Vancouver Canucks' goalie Jacob Markstrom, left, of Sweden, stops Toronto Maple Leafs' Nazem Kadri during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, B.C., on Saturday December 2, 2017.DARRYL DYCK/The Globe and Mail
Nazem Kadri says the Toronto Maple Leafs are way past considering coming games as a measure of how far the former NHL laughingstocks have progressed.
Winners of 10 of their past 14 games, it is the Leafs, in Kadri's opinion, who are now looked up to for how to play.
Still, when you have an intriguing set of back-to-back games, as the Leafs do this weekend, in which they square off against two of the league's premier players in Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid, Kadri said that helps get the blood racing a bit faster.
"I love it," the scrappy Leafs centre said on Friday after practice at the MasterCard Centre. "Personally, for me it's fun. Those guys push you to bring out your best because if you don't they'll make you look bad.
"So I think as a team, especially heading into a city like Pittsburgh, knowing the history they've had in the last few years, we're going to have to be ready."
The Leafs' weekend odyssey begins Saturday night in Pittsburgh against the Penguins, the two-time defending NHL champions and captained by Crosby, considered by many to be the game's top talent.
After that, the Leafs head home for a Sunday night tilt against the struggling Edmonton Oilers. Their top player is the 20-year-old McDavid, who moves as if he has rocket thrusters attached to his skates.
McDavid, the defending scoring champion, is making a strong bid to topple Crosby from his long-held status as the game's best.
Of course, the Leafs boast another possible heir to that title in Auston Matthews, a 40-goal scorer in his splendid rookie campaign last season. He has 13 goals this year through Toronto's first 25 games.
Matthews said he relishes the opportunity to go head-to-head against the likes of Crosby and McDavid in back-to-back settings.
"It always presents a pretty good challenge, especially when you face two players of that calibre," Matthews said. "Those are always players and games that you've got to make sure you're ready for because those guys will make you pay."
While back-to-back games are never easy, the Leafs can take solace from the fact that while they are knocking heads in Pittsburgh on Saturday night, the Oilers are playing in Montreal against the Canadiens.
Saturday marks the first meeting of the season between Toronto and Pittsburgh. Last year, the Leafs took two of their three matchups.
The Penguins have picked up their play lately, winners of five of their past six, including a 4-3 overtime win over the New York Islanders on Thursday.
Crosby is also heating up, scoring six goals and 14 points over his past seven games. He has 12 goals and 30 points this season, but his five-year reign as Pittsburgh's scoring leader is being put to the test this season by Phil Kessel, the former Leaf who leads the team with 14 goals and 35 points.
McDavid is one of the few bright spots for the Oilers, who were expected to do much better after the team ended an 11-year playoff drought last season. He has 11 goals and 22 assists, but Edmonton, with a record of 11-15-2, will be hard pressed to match last season's success.
The Leafs are coming off a fortunate 2-1 shootout win over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday, when starting goaltender Frederik Andersen stole the show.
The Leafs have already defeated the Oilers once this season, 6-4, on Nov. 30 in Edmonton.
Although it smacks of coach-speak, Toronto bench boss Mike Babcock says that in today's NHL there is not much to choose between most of the teams.
"I thought Calgary outplayed us as bad as we've been outplayed," Babcock said. "And I thought our goalie was good. We weren't as good as we needed to be, but found a way to win and I think that's an important quality to have as well.
"We're going to have to be way better against Pittsburgh, against Edmonton, as we move along obviously. And I think our guys understand that. We've got to execute better and play with more speed."
Defenceman Morgan Rielly did not practise Friday, but Babcock said it was just a day off. "He's got a little stiffness but he should be okay," Babcock said.