Toronto Maple Leafs: Matthews Absence Not to Blame for Loss

Four shots in the first period? Are we sure those weren’t the 2013 Toronto Maple Leafs?

Scotiabank Arena came ever so close to seeing the Toronto Maple Leafs come back from 2-0 down for the second straight game. But unfortunately it was not meant to be as the Calgary Flames hit the empty netter with six seconds left and held on for a 3-1 victory.

Before we look into the game, this loss is not because the Maple Leafs lost Auston Matthews for four weeks due to injury. Yes the team had to get accustomed to their new lines rather quickly but that isn’t an excuse for why the Leafs’ offense looked like it was stuck in mud and constantly passed away golden scoring opportunities.

One loss is not going to keep this Maple Leafs squad from making the playoffs, but there are moments where fans are allowed to be frustrated with this team, and last night was one of those moments.

Stop passing the puck!

Creating passing lanes in the offensive zone and moving the puck to keep the goalie guessing and putting him out of position is a critical part of hockey. It’s how teams like the Washington Capitals are able to set up Alex Ovechkin for his patented one-timer from the face off circle. The Maple Leafs tried to do this last night…way too much. The Leafs always attempted the cross ice pass in the offensive zone to set up someone on the wing, hoping to move Mike Smith around in his crease. Watching this happen every time the Leafs had control of the puck made me want to pull my hair out.

The Maple Leafs have John Tavares, Mitch Marner and Nazem Kadri, three of the most dangerous shots in the NHL, and they try to replicate the Harlem Globetrotters and set up ridiculous passing plays to put the goalie on his stomach with no chance of a save. Just shoot the puck! Hope for a rebound! In his previous three games Smith had allowed 13 goals and the Leafs let him get a nice rebound win! Don’t blame the absence of Matthews or William Nylander for the Leafs only putting up 25 shots against a Flames team that was allowing 31.5 shots per game before last night. It was frustrating in every sense of the word.

Elsewhere in Toronto Maple Leafs Land

Kadri scored his third goal in three games, silencing critics and performing admirably. Yes he has a great contract that can be moved rather easily, but I like having Matthews, Tavares and Kadri as our centre depth, so let’s calm down on the trade talks.

The Maple Leafs power play is now scoreless in their last five games, last scoring on Patrick Marleau’s first period tally against the Los Angeles Kings on October 15th.

The defense looked strong last night, with the new top pairing of Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner showing everyone why they should be the top pair for every game. If only this performance had come on a night where the offense could score more than one goal.

The Maple Leafs appeared to tie the game late in the third on a shot that hit the outside of the net, but remained stuck there, giving it the appearance that it was stuck inside the net. The Flames would hit the empty net moments later to seal the win.

It was a long night for the Toronto Maple Leafs and it felt even longer for their fans. From the four shot first period to the first goal of the game not being scored until almost midway through the third period, it was a slog of a game to get through. As stated previously one loss isn’t going to keep the Leafs out of the playoffs, it’s always important to stay positive, but that doesn’t mean Leafs Nation can’t be frustrated by their team’s performance on Monday night.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a few days off before their next game, a Thursday night home tilt against a Dallas Stars squad that they defeated 7-4 on October 9th.