HomeSports'It's not something we care about': Maple Leafs prioritize self-improvement over Canucks'...

‘It’s not something we care about’: Maple Leafs prioritize self-improvement over Canucks’ travel challenges

The Toronto Maple Leafs will look to take advantage of a Vancouver Canucks team that was forced to stay overnight in Raleigh, North Carolina, a night earlier when the Canadian rivals meet Saturday at Scotiabank Arena.

The Canucks lost 2-0 to the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center on Friday. They were originally supposed to leave after the match, which is common for matches on consecutive days, but that was not possible due to bad weather in the area.

“We’ve just got to focus on us and our game. I mean, I get it. Tough journey for them, played last night and I understand all that, but let’s just throw it out the window,” said Craig Berube, head coach of Maple Leafs. of Vancouver’s travel problems. “Let’s focus on us. We’re going to focus on what we need to do better compared to the last game.”

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The Leafs suffered a 6-3 loss to the Hurricanes on Thursday. That ended Toronto’s season-high five-game winning streak. Toronto will be better rested given the full day off on Friday, but that won’t necessarily translate into results.

“It happened last year when I was in Dallas. I don’t know where we were, but I ended up flying to Colorado the same day to play. Yeah, we played really well,” Maple Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev said. “So I mean, I think sometimes it’s just showing up and not thinking and you’re playing. But I mean, obviously it’s not ideal to travel especially the day of the game. Everyone has their routines and all that. Who can throw that for a loop.”

Last season, the Detroit Red Wings had travel issues that forced the club to play the Maple Leafs just hours before landing in Toronto. Detroit went on to win the game 4-2.

“It’s not something we would talk about or worry about,” Maple Leafs forward Max Pacioretty said of the travel issues. “Professionals and often people, whether it’s something that’s public or something that’s private, everyone handles their stuff and expects to come out really hard in a Canadian match.”

One of the more famous Leafs travel stories came in 2013 when mechanical problems forced the Bruins to fly back to Boston on the day of Game 7 of their first-round series. The Bruins won the series-deciding game 5-4 in extra time.

The Leafs have had a tough schedule, but don’t have a single back-to-back game for the rest of January. Maybe some rest will help them, but it’s clear they don’t want to rest on any excuse that could help the Canucks gain the upper hand.

“We’re just trying to focus on ourselves here,” Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson said. “We know we have to be a lot better than what we played last night. So we’re just trying to focus on ourselves.”


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