Toronto Maple Leafs: West Coast Woes, Three in a Row
That was a game that the Toronto Maple Leafs couldn’t steal.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are now 10 games (in a row) without a win against the San Jose Sharks, dating back to their last win on January 11, 2011.
That’s three straight losses.
It sure would’ve been nice for Patrick Marleau had the Leafs been able to win the game, but nevertheless, the standing ovation for him beforehand was something special.
The good folk working the booth last night said it best, the fans in San Jose are classy, spot on.
Not too often do we get to see something like that in the NHL, a former team celebrating one of their former stars for minutes of cheering and applauding with no animosity.
It just goes to show you how much of a humble guy Marleau is and the role he played for the Sharks and their community.
Patty is truly a legend and he’s now a Leafs legend, but enough about all of that, let’s get to the team statistical comparison.
I know it’s your favorite.
Outlook
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Okay, what did I watch last night?
That wasn’t the Leafs I know and love, they looked sloppy, tired, slow, nothing like the Leafs of the first five games of the season.
You know who did look on point, though?
Frederik Andersen, I guess the wheels aren’t coming off the bus in regards to him, but I won’t stomp that to death just yet, eventually.
The Sharks were the better team, hands down, and should’ve locked the game away at the end of the second period, but they were unable to deliver the knock out punch.
Turnovers galore, especially in the neutral zone and behind the Leafs net, but there was a few in the defensive zone and I’m thinking of one in particular from Auston Matthews.
Usually, when someone turns it over in their own zone, the puck ends up in their net, but thanks to Matthews defensive play, he was able to make up for his mistake.
Alright, enough banter, here’s the chart.
| Team | SOG | TFO% | PP | PIM | HITS | BLKS | GVA |
| Leafs | 18 | 45% | 0/0 | 8 | 18 | 21 | 4 |
| Sharks | 39 | 55% | 1/4 | 0 | 13 | 25 | 13 |
Sharks outshot the Leafs, they controlled the dot (one of the few times this season the Leafs haven’t won 50% or more) and they didn’t take any penalties (check your phone ref, I think you missed a few calls).
Those are the main points that killed the Leafs, especially the fact that the officiating wasn’t great, again.
Huh, that gives me an idea for a Halloween costume, but I’ll see if anyone can guess what I’m thinking of before I belt it out.
Individual Statistics
There were a couple individuals who stood out to me last night, but we’ll start with the list.
- Auston Matthews: one goal
- Andreas Borgman: one goal
- William Nylander: one assist
- Leo Komarov: one assist
- Nikita Zaitsev: one assist
- Morgan Rielly: one assist
That Matthews goal was just unfair, what skill to kick the puck up and roof it, just a thing of beauty, but I won’t go too in-depth with it just yet, I’ll save it for my other article.
Another note is that Borgman appeared to score, but then they said that it was Nazem Kadri’s and today, it looks like it’s Borgman’s.
There’s a chance it could be Kadri’s, which would mean that Borgman would get an assist, but if not, that’s his first NHL goal.
Last, but not least, Andersen had that game he needed, just couldn’t get the win, but that’s not on him at all.
If it weren’t for him, the Leafs would’ve lost the game in the second period, but he made 36 good saves on 38 good shots (one empty netter), posting a .947 Sv%, increasing his year total to .896.
Things are going to continue to turn around for him, be optimistic.