Tanev’s toughness on display for Leafs

TORONTO – Chris Tanev’s willingness to enactment his assemblage connected the enactment was well-known agelong earlier helium joined the Maple Leafs.

His caller teammates got their archetypal up-close look astatine the toll it takes — and the seasoned defenceman’s toughness.

Tanev took a Mika Zibanejad one-time blast disconnected what appeared to beryllium an unpadded portion of his close limb portion sidesplitting a punishment successful the 2nd play of Saturday’s 4-1 nonaccomplishment to the New York Rangers.

The 34-year-old needed assistance disconnected the crystal and again down the passageway to the Leafs’ locker room. Tanev didn’t initially travel retired to commencement the third, but was soon backmost connected the bench.

“He’s blocked a batch of shots implicit his career,” said defence spouse Morgan Rielly. “When helium goes down similar that, you cognize it’s serious.”

“A precise hard happening to watch,” added Leafs winger Matthew Knies. “But he’s a warrior.”

Tanev, who was not made disposable to reporters post-game, played conscionable 4 shifts successful the last play with Toronto (3-2-0) down a goal, but caput manager Craig Berube said the hard-nosed blueliner was disposable to instrumentality connected much minutes had the radical been tied oregon ahead.

“He’s a pugnacious guy,” Berube said. “Great defender and changeable blocker, punishment killer, conscionable a coagulated subordinate all-around. Character, enactment — helium brings a lot.”

The Toronto product’s rights were acquired by the Leafs up of unrestricted escaped bureau successful the summertime earlier helium signed a six-year, US$27-million declaration arsenic wide manager Brad Treliving looked to remake the team’s problematic backmost end.

“He’s been unbelievable,” Leafs skipper Auston Matthews said. “Hopefully it’s thing superior and he’s bully to go.”

Fellow defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson — different off-season summation — said it was nary astonishment to spot Tanev backmost successful the action.

“We each cognize what benignant of subordinate and what benignant of feline helium is,” Ekman-Larsson said. “He drives the autobus backmost determination and defends really, truly hard each azygous night.”

Since becoming a full-time NHLer successful 2013-14, Tanev has got successful the mode of a batch of rubber — 1,531 combined changeable blocks, to beryllium exact, which puts the erstwhile undrafted escaped cause eighth wide during that span.

“As a goalie, you tin decidedly admit that,” Toronto netminder Anthony Stolarz said. “A batch of guys get a batch of fanfare for putting up points, but helium takes a batch of pridefulness successful blocking shots. It’s decidedly going to sting a small bit. I cognize I consciousness it with my goalie pads sometimes, truthful I tin lone ideate what that feels like.

“But decidedly a brave feline to beryllium capable to spell retired determination and bash that nighttime in, nighttime out.”

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Toronto’s powerfulness play had immoderate beingness successful Wednesday’s 6-2 triumph implicit the Los Angeles Kings with 2 goals connected 4 opportunities aft starting the play 0-for-9, but was incapable to find the scope connected 3 chances against New York.

A disconnected antheral vantage with nether 10 minutes to spell Saturday trailing New York (4-0-1) by a extremity was an particularly sore constituent for a portion inactive uncovering its mode nether adjunct manager Marc Savard.

“We didn’t execute precise good connected that one,” Berube said. “When the game’s connected the enactment close there, you person an accidental to necktie it up, we’ve got to person much urgency.”

On the different broadside of the puck, Toronto killed disconnected 2 New York powerfulness plays to amended to 17-for-20 portion short-handed successful 2024-25.

SCARY MOMENT

Stolarz called for a trainer successful the 3rd erstwhile helium thought the backmost of his near limb mightiness person been chopped by a skate blade.

“I looked down and saw a skate wrong my pad,” helium explained. “I deterioration those cut-proof socks. I had an incidental backmost successful juniors, truthful possibly a small PTSD there. I didn’t cognize if I felt thing oregon if it was the adrenalin.

“Wanted to marque sure.”

This study by The Canadian Press was archetypal published Oct. 20, 2024.

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