Game 1 Notebook: Maple Leafs know Stutzle, Tkachuk can draw calls

TORONTO — Ref talk!

The puck hasn’t yet dropped between the Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs, and already we’re discussing the skaters wearing the third uniform — stripes.

Outside of recent playoff experience, one of the greatest discrepancies between the Sens and the Leafs is the frequency with which they go to the penalty box.

No NHL team came close to drawing as many penalties as Ottawa’s 349 this season. And the Senators’ plus-41 in net penalties drawn tops all playoff teams. 

Conversely, the Maple Leafs ranked 22nd in drawn penalties (268) and 23rd in net drawn penalties (minus-17), their fearsome five-forward power-play not getting as many looks as they would like.

The Sens’ knack for triggering whistles has been a Craig Berube talking point with his charges in the lead-up to Sunday’s series.

“They lead the league in penalties (drawn). Stützle draws a lot of them. We looked at a lot of it, and we talked about it. You have to be disciplined, but you can’t be tentative,” Berbue says. “We have to be physical and deal with what we have to deal with. It is more about the stickwork and getting yourself on the wrong side of people that causes you to take penalties. We have to be disciplined, smart, and hard between the whistles.”

Ah, Tim Stützle.

Not only did the Ottawa star lead his club in points (79), but he co-led the league in drawn calls (38) with Nazem Kadri, who didn’t make the playoffs. 

Since he entered the NHL in 2020-21, Stützle has drawn the fourth-most whistles (181). Teammate Brady Tkachuk has triggered the most (193) over that span. 

“He is good at disrupting out there. It’s a big part of his game. He has a lot of gamesmanship. You have to play him hard,” Berube said of the Sens captain.

“We understand that, but we have to be disciplined and not react to some of his stuff. He is at the net a lot, too, and a lot of penalties are drawn there. He does a great job at the net front, so we have to make sure we are strong there. He draws a lot of penalties just being at the net all the time and putting people in tough situations.”

Berube has given the Leafs specific instructions on individual Sens forwards, knowing that Toronto’s 17th-ranked penalty kill (77.9 per cent) has been exposed for stretches this season.

“You gotta find that line. And I think that’s what playoffs is about,” said edgy defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who returns to the lineup after suffering an upper-body injury April 9. 

“You don’t want to get away from your game. But at the same time, you don’t want to take penalties that’s costing you in games. So, it’s a fine line.”

The line for Stützle shifted when he graduated from the German pro league. Playing for the Manheim Eagles, the refs were quicker to whistle, Stützle explained during this week’s in-depth Spittin’ Chiclets interview.

An impressive plus-19 net drawn penalties, Stützle has been accused of embellishing on multiple occasions, most memorably by Pittsburgh’s Bryan Rust and Montreal’s Brendan Gallagher.

“More than half the games we’ve played against him, he’s laid on the ice and is right back out there next shift. He lays on the ice, he acts like he’s hurt, he sells the call, he’s on the ice that same power play,” Gallagher sounded off in 2022. “There’s kids watching; we’re role models; and if I was a teammate of his, I’d tell him to smarten up.

“It’s just not a good look. Very talented player, very good player; he needs to stop lying on the ice. It’s embarrassing.”

Stützle, who has never been fined for diving, brushed off the reputation as jealousy during his podcast spot.

“I don’t really care,” Stützle said. 

“I was always a guy who moved my feet pretty quick. I think that’s the biggest part. I’m not trying to dive or get a penalty for something. I’m just trying to play my game. My game is being good on my edges and playing fast. It’s mostly fans who don’t like seeing us win, mostly fans from other teams.”

Pacioretty is biting his lip

Max Pacioretty is on the outside looking in for Game 1, just as the veteran winger has been since Feb. 8, his most recent appearance for the Maple Leafs.

“I feel good,” Pacioretty said Saturday. “I don’t want to talk about injuries.”

While healthy and practising for weeks now, the normally conversational Pacioretty has made a point to not explain his latest injury or complain about his scratch status publicly — even if it’s clear that he wants to participate in the playoffs.

“It’s not about my situation; it’s about the team,” Pacioretty says. “So, we finished the season really strong, and it’s a new season right now. And obviously this team has a lot to prove. Looking forward to it.”

Pacioretty has 25 goals and 25 assists in 78 career postseason games. The 36-year-old signed a one-year, bonus-laden contract with the Leafs because he wanted to join a contender.

And while he — along with veteran centre David Kämpf — are fit to skate, they will have to wait for injury or poor performance from one of their teammates to enter the series.

In the meantime, they smartly say little and stay sharp. Hey, the team has been winning.

“Professional” is how Pacioretty frames dealing with being stuffed on the shelf. 

“No matter if you’re playing or not, you always prepare as if you are. And it’s no different if you are playing or not,” Pacioretty said. “We’ve been playing really good hockey and want to keep that momentum going into the playoffs here.”

‘Feel the energy’: McMann makes his playoff debut, finally

This time last year, so much was made over the playoff games missed by Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Joseph Woll. For good reason.

But MIA for the entire seven-gamer against the Boston Bruins was Bobby McMann — the late-blooming power forward who reached 20 goals this season.

