Leafs defenceman Rasmus Sandin can joke again, knowing his captain isn’t hurt
Sandin #Sandin
SAN JOSE, Calif.—When Rasmus Sandin saw Maple Leafs captain John Tavares collapse to the ice in pain on Tuesday night, his heart sank a little.
It was Sandin’s slapshot that hit Tavares on the outside of the left knee where there is no padding or protection. The captain and the team’s leading scorer writhed in pain and had to leave the game and it looked like the team’s already crowded sick bay was going to get its most important patient.
“I didn’t feel good,” Sandin said Thursday. “He’s a teammate. You never want to hit your teammate with the puck. But I was happy to see him on the ice a little bit later (Tavares returned for a couple of shifts in the third period).”
Sandin apologized, of course.
“He’s got nothing to be sorry about,” Tavares said. “He’s just trying to get pucks to the net. So it’s just part of the game and just got me in a tough spot. The doc just said it was right on a nerve, too, so that’s why the pain was what it was. I couldn’t put any weight on it for a good 10 minutes, I’m just really happy it’s just a contusion.”
Sandin finally was able to joke about it. “He should be happy that it was me that took the shot because I don’t shoot that hard.”
It has been an injury-filled start to the season for the Leafs, so they may feel they dodged a bullet with Tavares able to continue on their western trip. The Leafs were in San Jose on Thursday night.
They have already added two key players, defenceman Jake Muzzin (neck) and goalie Matt Murray (adductor), to long-term injured reserve. They joined defencemen Timothy Liljegren (hernia) and Jordie Benn (groin).
Coach Sheldon Keefe sounding like he’s keeping his nose out of sick bay. He said there is no timeline for Muzzin’s return, though he added Murray is “progressing” and “there are no setbacks.”
Liljegren and Benn are at least on conditioning stints with the AHL Marlies. Liljegren picked up an assist in the Marlies’ 5-3 win over Syracuse on Wednesday.
“I certainly wouldn’t put much (weight) into the one game, but it’s definitely nice to see him get through the game,” Keefe said. “It sounded like he made a positive impact in the game. And, most importantly, he got through the game feeling good and healthy and strong.”
Sandin feels good that his friend is on the mend. “I talked to (Liljegren) a little bit after (the Marlies game) and he said it was really nice to be back playing.”
It looked in the summer as if the Leafs were so stacked on defence that Sandin would have trouble getting into the lineup. Now he is playing an elevated role, paired with Justin Holl after starting the season with Mark Giordano. Sandin is not entirely happy with his game.
“I want to be more stable over 60 minutes, play some better defence, and get going a little bit more,” he said. “I need to take care of the puck a little a bit better. There’s always stuff to improve on and I want to improve on everything.”
Sandin and Holl had some lowlight moments against Vegas on Thursday, but so did the whole team.
“None of the pairs were very good in that game,” Keefe said. “It’s a work in progress there for those guys to get comfortable with one another.”
Sandin has flip-flopped this season, playing the right side with Liljegren unavailable and moving to the left after Muzzin got hurt.
“It was more like another game on the right side, but it was something I got used to,” Sandin said. “And then going on the left, it was like I felt a little bit weird for the first couple of shifts, but I’ve been playing on the left probably 95 per cent of my career, so you get into it pretty quick. That’s where I’m probably more comfortable.”
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