Confident Leafs finding different ways to succeed

It's a tried-and-true hockey cliche: good teams find ways to win, even if they don't do so in the most ideal way possible. And that's where the Maple Leafs find themselves as they focus on beating the Ottawa Senators Saturday at Air Canada Centre. Toronto is in the midst of a two-game win streak, and although the pair of victories came in games that weren't flaw-free, they're making the most of their opportunities and earning valuable standings points as they continue in their efforts to secure a playoff berth.

To wit: in Monday's 7-4 win over Anaheim, the Buds allowed the Ducks to come back and tie or take the lead four times before eventually pushing ahead with three goals in the third period to lock up the win. And in Wednesday's 3-2 shootout win over the Predators, the Leafs built a 2-0 lead midway through the second period before Nashville struck quickly with goals at the end of the period and the beginning of the third frame to force overtime and a shootout, which needed seven rounds before winger James van Riemsdyk netted the game-winner.
That said, both games ended with Toronto earning two points, giving them six wins in their past seven games. And that's infused them with a confidence that will be necessary to extend their win streak against a Senators team that has given them a great deal of difficulty in recent times.
"I think we're going to win some ugly games, and often times during the games - whether it's a TV time out, whatever it is - you think to yourself that it's not very pretty," defenceman Morgan Rielly said after Toronto's practice Friday. "And then after the game, everyone's smiling, because you win and you move on and you learn from it. You try to get better, but you bank the points."
"Obviously you're not going to play your best every night, there's a ton of games, and if you're able to squeak out those ones where you don't play your best or you get outplayed, it's obviously huge coming down to the end of the year," added centre Tyler Bozak, who had Toronto's other shootout goal Wednesday. "To learn how to win those close, winnable games is huge for us."
As an example of the Leafs growing in their ability to pull out close games, look no further than their shootout record: last season, they posted a 1-8 record in shootouts, but this year they're 5-1 in that department. In a parity-filled league where post-season slots can be determined by one or two standings points, that prowess can be a major difference maker. But finding ways to win is about more than just shootouts. It's about staying calm and patient in the face of in-game adversity, and recognizing that the process head coach Mike Babcock preaches in practice has to be relied on to get through the hard times.
"It's just not getting too down, just realizing there's a lot of hockey left," Bozak said. "I think in the past, when we'd get down one or two (goals), it kind of would just get away from what we were doing and (you) would try to do everything by yourself and just score right away. Whereas if you just stick to it and be patient, I think patience is the biggest thing. Just be patient, stick to what works, and eventually it should turn around."
"I think (patience) is important," added Rielly. "When things aren't going well or you're not getting bounces or you're at the end of a long shift, you revert back to your systems and what you know, and the way the team's supposed to play. That's supposed to bail you out. We're a well-coached team, and we believe that, if we play our system, we're fine."
Babcock said Friday he felt better about his team's performance against the Ducks than he did against Nashville, though he did note the Leafs played a strong first period against the Preds before they put pressure on the Blue & White near the end of the second period and all of the third.
"I thought we were in a great spot (until) two minutes left in the second," Babcock said. "We turned the puck over, it was in our net. I didn't think we recovered after that. We'd had the penalty kill when (goaltender) Freddie (Andersen) lost his stick where they took advantage of us in the second, but I liked our game until that point. At that point in the game, they dug in, and we didn't have any pushback, no answer for them. We found a way to win with big goals by (Bozak) and James in the shootout, but in the end, in the (playoffs), you don't have (shootouts). You just keep playing, and so the more dominant team wins. We've got to find a way to push back harder than that."
With the Senators up next for the Leafs, Babcock's group knows full well how difficult Ottawa has proven to be for them as an opponent. The Sens have won two of three games against Toronto this season, and the Battle of Ontario almost always turns out to be a hard-fought affair. At this point in the season, the Senators are second-last in the Eastern Conference and will have to play at a blistering pace to make the playoffs, but they're a proud, veteran squad that won't allow the Leafs to walk all over them. And with Toronto still jostling for the best possible position in the Atlantic Division, a win against any opponent is important.
"They're a good team," Rielly said of the Sens, who've won two in a row. "They've won some games here against us in recent history…we're going to watch some video tomorrow, we watched some today, we had a meeting, we know how to play, and now we have to go out and execute. Every game is very important down the stretch here."
"There's never an easy game," Bozak added. "There's never a game where you don't think it's going to be tough. Every night is a tough night, every night's tough to win, and obviously Ottawa has always played well against us. They're a great team, they play very strict to their system and play a good system. So it's going to be a tough game for us. We've got to be ready."