When was the last time a game between Toronto and Montreal took place outside without autograph dogs, scalpers or traffic jams – and nobody inside?
Welcome to the COVID-19 2020 playoffs, in which the Maple Leafs and Canadiens prepared for the solo show on Tuesday before the full 24-team event began and no less lived in the same hotel in Toronto. A start at 8 p.m. is also old school NHL.
“This is not a typical pre-season game,” Leafs’ top scorer Auston Matthews agreed on Monday afternoon. “(No) three, four, five games in which we can settle in. We want to get started right away and get your timing back. You only have one game to prepare for a playoff series. We just step in. “
While you can usually feel the heat rising in and around the Scotiabank Arena or Bell Center the day before the two oldest rivals in the league meet, the only temperatures measured on Monday were daily COVID tests for both teams before training on an ice rink outside the premises.
Starting with the lonely game on Tuesday, in which coaches Claude Julien from Montreal and Sheldon Keefe from Toronto can add two players to the usual 18 skaters and two goalkeepers, the clubs have the best-of-five series against Pittsburgh from the weekend and Columbus. A total of twelve teams are at the center of the Eastern Conference in Toronto. 12 Western Conference teams are housed in Edmonton.
“Toronto is very similar to Pittsburgh, with a lot of depth and skill,” said Julien, whose team will be the underdog in his series. “The Leafs are playing a quick game, they will attack us hard. This is probably a good game to prepare for Pittsburgh and work on the things we want. There should be a lot of good things coming out of this game.
“The NHL tried to arouse real interest by facing us against a rival (Pittsburgh is playing its exhibition against the hated Philadelphia). What that does is better, let’s prepare. Hopefully we have a really good game and we get (fan) interest early on. “
He held a large number of players during a two-week camp and experimented with moves like top 6 striker Max Domi, who centers the fourth line. Brett Kulak, who breaks early in the camp after a positive COVID test, can get back on track with Jeff Petry as the second defensive pair.
Julien plans to add a defender and a striker instead of two against the Leafs, but says his squad will be boiled down near the Pittsburgh starters by Wednesday morning.
“Timing and execution get nervous in the first phase,” Montreal striker Paul Byron predicted Tuesday. “But the boys will feel comfortable as the game progresses. Every team is in the same boat. “
Meanwhile, Keefe wants to take a look at Nick Robertson on the left wing of the third line, a 55-goal rookie who impressed at the camp but isn’t a big body and is sure to get a rude baptism into the NHL through some physical habs. It is not known who Keefe will use as extras from his 28 healthy players, but Frederik Gauthier and Pierre Engvall have been pushed out of regular training lines in recent days when Robertson was rated. But it was no accident that this teenager got this far.
“It speaks for itself, the whole camp (Robertson’s) was great,” Mitch Marner said. “He’s playing tomorrow and possibly Sunday. He did a lot of great things to show management that he can play in this league. As teammates, we just want him to be competitive and win games. He has shown that he has that in him. I hope he brings a kick to our team and a boost with his energy. “
Keefe, like John Tortorella from the Blue Jackets and many other coaches, can’t wait to play against a team other than his own.
“I certainly expect that it is not a typical exhibition game based on what is at stake and what is around the corner,” said Keefe. “It’s the only dress rehearsal you’ll get. We certainly expect a higher intensity. “
Keefe and Julien also want to see what the NHL has planned for the atmosphere at SBA. You already know that the lower seats will be covered, while the bowl will be filled with banners, advertisements and other graphics. There will be noise from crowds, goal horns and the strange sight of the Leafs on the visitor bench.
“We are in a situation where nobody has been before,” added Julien. “You see all the buses around the hotel (Royal York) and it feels like you’re back in minor hockey (tournament time), back in your younger days.”
The Leafs were the last team to check into the “bubble”, an exclusive hotel team environment, restaurants, relaxation and transportation to the practice hall with its own walkway to the SBA. All clubs that stay at the Royal York and the five at Hotel X on the fairly remote Canadian exhibition grounds will not interact with the public.
Each of the Habs and Leafs has decorated their Royal York floor in team colors and logos. The Marketing Department of Canadiens and the players’ women together have special arrival packages that include pictures of the family if the entire 52-person retinue is away weeks instead of days during the tournament.
“To be honest, it’s not bad,” said Tomas Tatar from Montreal about the setup. “I was skeptical when they were only able to choose the hubs at the last minute, but it’s nice to hang out with the boys. In Montreal we went home after training; here we stay together there are some team ties. “
