The argument for having Ryan Reaves in the Maple Leafs’ Game 1 lineup

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Ryan Reaves should be in the Maple Leafs lineup for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

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Though the Leafs have seven regular-season games remaining and coach Sheldon Keefe has to make some determinations regarding his forward lines, Reaves’ game has improved to the point that he can make a positive impact once the post-season gets underway.

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We couldn’t say that about Reaves in October, November and December. And as he worked his way back from a knee injury that he suffered on Dec. 14 against Columbus, some figured it would be foolish to put Reaves back in once he got healthy.

As Reaves put it after the Leafs lost against Tampa Bay on Wednesday, his play in recent weeks in comparison to the initial months of the season has been “night and day.”

The 37-year-old forward returned to the lineup on Jan. 27 and scored that night in Winnipeg against the Jets. He has been a mainstay since, missing just six games.

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Reaves’ approach during his idle time covered all corners — mental, physical and what he needed to do to improve his game.

“That month, month and a half that I was out, I used that as a mini training camp,” Reaves said. “I worked hard. I bagged, I worked on everything I could. I was doing two-, three-a-days sometimes.

“I was just trying to get confidence back. Confidence is a real thing. That’s the first time I’ve probably gone through something like that in my career where I just felt like nothing was going right.

“I just felt like I had no confidence. I used that opportunity to try to build it back and coming off the (all-star) break, I felt like my game started getting a little bit better and I’ve been building on it since.”

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The work of the fourth line, with David Kampf between Connor Dewar and Reaves, has been giving Keefe what he has sought — diligence on the forecheck, an increase in overall trust and a goal every so often.

It has come at the expense of Noah Gregor, who has been a healthy scratch more often. If Keefe had the idea that Gregor would be in the lineup ahead of Reaves in the playoffs, we would be seeing Gregor’s inclusion at this late point in the season.

There’s also the intangible that Reaves provides.

“I didn’t know him really too much before (Reaves became a teammate when he signed a three-year contract last summer) just little interactions here and there, but I think he’s a great teammate and he’s brought a lot of energy, a lot of positivity to the group,” Auston Matthews said. “Over the last month or so, he has been playing some of his best hockey.

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“You see the impact he makes on the ice, the way he plays, his physicality, fighting and on the bench, the energy that he brings in the locker room. It’s infectious. I think you can see throughout the group what he brings.”

Reaves’ fights get plenty of attention, but as we know, scraps don’t happen much in the playoffs. It’s not all Reaves does, though he has fought just six times with Toronto. Also, he has taken just seven minors and none since Feb. 19. Reaves is not a careless player. 

In 23 games since he returned at the end of January in Winnipeg, Reaves has been on the ice for seven goals for and seven goals against at five-on-five. Before he was hurt in December, he was a liability at five-on-five.

The returns of Mitch Marner (who should practise fully on Friday and could be in the lineup on Saturday against the Canadiens in Montreal) and Calle Jarnkrok will have a trickle-down effect on the lineup, provided there are no further injuries.  

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Keep in mind that Reaves has played in 108 Stanley Cup playoff games.

If that factors into Keefe’s final lineup decision, it’s experience that Matthew Knies, Pontus Holmberg and Nick Robertson can’t provide. And from what Keefe has said, that line won’t be together if all forwards are available.

Reaves was determined to turn his season around during his time on the sideline in December and January. The big winger has done that and deserves to be in the lineup to start the playoffs, whether the opponent is Boston or Florida. 

LOOSE LEAFS

The most significant factor working against Joseph Woll’s hope to be the Leafs’ starting goalie in Game 1 of the first round has been the play of Ilya Samsonov. The latter, simply, has been better and, as such, should be in net to start the playoffs. Also not in Woll’s favour: Giving up a goal on the first shot of the game. It happened again versus Tampa, the third time in his past four starts that Woll was beaten on the first shot. That doesn’t instill belief in your teammates … The Leafs’ stinginess on the penalty kill has enabled the club to tie a season high, as it has not allowed a power-play goal in five consecutive games, going 17-for-17 on the PK. In a five-game stretch from Nov. 17-28, the Leafs killed off 16 power plays in a row … In four games since scoring his 40th goal of the season last Tuesday against New Jersey, William Nylander has been quiet, recording 12 shots on goal and just one assist. He needs five points to record 100 in the NHL for the first time and he is four games short of 600 in his NHL career.

tkoshan@postmedia.com

X: @koshtorontosun

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