The Maple Leafs held a practice at Ford Performance Centre on Sunday. <\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
The wait is over for Easton Cowan<\/a>. The 20-year-old winger will make his NHL debut on Monday afternoon when the Maple Leafs host the Detroit Red Wings<\/a>. <\/p>\n And the team\u2019s top prospect isn\u2019t exactly being eased into the lineup. Cowan skated beside Auston Matthews<\/a> and Matthew Knies<\/a> on Toronto\u2019s top line at Sunday\u2019s practice. <\/p>\n \u201cI feel confident,\u201d he said. \u201cI feel like I\u2019m ready for this. So, just gonna take it all in, enjoy it and have some fun.\u201d<\/p>\n Craig Berube<\/a> is hoping Cowan can spark Matthews and Knies, who have yet to score in 5-on-5 play through two games. <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a guy that [is] good down low in the offensive zone,\u201d the coach said. \u201cI\u2019d like to get that line some more possession down there, some more plays. He does that stuff. He\u2019s a great hounder too. He gets on top of things and he\u2019s strong on pucks, hangs onto pucks, and so that\u2019s why I made that switch.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cObviously pretty exciting,\u201d said Cowan, who stands 6-foot, 190 pounds. \u201cJust gotta go out, play your game, play hard and good things will come … Just create space for them. Obviously two good players, so use my smarts to make plays and play direct and we\u2019ll be good.\u201d<\/p>\n Cowan hasn\u2019t played since Toronto\u2019s final pre-season game on Oct. 4 in Detroit. <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s got a good motor,\u201d Knies observed. \u201cHe\u2019s going to skate around the ice and cause some havoc and get pucks back for us. He\u2019s got a lot of skill around the net so he can make some plays.\u201d<\/p>\n Matthews scored an empty-net goal in Wednesday\u2019s opening night win against the Montreal Canadiens<\/a>, but that is his only point of the season so far. Knies has one assist, which came on a Morgan Rielly<\/a> goal against Montreal. <\/p>\n Matias Maccelli<\/a>, who started the first two games on the top line, moved to the second line with John Tavares<\/a> and William Nylander<\/a> at practice. <\/p>\n Knies described his line\u2019s play so far as \u201cfine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, it could be a lot better defensively and just our structure,\u201d he added. \u201cI think offensively we\u2019re getting looks, it just hasn\u2019t gone in. Auston\u2019s hit a bar and I had some good chances on net and a breakaway too that hasn\u2019t gone in. If we keep chipping away, I think we\u2019re gonna get opportunities and put the puck in the back of the net.\u201d<\/p>\n Cowan produced two assists in five pre-season games while playing primarily on a line with Scott Laughton<\/a> and Steven Lorentz<\/a>, who are now both sidelined. Laughton (lower body) blocked a shot off his foot in the penultimate pre-season game, while Lorentz (upper body) departed Saturday\u2019s loss in Detroit early after taking a hit from Wings defenceman Ben Chiarot<\/a>. <\/p>\n Lorentz did not take part in Sunday\u2019s practice and Berube had no timeline for his return. <\/p>\n Despite spending most of training camp on the fourth line, Cowan is more than capable of providing offence. He racked up 13 goals and 26 assists in 17 playoff games in the Ontario Hockey League last season while leading the London Knights to a second straight title. <\/p>\n Cowan then produced seven points in five games to earn MVP honours at the Memorial Cup. He scored the game-winning goal in the final against Medicine Hat. <\/p>\n Cowan, who also played for Team Canada at the last two World Juniors, insists he\u2019s not really feeling all that nervous ahead of his NHL debut. <\/p>\n \u201cI feel like I\u2019ve played in a lot of big games, so that\u2019s gonna help me,\u201d he noted. \u201cHonestly not too nervous right now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not gonna be easy, but I think he\u2019s gonna settle in,\u201d said Knies, who also made his NHL debut at age 20. \u201cI think playing alongside Auston is gonna obviously help him. Hopefully our experience can kind of help him and take him along. I don\u2019t think he has any nerves. I think he\u2019s just excited. I\u2019m happy for him and excited to play with him. He\u2019s an incredible player.