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Watch: Leafs' Nikita Grebenkin fires up crowd after chucking knuckles in tilt with Adam Gaudette
Tensions flared between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators in a heated preseason matchup on Sunday.
The excitement peaked when the Leafs' 2022 fifth-round pick, Nikita Grebenkin, engaged in an altercation with Adam Gaudette. Grebenkin, who also made his debut, attempted to rally the crowd following the fight, showcasing his passion for the game.
Watch the video here:
Ryan Reaves expressed his enthusiasm for Grebenkin's effort to energize the crowd (via David Alter):
"And then fire up the crowd? I just love that. New heavy in town. Love to see that. It's good to see kids get involved like that. It's a full team thing."
Toronto Maple Leafs lose to Ottawa Senators in OT
Craig Berube faced his first defeat as coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs following a 6-5 OT defeat to the Ottawa Senators in preseason at home on Sunday.
The game saw standout performances from the Sens 'Jan Jenik and Cole Reinhardt, each contributing four points. For the Leafs, Max Pacioretty made an impact with three points.
In the postgame interview, Berube addressed his team's performance, noting a sluggish start in the first period where they struggled to move the puck effectively, resulting in only two shots on goal.
He pointed out that players were hesitant to shoot and often tried to make overly complex plays. Although he acknowledged the team improved at times during the game. Berube said (as per maple leafs hot stove):
"In the first period, we came out and were slow. We didn’t move the puck quick enough. That is why we ended up with two shots on net in the first period. We didn’t want to shoot a lot of the time. We were too cute at times."
Berube highlighted the need for the team to enhance their puck play and adopt a more direct approach to their game strategy moving forward.
"We got better at times, but overall, it is training camp. We have to work on things and clean things up. We have to clean up our puck play and clean up our directness with how we want to play."
The Leafs now travel to the Canadian Tire Centre to face the Senators in the second preseason clash on Tuesday.
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