The Toronto Maple Leafs end their five-game homestand with a brutal and embarrassing 7-4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres.
The Maple Leafs came back home following a very successful road trip then came back home to play the worst hockey of the season and one of the most important times of the season.
The Maple Leafs and Sabres had a back-and-forth game until the Sabres took over heading into the third period and rode that lead all the way to the end.
The Maple Leafs got off to a hot start, taking an early lead, something Leafs fans haven't seen on this homestand. The Maple Leafs were able to regain the lead following a Sabres tying goal. This lead did not last long for the Maple Leafs as the Sabres struck to tie the game just three minutes later. The Sabres were then able to get a late goal in the first to take a 3-2 lead heading into the second.
The Maple Leafs got off to a good start in the second period, with a goal from Bobby McMann to tie the game once again. The rest of the second period was tight and tense, but a late deflection goal gave the Sabres the lead heading into the third.
This is where the Maple Leafs fell apart. Just 15 seconds in the third, Alex Tuch ripped one past Joseph Woll to extend the Sabres' lead to two. From there, the Sabres never looked back, adding another goal to give them a three-goal lead. The Maple Leafs showed some fight at the end of the third, making it a two-goal game, but it was ultimately not enough.
What went wrong for the Leafs
The Maple Leafs did not play a 60-minute effort during Tuesday night's game, which led to the final score. The Leafs were a step slow at times throughout the game, which came back to bite them. This was shown at the beginning of the third period with the Sabres scoring just 15 seconds into the third. The Leafs were not ready to go, and let the Sabres take control of the game.
When the Maple Leafs needed big moments down the stretch, they weren't able to get an answer. While this game is not solely on Joseph Woll, you need your starting netminder to be better. Allowing six goals in a must-win is not acceptable. At some point, you need some saves to keep you in the game. I don't believe anyone in particular played a terrible game, but nobody played a great game. To win in the NHL, you need players to take control and take over the game, and the Leafs have not gotten that as of late.
The Maple Leafs not meeting the challenge
This game meant a lot to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and they simply did not meet the challenge. The Leafs need a miracle, going down the final stretch of the season. The projection to make the playoffs is 97 points. To achieve this, the Maple Leafs are going to win their next 20 of 29 games. At this point in the season, it seems highly unlikely the Maple Leafs can do this. The Maple Leafs need to find some magic on their upcoming road trip.
Leafs need to find ways to win
The Maple Leafs' leadership core and Craig Berube need to find new ways to win because what they are currently doing is definitely not working. Berube had a conversation with the Maple Leafs leadership core, but it seemed to go in one ear and out the other.
This showed during Tuesday night's loss against the Sabres. The Maple Leafs, who went into the third period, had their worst period of the game. With the circumstances of the season, it may have been one of the worst periods of the entire season.
Inconsistency is killing the Maple Leafs
The Leafs are widely inconsistent. They went on a stretch just three weeks ago, where they went 8-0-2, and just finished a homestand 0-4-1. This type of consistent play will not be acceptable coming down the stretch, or else they will keep digging themselves into a deeper hole. At this point in the season, the Maple Leafs can't be buyers; they need to start thinking towards the future and retooling for years to come. Brad Treliving has said that they want to buy, but I'm not sure how you can justify this at this point in the season.
The Maple Leafs will need to look at themselves in the mirror and have one-on-one conversations with each other to figure out where they need to go from here. This season is far from over, but it could come to an end relatively soon. Expect the Maple Leafs to come out with urgency from here on out, because every game holds a significant value to the standings.