Never did the Leafs expect to have so much success so quickly against Zdeno Chara, who looked more like someone trying to direct traffic than halt it in Game 1 of this first-round series. (reporterchris)
While it’s only one game in a NHL career that’s featured 1,645 of them, Cassidy will have his hands full if Chara doesn’t bounce back on Saturday night. The coach’s most pressing concern is neutralizing Marner’s line, and he switched away fromThe Chara-Charlie McAvoy pairing didn’t fare particularly well in their place — seeing Marner and his linemates control 62.5 per cent of attempts against them, while scoring a goal in the first period.
"He couldn’t really do much," said Nylander. "It would have been maybe a breakaway. So he kind of had to." But the Leafs still see an open path, one that often means taking the puck directly towards his feet and working through his wingspan. Auston Matthews rang a shot off the post in Game 1 by doing a curl-and-drag inside that space.
Chara chalked the performance up to not having enough "awareness" of what the Leafs were trying to do, presumably on the stretch passes out of their own zone. He won’t be caught surprised again in Game 2.
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