With a Skilled Ladies’s Hockey League playoff spot secured, Toronto stays centered on enchancment over its closing three regular-season video games.
Toronto returned from the worldwide break with a loss in opposition to Boston on Thursday and a win in opposition to Montreal at Bell Centre on Saturday that clinched its post-season berth.
Tuesday was the primary time many of the staff obtained to follow collectively, with some gamers having relaxation and restoration days following the ladies’s world championship.
“It’s not like we’re simply going to throw the towel in for the remainder of the (common) season,” ahead Sarah Nurse stated post-practice. “I feel for us it’s about tweaking little issues, ensuring that we all know what makes us profitable, specializing in the habits and particulars that make us profitable.
“Immediately was our first follow collectively as a staff in over a month, and so having the ability to construct that chemistry again up (is essential) in order that once we get into the playoffs, it’s fairly seamless.”
Toronto, which sits atop the league standings and is the one staff to have clinched a post-season berth to this point, solely has one recreation this week — enjoying last-place New York on Sunday. That leaves the staff ample time to not simply get a full week of follow, but additionally relaxation.
“It’s big,” Nurse stated. “From a relaxation and restoration standpoint, before everything, to have the ability to not must journey and never must play video games, it’s fairly large. Clearly that’s very robust on the physique.
“Additionally, going again to chemistry … we actually haven’t had follow, so we haven’t been in a position to work on any particular groups. Penalty kill and energy play within the playoffs turn into so essential and so essential, so to have the ability to work on that all through this week is essential.”
Nurse, who scored twice, together with the time beyond regulation winner in opposition to Montreal, was one among seven gamers who performed for Canada on the world championship in the course of the worldwide break. Canada, led by Toronto head coach Troy Ryan, earned gold with a 6-5 time beyond regulation win over the archrival United States on April 14 in Utica, N.Y.
The victory served as a reminder of what Toronto is chasing, stated staff captain and Canada ahead Blayre Turnbull.
“You come again, and also you’re on a little bit of a excessive, and also you need to chase that feeling once more,” Turnbull stated. “It was a pleasant reminder for us of how particular it’s to win and it’s a sense that you really want this Toronto staff to expertise.”
Nevertheless, it’s not one thing that’s mentioned a lot among the many staff.
“We’ve talked about it, I assume a bit bit firstly of the 12 months,” Turnbull stated. “We haven’t actually touched on it a lot since we’ve been again. I feel it’s simply a kind of issues that, you don’t really want to debate it an excessive amount of in a staff sport.
“The expectation is that everybody desires to win and all people loves the sensation of profitable a championship.”
Ryan stated whereas the main focus stays on the playoffs, there are little issues in thoughts to assist preserve the staff motivated, together with profitable the season sequence in opposition to every staff within the league.
Toronto swept 5 video games in opposition to Montreal and is up in opposition to each different staff besides Ottawa, which they are going to meet within the regular-season finale at house on Could 5.
“‘There may be additionally some issues on the road, little delight issues,” Ryan stated. “I feel we’re tied proper now for targets for within the league (54 with Ottawa), I feel we’re two targets again in targets in opposition to (to Minnesota) within the league.
“So there are little issues that may preserve you on monitor and offer you little issues that inspire you however you solely would do any of that to maintain you centered for playoffs. That’s the entire aim proper now.”
