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The Toronto Maple Leafs Test Our Patience With Another Dud

By James Tanner

Nov 24, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Kings defenseman Sean Durzi (50) and Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Wayne Simmonds (24) battle in front of the net in the first period at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 24, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Kings defenseman Sean Durzi (50) and Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Wayne Simmonds (24) battle in front of the net in the first period at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Toronto Maple Leafs have lost three games in a row.

After nine games, the Toronto Maple Leafs are .500.  They have four wins, four losses, and one overtime loss.

Exactly half the points available to them.

During what is surely the easiest portion of their schedule.

It’s a bad start to the season, and there are extenuating circumstances, but I just don’t see how this team can look at what they’ve failed to accomplish, understand their situation, and then come out and play the first period they played last night.

Keefe’s elite player comments, and the soap opera that followed, were maybe the first sign that he wasn’t the team’s long-term answer.

Things were not looking too good after the San Jose game, and I was thinking before last night’s game that with their coach in obvious trouble, how they played would be a sign of the future.

The first period of last night’s game was one of the worst periods they played all year.  With their coach in trouble, they told us just how much they cared.

Toronto Maple Leafs vs LA Kings

Realistically, I do think the Leafs are going to fire their coach.

I do not think that they should.  (Naturalstattrick.com).

At a certain point, they just need to be perceived to be doing something.  The entire story of this team’s last five years has been “They lost, but…”

And I am the author of many of those stories.  I believe it.  The hardest thing to do when things go badly is nothing.  But often that’s the best thing to do.

The Toronto Maple Leafs still have the best roster in the NHL, and I still they they will win the President’s Trophy, Atlantic Division and the Stanley Cup.

But I could use some kind of reaction from the team? I don’t want them to fire Keefe, but if they did or do, I would understand. I would appreciate the fact they acted emotionally.

Should you really fire the coach when the New York Islanders lead the NHL in 5v5 goals, and the Toronto Maple Leafs are 26th?  We know that isn’t likely to be the case after the sample size grows.

The Leafs currently have the 3rd lowest shooting-percentage (5v5) in the NHL.

Auston Matthews has a 65% Expected Goals rating, and the Leafs are just only breaking even with him on the ice.

While the team isn’t exactly destroying their opponents, if Matthews just had an underwhelming six goals in nine games, instead of just two, then the Leafs would have won several games that could have gone either way. And if that happened, we’d be reasonably happy with team, and pretty optimistic, so maybe that’s were we should be right now.

Next. 5 Ways to Burn That LTIR Money. dark

Last night’s game was weird.  The Leafs probably deserved to win, but I get sick of saying that and you get sick of hearing it.  I really just need them to win 8-0 today.

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