3 Takeaways from the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 Loss to Vegas

Horrible Defensive Coverage for the Toronto Maple Leafs

First is the horrible defensive coverage we have witnessed.

Last night, TJ Brodie didn’t follow his man, their man-coverage defense in the game resulted in the second goal against, and a third goal from a bad line-change, leaving Victor Mete to defend a 2 on 1.

Ilya Samsonov has some trouble with rebound control, sending pucks out to high-danger areas.  . First, there has to be a zone-coverage system and they can’t just track the opponent’s top player around the ice. That leaves even more open space in an already vulnerable situation.

Essentially, the Toronto Maple Leafs have paired two of the worst possible things a goaltender and his defense could do: Have bad rebound control, and horrible net-front coverage. The Maple Leafs are icing a seventh defenseman in Victor Mete, so this, hypothetically, shouldn’t be too much of an issue once Jake Muzzin and Timothy Liljegren return.

Also… Why was Nylander out there on the PK?

Second Line Carrying Offense

The second line of John Tavares, William Nylander, and Nick Robertson has been carrying the offense as of late as their 20+ million dollar duo in Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner find their game.

Though, results can be deceiving.

The Leafs top line has been their best line, they just aren’t getting rewarded.  It’s only a matter of time.

Robertson has two goals, both coming from his debut, but he still makes a positive impact with his speed and shot. Nylander, when not on the PK, is a solid offensive player despite his tendency to give up on plays.

The most important member of this line, however, is John Tavares, who is back on the shelf with an injury. His hot start to the season was the lone bright spot out of the Maple Leaf’s core, scoring 7 points.

Auston Matthews has six points, and it is really only a matter of time until he starts scoring and Mitch Marner

With Tavares potentially out, Keefe should use this time to make some changes to the lineup. Maybe place Robertson with Matthews and Marner, and Nylander with Michael Bunting and Calle Jarnkrok or Alex Kerfoot.

Anything to get Matthews going should be prioritized, however some changes to the system may also lead to success without lineup changes, and this is the next takeaway.

One Dimensional?

The Toronto Maple Leafs look as if they are running a simulation at times, where every line tries to do the same exact thing and play with little to no energy.

The fourth line should be an energy line, but they play as if they are the top line who should be carrying the puck into the zone, the same goes for the third line as well.

Kyle Clifford and Wayne Simmonds should only be allowed to dump and chase, throwing the body at every LEGAL chance they can while David Kampf mans the blueline. The same goes for the third line where the forecheck has to be more aggressive. No defender is ever scared of turning the puck over because, well, the Toronto Maple Leafs don’t give them any reason to.

Another thing is that the Leafs only seem to have one strategy to score: cycle until there’s a shot, or just shoot whenever possible after the opposition frustrates their plan A. I don’t see any form of adaptation to their game, as if they are trying to force a square peg through a triangular hole at times. It doesn’t seem to work, but they have at it until it really doesn’t work.

The coaches need to have a strategy meeting after this game to cover the bad net-front coverage, the defense as a whole, and how they can help their team fit together and play to their strengths. As of now, it seems as if the Maple Leafs are trying to all play the same style which never works out.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Toronto Maple Leafs have to play a zone-coverage to help keep chances from Samsonov’s rebounds to a minimum.

The man defense doesn’t work at all, and I am not sure why they attempted to try it this game, either. The second line was carrying the offense, but how will it do with John Tavares potentially out? Nick Robertson could be a catalyst for the first line, but only time will tell.

Early in the season, the  Leafs have had repeated flaws to their game, two of which I pointed out here. They cannot continue to make the same mistakes and the coaches can’t continue to ask the players to play the same way, either. They also have to return to the drawing board because what they are trying to do isn’t working.

See, if this was a one time thing, this would not be an issue, but it is a constant problem that has become concerning. There is no way someone can say that this team isn’t flawed after this game, watching the lost defense attempt to play hockey while Ilya Samsonov is trying his best to keep them in the game.

Thankfully, these are fixable but it’s a matter of whether or not the coaches try to. As for Auston Matthews, it really is only a matter of time and once he gets going, so will Mitch Marner and Michael Bunting.

Next game: @ Sharks, Oct.27th.