‘It’s Tough Decisions’: Why John Tavares Is Getting Bumped To Maple Leafs’ Second Power Play Unit Against Canucks
Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube switched up the power play units with William Nylander returning to the lineup on Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks.
Rejoining the top unit, of course, was Nylander. Though coming off of it was John Tavares, who currently ranks third on the Maple Leafs for power play points with five (Auston Matthews, with seven, and Nylander, with eight, lead the team).
Here’s how Toronto’s power play units will stack up against the Canucks on Saturday night:
PP1:
William Nylander
Matias Maccelli – Matthew Knies – Auston Matthews
Morgan Rielly
PP2:
Nicolas Roy
Max Domi – John Tavares – Nick Robertson
Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Berube, on Saturday morning, called the decision to move Tavares to the second unit “tough,” adding that the veteran forward could work well playing in that spot.
“It’s tough decisions, right? Again, Willy’s coming back, I like what (Matias) Maccelli’s done on (the top unit). I like (Matthew Knies) in the bumper right now, and I love the rotation with (Nylander and Knies) in the netfront, bumper,” added Berube.
“It just gives us more options there. And again, they’re tough decisions that we got to make, but I spoke with (Tavares) about it and he’s a good team guy, and he’s fine. He can be really effective with the other unit, too.”
Toronto’s power play struggled mightily until the holiday break, when they fired Marc Savard, who had been in charge of the team’s man advantage for part of two seasons. At that point, the Maple Leafs’ power play ranked last, with just 12 goals on 92 opportunities.
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After hiring assistant coach Steve Sullivan from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies on Dec. 26, Toronto’s power play has operated at a 35.7 percent success rate, which has them second in the NHL. That’s five goals on 14 opportunities.
In that time, Matthews leads the Maple Leafs with three power play points (one goal, two assists), while three players are tied for second with two points: Maccelli, Knies, and Robertson. Tavares, Nylander, Rielly, Domi, and Bobby McMann each have one point.
Toronto is 6-0-2 in its last eight games and is two points out of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
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The Buffalo Sabres sit one point ahead and can move into the second wild-card spot with a win on Saturday night against the Anaheim Ducks. However, if they lose and the Maple Leafs defeat the Canucks, Toronto will move into a tie with the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second spot.