\u201d<\/p>\n Leafs’ Cowan to make NHL debut Monday on Matthews’ line Craig Berube revealed that Easton Cowan will make his NHL debut on Monday when the Maple Leafs host the Red Wings. Cowan will join Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies on Toronto’s top line. <\/p>\n —<\/p>\n Initially scheduled for 4 p.m., Monday\u2019s start time got moved up to 2 p.m. to avoid a conflict with Game 1 of the American League Championship Series, which will be played just down the road with first pitch between the Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners set for 5 p.m. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m actually happy about that,\u201d Cowan said. \u201cI like the afternoon games, so I\u2019m pumped about that for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n Following Sunday\u2019s noon practice, Cowan admitted the rest of the day will likely \u201cgo by slow.\u201d<\/p>\n The native of Mount Brydges, Ont. is expecting between 20-30 family and friends to be in attendance as he makes his NHL debut at home. <\/p>\n \u201cI think that makes it that much more special,\u201d Cowan said. \u201cLots of family and friends and obviously in front of the awesome Toronto fans.\u201d<\/p>\n Which family member will be most excited? <\/p>\n \u201cProbably my mom,\u201d Cowan said. \u201cShe\u2019s done so much for me.\u201d<\/p>\n NHL: Maple Leafs 3, Red Wings 6 Lucas Raymond scored twice, including the 100th goal of his career, Patrick Kane had a goal and two assists, and the Red Wings pulled away for a victory over the Maple Leafs on Saturday night. <\/p>\n —<\/p>\n Matthews famously scored four goals in his first NHL game. What does he remember about the day before that historic debut? <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t remember much, to be honest,\u201d the Leafs captain said during a media session on Friday. \u201cI think you just kind of treat it as normal as possible. Do what you kind of do, go out for dinner with some of the guys, stay in and order room service, watch a TV show, watch a hockey game, a football game, I don\u2019t know. I think you just kind of treat it as normal as possible and just kind of stick to your routine, whatever that may be.\u201d<\/p>\n Berube likes how Cowan has remained patient while awaiting this opportunity. <\/p>\n \u201cCowboy\u2019s worked hard,\u201d Berube said. \u201cHe\u2019s prepared. He\u2019s done a real good job of all that stuff. And he\u2019s stayed positive. He wanted to play, but just didn\u2019t get him in the first two games and now he\u2019s got an opportunity. He\u2019s been really good in practice and worked really hard. He\u2019s been focused.\u201d<\/p>\n Cowan planned to check in with former Leafs prospect Fraser Minten<\/a>, who was sent to the Boston Bruins<\/a> at the trade deadline last season, on Sunday afternoon. <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019ll be pumped,\u201d Cowan said with a smile. <\/p>\n The pair struck up a close friendship after Cowan was picked in the first round by the Leafs in 2023. Minten was the team\u2019s top pick in the 2022 draft.<\/p>\n Minten, who has suited up in 28 NHL games over three seasons, already offered Cowan some insight on the key to success at the top level. <\/p>\n \u201cJust details,\u201d Cowan said. \u201cYou gotta be good on the boards and stuff like that. I feel like I\u2019ve done a great job of that so far. So just gotta keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n The Matthews line often gets the toughest matchups. In Wednesday\u2019s opener, they spent most of their shifts against the Nick Suzuki<\/a> line. On Saturday, it was the Dylan Larkin<\/a> unit that faced Matthews the most. <\/p>\n \u201cI watched him in camp and the games, and I thought he did a good job defensively,\u201d Berube said of Cowan. \u201cHe\u2019s a smart player. He\u2019s got a good IQ.