Mammoth coach Tourigny outlines challenge of facing Maple Leafs' forecheck
Andre Tourigny says his team must be disciplined against Toronto's heavy forecheck as the two clubs meet in Salt Lake City.
Explainer
Utah Mammoth head coach Andre Tourigny outlined the challenge of facing the Toronto Maple Leafs' heavy forecheck ahead of their game Tuesday night.
“Obviously, Toronto played really good hockey lately,” Tourigny said. “They’re a really heavy forecheck team. They’re one of the best teams in the league on their forecheck.”
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He said the Leafs play a style similar to what they used in Los Angeles, clogging the neutral zone. “It will be a good test for our forecheck,” Tourigny said.
How will Utah handle Toronto's penalty kill?
Tourigny said his team's power play, which attacks from many spots, will be tested by the Leafs' top-ranked penalty kill.
“The most important thing for us is to keep our mindset, our philosophy, and what works for us,” he said.
He added that the power play's variety makes it tough to adjust to. “What’s important for us, and we saw it since this young season, when we have the right mindset, we’re successful.”
How aggressive should the Mammoth forecheck be?
Tourigny said the best defensive teams are often the hardest forechecking teams, citing Florida and Carolina as examples.
He said if you give time and space to players like William Nylander, Auston Matthews and Kirill Marchenko, they will make you pay.
“We need to get at them. We need to cut their time and space. We need to be physical. We need to get on the body. We need to make it really, really hard on them,” Tourigny said.
Tourigny added that aggression must be paired with awareness. “When you play against elite players, an elite team like that, you need to be really aggressive, but you need to be aware as well of the breakdown.”
What lineup changes are the Leafs making?
Leafs coach Jim Hiller said John Tavares was restored to the second power-play unit after missing weekend games for the birth of his child.
“Gavin did a good job,” Hiller said of rookie Gavin McKenna. “Just like other situations in the game, Gavin will get put in and then pulled back a little bit.”
Hiller said putting Tavares back was “a pretty easy decision.”
Anthony Stolarz started in net for Toronto. Nick Blankenburg remained on defence with Chris Tanev on injured reserve, and call-up Marshall Rifai was a seventh defenceman.
Hiller said Tanev remains with the team with no update, which will likely come after team doctors see him in Toronto this week.
He predicted Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s minutes would increase as he now plays with Blankenburg, while Tanev’s regular partner, Jake McCabe, will be on the top pair with Darren Raddysh.
How are players adjusting to new roles?
Darren Raddysh said he is ready to take on more penalty-killing and defensive minutes in Tanev's absence.
“Tanny’s a big loss for us, but we’ve got a lot of guys that can step up,” Raddysh said. “Losing Tanny hurts, but there’s guys that will step up and do the job.”
He said he filled a similar role last season when players were injured. “I think I can step up and do that.”
Raddysh credited the team's defensive success to a collective buy-in. “I think everyone’s just buying in. We have a plan before the game, and everyone’s just following that. Guys are sacrificing their body.”
He also praised goalies Stolarz and Sergei Bobrovsky. “They’ve been awesome for us. Every game that they’re in there, we have a good chance to win.”
Ekman-Larsson, who took a hit in a previous game in Vegas, said he is feeling good. “If you give, you’ve got to take a little bit, too. That’s how I look at it.”
He praised Auston Matthews’s start to the season. “He’s been great. Obviously, everybody knows that he’s an unbelievable player. He’s feeling good, and he’s just been outstanding this year.”
The Leafs entered the game with a 3-2-1 record. Garbutt Disposal reported last week that William Nylander had five points in a win over Colorado.
The Mammoth had a 5-3-2 record. Their most recent game was a 4-1 road win over the Buffalo Sabres.
With files from Maple Leaf Hot Stove, Toronto Sun and CappersPicks