Oliver Ekman-Larsson Buying Into the Craig Berube Philosophy, Drills Warren Foegele with Huge Check
Oliver Ekman-Larsson is showing that he had some edge to his game this season, following the Craig Berube philosophy against the Kings, landing a thunderous check on Warren Foegele.
During the second period in a bit of a runaway game for the Maple Leafs, Ekman-Larsson continued his tremendous early-season play, showing that he has multiple layers to his game. OEL, who is not exactly known for his ferocity, lined up the aforementioned Foegele for a heavy check during a puck race and finished the check with authority.
The energy that rubbed off on his Leafs teammates was obvious, as just seconds after the hit, Bobby McMann got into a bit of a tussle with Kings forward Phillip Danault.
There's really no denying that the Leafs are playing a much different brand of hockey this season under Berube and the newly-formed coaching staff in Toronto. They've been much more in control of their games, and have played with a little more edge and intensity than we're used to seeing. It's early yet, but it almost looks like the Leafs are focusing on building playoff habits very early in the season, which is certainly a change of pace from what we've seen under Sheldon Keefe in recent years, where it was much more run and gun, free-flow hockey without much pace or purpose.
When players like Ekman-Larsson and McMann are throwing their weight around, you know you've got buy-in throughout the lineup, which is vital for the long-term success of the team. Hopefully the Leafs keep this up, because it's been fun to watch.
