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One of the first things Craig Berube felt during his first Maple Leafs training camp was the potential for a heavyweight fourth line to give his new players a refreshed identity.

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Ryan Reaves (6-foot-2, 225 pounds) and center David Kampf (6-foot-2, about 200) were already in place, but bringing in free agent Steven Lorentz (6-foot-4, 216) was an ideal complement to this day. A crash-and-bang/energy troika isn’t a new concept, but Toronto has rarely put this much weight on it.

In Friday’s 3-1 win, they helped outscore the Red Wings in the third period as the Leafs clung to a one-goal lead, keeping a steady shift instead of Berube going on a bench shortened before John Tavares sealed it with an empty goal. sharper.

Lorentz came from a Stanley Cup-winning Florida Panthers roster that also emphasized size.

“For me, it was a smooth transition from last year, a band that played big and heavy,” Lorentz said Friday morning.

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“That’s also what Kampf and Reavo bring. It still takes time to get on the same page on a lot of things, but when your mindset is the same as those two guys, not cheating for offense and playing the right way, success will come.

Bérubé likes other teams to look over their shoulders during the forecheck.

“Lorentz and Kampf are also killing penalties and doing a good job,” Berube said. “Reaves is out there…and people know he’s out there. He skates well. This is what we need from them. This rubs off on the rest of the team.

ROOM NOW

Triple Gold club member Pavel Datsyuk naturally had the biggest hand during the pre-game ceremony from a Red Wings-clad crowd as the seven new members of the Hockey Hall of Fame were presented before Monday’s official induction.

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Among the honored members in the welcome line on the blue carpet were defenseman Larry Murphy – who played for both teams – and two other Leafs, outgoing president Lanny McDonald and new Mike Gartner.

“I know several of these guys,” Bérubé said as he watched the parade of stars pass by the Leafs bench. “I go back a long way with Lanny, to the early 1990s in Calgary. Very happy for everyone who was inducted.

Jeremy Roenick also received a warm welcome, although he has done his best over the years to antagonize the Leafs, especially during the playoffs, saying he is sometimes recognized on the street during his visits here.

“The fans are like, ‘We hate you, we hate you… oh, we love you,'” he laughed.

ALL HAND ON DECK

A wild third-period rush saw Anthony Stolarz make a save after his blocker was knocked down, then grab the loose puck with his bare hand while lying on his back. He even held it up to show the officials.

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“I moved around a little bit, (Detroit’s Lucas) Raymond was alone in front, my blocker got stuck in someone’s skate or stick,” said Stolarz, who made a few saves without his goal stick these days. lately. “I just saw the puck and I knew I had to get it out of there. At any rate.

Teammate Mitch Marner was happy to see him escape injury.

“I didn’t know where the puck was,” he said. “It was a bit of a dog pound in there. It’s nice to see him come out of there with the puck in hand and still his five fingers.

FLAME FILM

NHL vice president and constructor candidate Colin Campbell has been hailed as one of the founding fathers of video replay and the pregame war room. But there was plenty of grumbling at Scotiabank Arena when Nick Robertson’s goal was called back in the first half by Derek Lalonde’s coaching challenge.

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After some penalty grounds for Marco Kasper for hitting Stolarz were ignored, Bobby McMann and Robertson took to the ice, with McMann collecting a piece from Cam Talbot as he buzzed toward the net and centered on Robertson.

Talbot was very deep in his net, which should have helped McMann’s case, but officials ruled that McMann made contact with his head nonetheless. That erased what would have been Robertson’s second much-needed goal of the season in his 100th career game.

HOLL AND NOTES

Former Leaf Justin Holl has been used sporadically so far this year, but returned to the lineup Friday.

Lalonde praised Holl for waiting his turn while Detroit played young defensemen.

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“It was fun,” Holl said. “But here (no Wings plays instruments). So I left alone.

POTVIN PASSAGE

John Tavares flirted with career NHL great Denis Potvin of the New York Islanders, scoring all night long.

After Tavares’ power play strike in the second period to give Toronto a 2-1 lead, it was noted that the official scorer had readjusted the first goal after Marner had initially been credited. That would have been point No. 1,053 to pass Potvin for 78th in league history, but it was changed a second time — back to Marner — before Tavares’ empty net did the trick.

“I have a ton of respect for Denis and I got to know him playing there as long as I did,” Tavares said of his predecessor as captain. “It’s special when something like this happens, when you look at what he’s accomplished in his career and in a place where I played.”

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LOOSE LEAVES

While his birth certificate was often the source of much speculation, Leafs Hall of Famer Johnny Bower would have turned 100 on Friday… While playing for the Coyotes, Roenick remembers working in a health clinic hockey in Phoenix attended by a young Matthews…Saturday’s Leafs game against The visit to Montreal will include a pre-game Remembrance Day celebration…The Wings will also face the Rangers at home on Saturday. Ville Husso, who cleared waivers, was recalled on an emergency basis after Alex Lyons, who was supposed to start against Toronto, developed a lower-body issue. Husso was scheduled to play against New York

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