable, as Anthony Stolarz said after posting a shutout Saturday.
"It's huge. He's a very skilled player and works extremely hard, so for him to seamlessly step back into the lineup and score two important goals for us to get us going, that's huge for us and huge for his confidence I'm sure."
Robertson has skated in a career-high 63 games this season and has equaled his 14 goals from last season while sitting just 6 points shy of the 27 points he posted last year. The 23-year-old is currently in an audition to secure a roster spot for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a healthy Kampf and Max Pacioretty waiting in the wings.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 7 | 2693 ANSWERS Maple Leafs Winger Nick Robertson's Attitude Turning Heads in Toronto Should Nick Robertson be in the lineup for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs? | ||
| Yes | 1680 | 62.4 % |
| No | 355 | 13.2 % |
| Depends on how he finishes the season | 476 | 17.7 % |
| Depends on the opponent | 182 | 6.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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