\u201d<\/p>\n —<\/p>\n After falling behind 2-0 on Saturday, the Wings dominated the second period piling up three goals to take control of the game against the Leafs. <\/p>\n \u201cWe were fine until the nine, 10-minute mark,\u201d Berube said. \u201cAnd then we started not playing direct, turning pucks over and now we\u2019re playing in our own zone. And now we can\u2019t get changes because we\u2019re just punting pucks out. They\u2019re coming back at us and they three-quarter-iced us really well. That\u2019s a mental thing for me. We can\u2019t go from period to period and change what we\u2019re doing well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe had complete control of the game and let our foot off the gas,\u201d forward Max Domi<\/a> told reporters after the game on Saturday. \u201cI think it\u2019s a good learning experience early on in the year.\u201d<\/p>\n Berube did not like the way his team looked in the second period of Wednesday\u2019s opener against Montreal either. The coach is unwilling to chalk it up to early-season sloppiness. <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t accept it,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t. We had a good, hard meeting today. I don\u2019t care what time of year it is, you know, we got to make sure we\u2019re all bought into playing the right way.\u201d<\/p>\n The Leafs have been outshot 29-19 in the second period of their first two games. <\/p>\n Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz<\/a> believes his team should have been better prepared for a pushback from the Wings, who dropped their opener 5-1 against the Canadiens and got booed off home ice. <\/p>\n \u201cWe stopped getting pucks in deep,\u201d Stolarz told reporters following his first loss of the season. \u201cStopped hunting them on the forecheck, and we kind of just sat back and kind of let them walk all over us … It\u2019s a lesson for us. We have to come to play every night. It doesn\u2019t matter who you\u2019re playing.\u201d<\/p>\n Button: Maple Leafs ‘looked really slow’ in second period vs. Red Wings TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button joins SportsCentre to break down what went wrong for the Maple Leafs in their loss to the Red Wings, and explain how important Nicolas Roy is to Toronto’s success this season. <\/p>\n —<\/p>\n Berube noted that the team\u2019s internal tracking showed that the Leafs only allowed two scoring chances in the third period on Saturday night. But, again, mental miscues got in the way of a comeback effort. <\/p>\n \u201cWe took two unnecessary penalties in my opinion, that set us back a little bit,\u201d the coach said.<\/p>\n Matthews was whistled for high sticking Chiarot, which brought a promising Leafs power play to a premature end. Later in the period, Domi was called for holding Jonatan Berggren<\/a> in the offensive zone. <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s one thing we can definitely be better at [is] staying on the box, myself included,\u201d Domi said.<\/p>\n —<\/p>\n Stolarz did not take part in the team\u2019s practice on Sunday. <\/p>\n \u201cJust getting him some work alone with our goalie coach,\u201d Berube explained. \u201cHe was a busy guy last night in net.\u201d<\/p>\n Stolarz, who faced 33 shots on Saturday after seeing 31 on Wednesday, worked with goalie coach Curtis Sanford<\/a> on a separate pad. <\/p>\n The Leafs will play their first back-to-back set of the season on Monday (Detroit) and Tuesday (Nashville) with both games at home. The goalie plan remains unclear. <\/p>\n \u201cWe got to chat about that,\u201d Berube said. \u201c[Cayden] Primeau\u2019s practised well. He\u2019s looked good. But, you know, we\u2019ll see what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n Joseph Woll<\/a> remains away from the team on personal leave. <\/p>\n Primeau was picked up off waivers from the Carolina Hurricanes<\/a> last week and has started the season as the backup to Stolarz. <\/p>\n \u201cI feel really good,\u201d the 26-year-old told TSN. \u201cThat has been helped by everyone being so welcoming. It feels like I\u2019ve been here forever.\u201d<\/p>\n Primeau\u2019s dad, former NHL forward Keith Primeau<\/a>, grew up in Whitby, Ont. and still has lots of family in the area. <\/p>\n \u201cHe was pumped,\u201d Cayden said. \u201cHe\u2019s just a really big Toronto sports fan. He\u2019s always been following the Blue Jays as well. Safe to say, he\u2019s pretty pumped about the times right now.\u201d<\/p>\n How many family members will be in attendance when Cayden makes his Leafs debut? <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t even know,\u201d he said with a laugh. \u201cIt would be a lot, I\u2019ll tell you that much.\u201d <\/p>\n