Leafs head coach discusses Ryan Reaves' return to the lineup yesterday in Chicago
Yesterday afternoon, the Leafs had the pleasure of playing their first game in almost a week in an afternoon matinee against the Chicago Blackhawks. Unfortunately for the Buds, the Blackhawks didn't have any plans to welcome the Leafs back to North America after the Global Series by allowing them to win their 5th straight. Instead, the Hawks erased a 2-goal deficit to force overtime before ending their own 5-game slump against the Leafs, securing the 4-3 OT win and sending the Leafs off to Pittsburgh with a loss.
The game wasn't all bad, as the Leafs showed a little more spine than we're used to seeing, engaging in a number of post-whistle scrums and battling hard throughout the game along the wall and in front of the net. The 3rd line contributed with a couple of goals again, while Ryan Reaves added a goal of his own to snap his 14-game goal-less drought and potting his first in a Leafs jersey.
Prior to the game, many were wondering whether it would be Bobby McMann, the newly recalled Alex Steeves or Reaves taking part in the game against the Hawks. Reaves had sat out against Vancouver before the trip to Sweden, as well as both games against the Red Wings and Wild while in Stockholm, so Keefe viewed it as the right time to re-insert Reavo into the lineup. Keefe had this to say about the decision:
"He is an important part of our team. He is a presence around our room. He is continuing to keep a good attitude, which we have loved. A professional all the way through."
To hear that Reaves actually maintained a good attitude while watching his teammates from the press box for a couple weeks is certainly a surprise, because we can only imagine how he was feeling, being a team-low -11 over his first 14 games.
While the Leafs didn't pick up the win in Chicago, there were certainly some positives to take away from that one. If the goaltending had held up, we're having a very different conversation last night and this morning about how Reaves' return to the lineup sparked a huge win to stretch their win streak to 5 games. Instead, we're lamenting another loss to an inferior opponent. One thing is for certain, though - nobody can point the finger at Reaves for this one.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 25 | 204 ANSWERS Leafs head coach discusses Ryan Reaves' return to the lineup yesterday in Chicago Did Reaves do enough against Chicago to warrant keeping him in the lineup? | ||
| Yes | 85 | 41.7 % |
| No | 119 | 58.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
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