Decisive Win Masks What Toronto Maple Leafs Still Need to Improve

After a crucial Game 1 loss in their Stanley Cup Qualifiers, the Toronto Maple Leafs came out ready to perform for Game 2.

Matching up against the defensive-minded Columbus Blue Jackets was already positioned to be a tougher battle than many were assuming it would be, for the offense first Toronto Maple Leafs.

After a 2-0 loss to start this play-in series, the Maple Leafs experienced that first hand. Going down a game early in a best-of-5 round means even more, as there isn’t much time for a team to rebound.

Toronto was flat in that first game. They weren’t as quick as Columbus, didn’t land as many shots, played a less physical game, and simply failed to do enough to compete how they’ll need to.

Game 2 of this round was going to be crucial, as the Maple Leafs would not only need to answer for their initial misses but they’d have to secure the win to have any hope left for their qualifiers.

Not only did they show up and tie the series 1-1, but they looked like most would expect them to. It doesn’t mean the Blue Jackets are any less of a challenge, just that Toronto finally came ready to compete.

Battling Back Into the Series

It was a decisive victory, as the Maple Leafs took Game 2 down by a score of 3-0 and almost doubled the Blue Jackets in shots on net, 39-20. They seemed rested and ready, far quicker and more creative than in Game 1.

If it weren’t for Joonas Korpisalo‘s efforts in net for Columbus, there’s no question that this score would have been far more lopsided. His .947 save percentage doesn’t truly illustrate the opportunity he gave his team compete.

Good thing for the Maple Leafs and their fans, Toronto’s stars simply shined brighter from puck drop and throughout every period. They maintained more control of this game, helping Frederik Andersen earn the shutout.

Being lead by captain John Tavares, this was a full team effort and showcased the bare minimum of what will be necessary for Toronto to overcome and bypass this Blue Jackets roster.

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That said, there are still some parts of Toronto’s game that will need to be addressed if they expect further success. These areas were masked by what went well, but won’t be for long.

Power Play

Toronto earned a 6th place power play ranking this past season, with a conversion rate of 23.1%. Given the type of offensive talent that flows through their lineup, this should be to their benefit in the post-season.

Unfortunately, that prolific production potential has failed to show up in the same manner thus far. They have had six attempts with an extra man through two games and haven’t yet converted once.

Hits

The Maple Leafs aren’t designed to be an overly physical team and that leads to much debate over whether their construction can be effective in this league. This roster doesn’t need to overpower their opponents, but they do need to hold their own.

To no one’s surprise, Columbus has been playing a more physical game than the Maple Leafs with 65 hits to Toronto’s 44. Toronto needs to tighten up that 32% variance, as it will catch up to them quickly.

Takeaways

This is an easy stat to overlook. Ultimately, the score will tell the story of who succeeded through any match-up. However, and quite obviously, any in-game scenario wherein a team overtakes control then means they have more opportunity to impact the scoreboard.

Columbus has accumulated 15 takeaways to Toronto’s nine through two games. The Toronto Maple Leafs need to tighten up their puck possession and own even more areas of the ice the rest of the way to make it out of this round.

That all said, and important to note, the Leafs have had greater possession than Columbus and a team doesn’t typically throw hits or concern themselves with takeaways when they have the puck. But there still needs to be a shift of these numbers in Toronto’s favour, as it would mean further dominance where it lacks and throughout every shift.

There’s no denying the impressive display the Toronto Maple Leafs put together to tie this series up, but there are still ways they need to improve. With it becoming a best-of-3, every effort, play, and match-up now matters that much more.