Set back with a knee injury suffered late in the regular season, McMann was forced to watch from the press box.

“The hardest part was the energy in the building and the energy it looked like the guys had,” McMann says now, finally nearing his playoff debut at age 28. 

“I wanted to feel and feed off that energy. That was probably the hardest part. Like, I wanted to feel like what it was like to play in a game that’s a little bit faster, a little bit more physical, crowd’s yelling. That’s the type of hockey that is so fun. I just wanted to be there to contribute.”

Until Sunday, the undrafted McMann has been forced to live playoff vicariously. Heck, he’s only appeared in one AHL playoff game, for the Marlies, and only five ECHL playoff games, for the Wichita Thunder. So, he’s bracing for an acceleration, a war of attrition.

“Guys are trying to give everything they can, even if they’re not feeling great. Guys are sacrificing, doing everything they can to just try to win games,” McMann says, excitedly.

Thing is, had the 2024 Leafs won Game 7 at TD Garden, McMann believes he would’ve suited up against the Panthers in a second round that remains theoretical.

“I was hoping, like, middle of that round at some point,” he says, bum knee be damned. “Mid-series in Florida. It would’ve meant returning really early. But I was feeling good, and I was doing everything I could. Obviously, I would have played not at 100 per cent. But I would have tried it.”

Maple Leafs projected Game 1 lineup vs. Ottawa Senators:

Knies – Matthews – Marner
Domi – Tavares – Nylander
McMann – Holmberg – Robertson
Lorentz – Laughton – Järnkrok

Rielly – Carlo
McCabe – Tanev
Ekman-Larsson – Benoit

Stolarz starts
Woll

if (!res.ok) { throw new Error('Failed to fetch odds data'); }

const data = await res.json(); const oddsData = data?.data?.game?.details?.current_line; const visitingTeam = data?.data?.game?.visiting_team; const visitingTeamLogo = data?.data?.game?.visiting_team?.image_url_90; const homeTeam = data?.data?.game?.home_team; const homeTeamLogo = data?.data?.game?.home_team?.image_url_90; const gameTimestamp = data?.data?.game?.details?.timestamp;

return { oddsData, visitingTeam, visitingTeamLogo, homeTeam, homeTeamLogo, gameTimestamp }; }

async function renderBetMGM(componentId, league, gameId) { let oddsData, visitingTeam, visitingTeamLogo, homeTeam, homeTeamLogo, gameTimestamp, error;

const container = document.getElementById(componentId + '-odds'); if (!container) return;

try { ({ oddsData, visitingTeam, visitingTeamLogo, homeTeam, homeTeamLogo, gameTimestamp } = await fetchOddsData(league, gameId)); } catch (err) { error = err.message; }

if (error) { container.innerHTML = `

Error: ${error}

`; return; }

if (!oddsData) { container.innerHTML = `

Odds data not available

`; return; }

let gameDate = new Date(gameTimestamp * 1000); const gameDateFormatted = gameDate.toLocaleDateString('en-US', { year: 'numeric', month: 'long', day: 'numeric' });

container.innerHTML = `

BetMGM Odds

${gameDateFormatted}

VS

Moneyline

${visitingTeam.short_name}

${oddsData.away_money > 0 ? `+${oddsData.away_money}` : oddsData.away_money}

${homeTeam.short_name}

${oddsData.home_money > 0 ? `+${oddsData.home_money}` : oddsData.home_money}

Spread

${oddsData.fav_id === visitingTeam.id ? oddsData.fav_points : oddsData.fav_points > 0 ? `-${oddsData.fav_points}` : `+${Math.abs(oddsData.fav_points)}`}

${oddsData.fav_id === visitingTeam.id ? oddsData.fav_money > 0 ? `+${oddsData.fav_money}` : oddsData.fav_money : oddsData.underdog_money > 0 ? `+${oddsData.underdog_money}` : oddsData.underdog_money}

${oddsData.fav_id === homeTeam.id ? oddsData.fav_points : oddsData.fav_points > 0 ? `-${oddsData.fav_points}` : `+${Math.abs(oddsData.fav_points)}`}

${oddsData.fav_id === homeTeam.id ? oddsData.fav_money > 0 ? `+${oddsData.fav_money}` : oddsData.fav_money : oddsData.underdog_money > 0 ? `+${oddsData.underdog_money}` : oddsData.underdog_money}

Over/Under

O ${oddsData.total}

${oddsData.over_money > 0 ? `+${oddsData.over_money}` : oddsData.over_money}

U ${oddsData.total}

${oddsData.under_money > 0 ? `+${oddsData.under_money}` : oddsData.under_money}

Powered by

${gameDateFormatted}

VS

Powered by

`; }

// Example usage renderBetMGM('block_a3d57989b17d1016b8ebe98d30f2dee7', 'NHL', '0411c76a-2fe1-4442-b2f2-fc28f8edb87a');

More from Sportsnet

‘A different feel’: Why these Maple Leafs are poised for a run (seriously)

How one habit will be key to Morgan Rielly’s playoff success