COLUMBUS, OHIO—Josh Leivo has done what Frankie Corrado couldn’t: Make the most of an opportunity and stay in the lineup.
Leivo played his fourth game in a row on Wednesday, with Nikita Soshnikov a healthy scratch, after a three-point performance on Tuesday.
“Life’s real simple: You do good things, and good things happen to you,” said coach Mike Babcock. “You grind every day, you work hard, you keep a good attitude. When you get your opportunity and do something, you get another opportunity. If you don’t, someone else gets the opportunity.
“Everyone thinks the coach decides who plays. No chance. They decide who plays. I just watch.”
It was Leivo’s sixth game of the season. He was a healthy scratch for 20 games, after being injured for the first 30.
“It helps develop confidence,” Leivo said. “I have to keep playing the same way I’ve been playing.”
Leivo, as the 13th forward, needed just one injury to crack the lineup. Corrado, as the eighth defenceman, needed two injuries. He got into two games before being sent to the Marlies.
“When there’s a little bit of competition inside the room, it’s good,” said Leivo. “You have to be ready when the coach calls us.”
MAC ATTACK: Goalie Curtis McElhinney returned to Columbus for the first time since being waived by the Blue Jackets, offering his thanks to that organization and the Maple Leafs for the chance to play.
“The biggest thing is to get a chance to play in the NHL,” said McElhinney. “Toronto has extended that to me.”
He said the game against the Blue Jackets was just a game, nothing more.
“For me, as a backup, I’m hopeful to play games, regardless of who you’re playing against. The fact I get to play in a familiar building is a great opportunity.”
OLDEST PLAYER: While coach Mike Babcock holds Curtis McElhinney up as a consummate pro and a role model for younger players, those same younger players don’t mind poking some fun at the 33-year-old goalie.
“He’s been great, he’s taken over the role as the oldest guy on the team,” said 19-year-old rookie Auston Matthews. “But he’s an awesome guy. Laid back. He’s fit in really well for us.”
Babcock’s take?
“McElhinney is a real good pro. Wants to stay in the league. We like him. He works hard every day. He works so hard, he makes your starter work harder. Good person. Good to be around.”
HARD TO WIN: Babcock said he believed the Blue Jackets were on the rise as far back as 2008-09, Columbus’s first time in the playoffs. They lost to Babcock’s Red Wings. They have been in the playoffs only once since but look like a sure thing this season.
“We beat them in the first round, but it was the coming of the Blue Jackets,” said Babcock. “You think they’re coming. But this is a hard league. It’s hard to be good every year. This team struggled for a while. They got good depth, good veteran players, good kids, good goaltending.”
NEW DAY: Matthews is not among those who believe momentum carries over from one game to another. “It’s a new day, you forget about it and move on.”
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