'You give a team like that confidence and belief, they can run with it.' The most important task for the MapleLeafs is to introduce some doubt by taking a lead vs. the BlueJacketsNHL's smothering defence or upping their compete level. (reporterchris)
“Our last year’s team and Toronto are so similar that you can almost use that same strategy going in,” Callahan said over the phone Monday. “I guarantee he brought that up to the guys.”
Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe referred to it as a system designed to frustrate you in the wake of Toronto’s 2-0 series-opening loss Sunday, and from Callahan’s experience, the frustration only grows for opponents the more a Tortorella-coached team buys in. “It’s a lot tougher to play a team like that either tied or with the lead,” said Callahan. “You jump up on ‘em and all of a sudden they’ve got to start creating some offence, creating chances, taking chances and I don’t think that’s in their comfort zone.”
It’s a symptom of the way Columbus forces its opponents out of their comfort zone. Toronto averaged 6.7 rush-scoring chances per game during the regular season and only generated four on Sunday night.
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