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Laughton, who's yet to register a point with his new team, will center Toronto's fourth line against the Flames on Monday.
Entering a pivotal game against the Calgary Flames on Monday at home, the Maple Leafs have changed their lines for more familiarity.
Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, and Matthew Knies are back together, John Tavares, William Nylander, and Pontus Holmberg are united again, and the third line of Bobby McMann, Max Domi, and Nick Robertson is reinserted into the fold.
However, not all lines remain the same.
Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube opted for a different-looking fourth line ahead of their matchup against the Flames, who are fighting for their playoff lives: Steven Lorentz, Scott Laughton, and Calle Jarnkrok.
"I wanted to create a line with Laughton, Lorentz and Jarny of just more of an identity line, a checking line," Berube said Monday following the team's morning skate.
Toronto has had a difficult stretch of games, losing to the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators — two divisional rivals close to the Maple Leafs in the standings. Although both scorelines appear close, the Senators outworked Toronto on Saturday, which helped them gain crucial points in the standings.
"We've got to get that battle level and that urgency level up. Guys understand that. They're not very happy right now, which is a good thing," Berube said.
"So that's really the message. The message, too, is like, we're right there. I mean, we've got two games in hand here. We've got to take care of our business and start with tonight's game only and focus on that and go from there."
Reverting the lines and creating what Berube called an identity line could help spark the team in the right direction. But for that trio to work, each player will need to play their role and the style of play they're good at.
Laughton hasn't had the best start since being acquired by Toronto from the Philadelphia Flyers at the deadline. The 30-year-old has yet to register a point with his new team while averaging just under 13 minutes through four games.
Berube mentioned on Monday morning that Laughton's game against the Senators was his best as a Leaf. He fought Senators forward Ridly Greig 10 minutes after William Nylander set up the center for a scoring chance.
Toronto's head coach hopes Laughton can benefit even more with this new-look fourth line. Lorentz's physicality, Laughton's speed and skill, plus Jarnkrok's strong 200-foot game could make this line dangerous for the Maple Leafs.
"Well, his best game was last game. Way more involved playing his type of hockey that he plays, and that was one of the thoughts going into putting this line together," Berube said of Laughton.
"That's probably a good line for him. Playing that hard hockey, that heavy hockey, checking hockey, physical with those two guys, so we'll see where it goes."
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Entering a pivotal game against the Calgary Flames on Monday at home, the Maple Leafs have changed their lines for more familiarity.
Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, and Matthew Knies are back together, John Tavares, William Nylander, and Pontus Holmberg are united again, and the third line of Bobby McMann, Max Domi, and Nick Robertson is reinserted into the fold.
However, not all lines remain the same.
Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube opted for a different-looking fourth line ahead of their matchup against the Flames, who are fighting for their playoff lives: Steven Lorentz, Scott Laughton, and Calle Jarnkrok.
"I wanted to create a line with Laughton, Lorentz and Jarny of just more of an identity line, a checking line," Berube said Monday following the team's morning skate.
Toronto has had a difficult stretch of games, losing to the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators — two divisional rivals close to the Maple Leafs in the standings. Although both scorelines appear close, the Senators outworked Toronto on Saturday, which helped them gain crucial points in the standings.
"We've got to get that battle level and that urgency level up. Guys understand that. They're not very happy right now, which is a good thing," Berube said.
"So that's really the message. The message, too, is like, we're right there. I mean, we've got two games in hand here. We've got to take care of our business and start with tonight's game only and focus on that and go from there."
Reverting the lines and creating what Berube called an identity line could help spark the team in the right direction. But for that trio to work, each player will need to play their role and the style of play they're good at.
Laughton hasn't had the best start since being acquired by Toronto from the Philadelphia Flyers at the deadline. The 30-year-old has yet to register a point with his new team while averaging just under 13 minutes through four games.
Berube mentioned on Monday morning that Laughton's game against the Senators was his best as a Leaf. He fought Senators forward Ridly Greig 10 minutes after William Nylander set up the center for a scoring chance.
Toronto's head coach hopes Laughton can benefit even more with this new-look fourth line. Lorentz's physicality, Laughton's speed and skill, plus Jarnkrok's strong 200-foot game could make this line dangerous for the Maple Leafs.
"Well, his best game was last game. Way more involved playing his type of hockey that he plays, and that was one of the thoughts going into putting this line together," Berube said of Laughton.
"That's probably a good line for him. Playing that hard hockey, that heavy hockey, checking hockey, physical with those two guys, so we'll see where it goes."
Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
Continue reading...
