Toronto Maple Leafs: Take a Page From Tampa’s Book

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been really bad in their first two playoff games.

So bad, in fact, that the only players who can feel mildly pleased with their game are the players who sat in the press box for Games 1 and 2: Connor Carrick, Matt Martin, Josh Leivo, and Dominic Moore.

The forwards have looked lost. The defense is in shambles, even more so than we thought they were. And the goaltenders have not been able to stop anything. Not even a feather.

The Boston Bruins top line, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak, has combined for 20 points in two games.

The Toronto Maple Leafs top line, Zach Hyman, Auston Matthews, and William Nylander, has combined for two points. Both those points have come from Hyman, who is not the offensive-driver of that line. So that’s concerning.

That’s all I am going to say about the first two games.

Game 3

This is where the Leafs have to hit the reset button. Not should, they have to. The series isn’t lost until a team loses at home, and right now, all the Bruins did was win two games at TD Garden.

The more concerning thing is exactly how the Leafs have lost those games. They’ve allowed the Bruins to drive them away from their game, which is speed, speed, speed.

Luckily, returning home gives them an advantage with matchups. Mike Babcock should be able to at least shelter one line in the offensive zone, though what line he gives that to remains to be seen.

There are a couple of question marks heading into Monday’s game. First, Leo Komarov’s status. He re-aggravated the knee injury on Saturday night that he sustained colliding with Nylander at the end of the regular season. He probably won’t be playing (though Babcock hasn’t confirmed this yet). As for who replaces him, I’m thinking Babcock moves Dominic Moore back in.

The second one was answered this morning when Babcock said Frederik Andersen would get the start in Game 3.

The third is what the line combinations are going to be on Monday night. We saw the blender come out on Saturday for the first time in a while:

Assuming that Moore slides into Komarov’s spot, there has to be a better way to fix those lines. The fourth line has been abysmal. Matthews has been invisible. The blueline has been a nightmare.

Steve Dangle suggested in his latest LFR that the Leafs dress seven defensemen and have the seventh defenseman play on the fourth line. Honestly, I can never see Babcock doing that, ever, but I’m not going to lie: I’d really like to see what that would look like. Carrick playing fourth line winger might be actually entertaining. Gardiner on the wing would definitely be something.

Tampa Bay & Toronto: The Tale of Two Teams

The Leafs are bad at defence.

It is way, way too late to fix that now. You can’t trade for another one, or call anyone up from the Marlies who is going to turn their defensive woes around. There isn’t another Travis Dermott down there.

What Toronto should do is look down south to what the Tampa Bay Lightning have done in their first two games. Despite the wide point-margin during the regular season, the two teams have a lot in common.

They are built young, with high-octane offense, excellent goaltending, and extremely bad defense. Both teams have arguably the deepest forward lineups and a blueline that can move the puck. I know Tampa Bay has Victor Hedman and the Leafs don’t really have any equivalent (I don’t think Morgan Rielly is quite at his level yet). What the Lightning have done well is embraced they struggle defensively and put their focus in their strength: their offense.

Jon Cooper has iced his best, most offensively-potent lineup, because he knows the Bolts can outscore teams and hold on to win. It is exactly how the Lightning have a 2-0 series lead on the New Jersey Devils right now. He’s not focused on making sure his team is defensively responsible, to the point where it’s sacrificing their offensive production. The Bolts penalty kill was bottom-5 in the NHL in the regular season. That hasn’t stopped them from winning. It doesn’t mean they ignore their own zone completely, but he isn’t playing Dan Girardi and Brayden Coburn 22 minutes a night over Hedman and Mikhail Sergachev.

The Leafs penalty kill, on the other hand, has been so bad that it just might sink them. It might not be such a glaring issue if the Leafs hadn’t taken 10 penalties in two games.

What Cooper does so well is that he doesn’t rest defensive responsibilities solely on three players. It’s not Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh killing every single penalty. The Lightning spread their shorthanded minutes out so well that their top-5 shorthanded ice-time leaders are their top-5 defensemen.

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Babcock, on the other hand, has deployed more ‘defensively-responsible’ players in larger roles. Not just in the first two games, but throughout the entire season. Ron Hainsey and Roman Polak are killing every penalty. Johnsson sits unless there is an injury (or suspension). Josh Leivo has been an afterthought all season. Connor Carrick is toiling away in the pressbox when it’s extremely evident Hainsey needs a break.

Focus on Offense

Forget trying to win the defensive battle. It’s not going to happen. The team isn’t built that way. Forcing players to play defense first, while albeit probably the right move, isn’t going to win the Leafs games right now. If they weren’t good defensively during the regular season, why on earth would they become defensive wizards now?

The Leafs and Babcock could learn a lot from Cooper’s Bolts. Play to the team’s strengths. Play Gardiner and Rielly 30 minutes a night. Put Matthews, Nylander, and Marner on a line. Put Brown, Kapanen, and Johnsson on another. Do something that is going to catch the Bruins off guard, hopefully long enough to win both games at home.

The Leafs have to change their gameplan. Forget trying to be defensive darlings. The Leafs defense was never going to be the reason they won a playoff series. The reason they finished with 105 points in the regular season is because of their high-powered, offensive depth and goaltending.

Next: Is Grundstrom Getting Called Up?

Defense may win championships, but right now, offense is what’s going to win round one. The Lightning know that. The Bruins are doing that. Even the Penguins-Flyers series is all about offense right now.

If the Leafs can’t realize that’s what needs to happen, they’ll be packing their bags on Friday morning.