Defensive Play and Matt Murray
In three of the four goals, Matt Murray was forced into a tough situation following defensive mistakes and misreads. His team generally left him out to dry with multiple 2 on 1 rushes, bad block attempts (including Justin Holl’s screen of his own goaltender), and a horrible attempt of a breakout play by Jake Muzzin.
Could this be because the season just started?
Yep, definitely.
But that doesn’t make it any less concerning.
The first two goals by Cole Caufield were a 2v1, and the last two were from bad zone coverage. Odd-man rushes with a guy like Caufield will usually work in the Canadiens’ favor thanks to his natural goal-scoring ability, and any team will score if you continually break down your coverage.
You can’t blame Matt Murray, but you can blame the defense. The odd-man rushes really shouldn’t have happened if the team is playing with patience and focus. The third goal was a bad block by Muzzin, leading to a goal on the rebound, and the fourth was ANOTHER bad play by Muzzin as he gave Suzuki the puck on a silver platter, who then passed to Josh Anderson. Murray was screened by Holl, and the Canadiens win the game.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have to be cleaner on breakouts and focus on their defensive scheme. Too many times Murray was caught in a tough situation, and his own teammates were the reason why. The Leafs made far too many mistakes on defense and transition, and this has to change against the Capitals.
That said, you can’t knock Matt Murray for his first game. Let’s see how they do tonight with the same lineup going in front of Ilya Samsonov.