The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to struggle as they get dominated on Saturday against the St. Louis Blues 5-1. This game was just a constant reminder of why the Maple Leafs sit towards the bottom of the NHL.
Craig Berube criticizes Maple Leafs after ugly loss to Blues
Craig Berube highlighted another disappointing night for the Maple Leafs, summing up the entirety of the season in one sentence.
"But again, if you don’t have urgency and you are not competitive, you are just letting each other down. You’re letting that sweater down. That is the bottom line," Berube said after the game.
Time and time again this season, the Maple Leafs have simply not shown up for the game and often get dominated by their opponents.
Berube did speak highly of Joseph Woll, though.
"We had one player who showed up tonight, and that was our goalie. That is really what it boils down to."
Despite giving up five goals, the game could have been far more lopsided as he faced 38 shots. With Woll being a Missouri native, everyone knew this was a big game for him, and the final result will always be disappointing, no matter where you are in the standings.
Maple Leafs slide down the standings
The Maple Leafs won their two previous games over the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers, and it seemed as if they were building momentum heading into Saturday; however, right from the beginning of the puck drop, it was very evident who the better team was. "It’s very disappointing. I thought the last couple of games were pretty good, and we were building. As I talked about, we were staying competitive and playing together out there. We did not have that tonight." Berube said postgame.
The Maple Leafs continue to slide down the standings, as they now sit 24th in the entire NHL, while being two points ahead of the Blues for that all-important bottom-five spot. Toronto is set for a Western Conference road trip that begins against the Anaheim Ducks on Monday.