Toronto Maple Leafs Done in By the Power-Play Again

The Toronto Maple Leafs lost last night’s game 5-2 to the Winnipeg Jets.

While the Toronto Maple Leafs generated some good scoring opportunities and Alex Galchenyuk opened the scoring four minutes into the game (getting his second goal with the Leafs), it wasn’t enough for them to win after the Jets scored three goals in three minutes.

William Nylander hasn’t played in the last five games and Auston Matthews was out last night for an injury similar to the one that kept him from playing earlier this season. Perhaps, we can speculate and say the team really needs these two guys and hope they’re back soon.

And while this is most likely to be true, I think a more important issue here is the momentum the Leafs lost after their first powerplay, in which they were 0/4 overall yesterday.

Toronto Maple Leafs Power Play

On four powerplays, including a minute of 5 on 3, the Leafs were not able to capitalize. I would even say it cost them their momentum and, eventually, the game. A few minutes after the Leafs’ power play ended, it was the Jets’ turn to get one, and they scored only nine seconds in.

In the following three minutes, they managed to get two more shots, which both resulted in goals and in Jack Campbell being pulled out and David Rittich coming in.

Although Campbell felt responsible for these three goals, I don’t think he’s the only one to blame, especially considering that two of these goals happened on odd-man rushes, for which the defense wasn’t much help since they were too slow and tired to get back into their zone.

I think the reason why the power play is truly starting to be a problem, and why it was especially obvious last night, is that the team is so involved in making plays and trying to score that it cost them two goals when the defense was not fast enough to come back and do their job: defend.

While the Leafs still managed to win many games without scoring on their power play, I think it’s time to really address and work on this issue because it’s clearly starting to mess with their heads. So, solving their power play problem could be a huge boost for them and their confidence.

So, the first period ended with a score of 3-1 Jets. But then, John Tavares scored a goal in the second period, which made the game now 3-2 Jets. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough, and another costly mistake in the third period ended up in a fourth goal for the Jets.

Eventually, the Leafs pulled Rittich, which resulted in an empty-net goal, giving the final score of 5-2 Jets. While the Leafs generated some good chances, they were outplayed by the other team and the final score reflected that.

The Leafs are still #1 in the North Division, with three points ahead of the Jets, who they will be facing three more times next week. These games could be a big tell in who will be first in the division by the end of the regular season.

In the meantime, the Leafs are expected to face the Canucks on Monday at 9 p.m. EST, which gives the team an opportunity to rest for a few days. Hopefully, Matthews and Nylander will be back by then and the team will have figured out some of their struggles.