The Toronto Maple Leafs had a 3% Expected Goals rating after what simply has to be one of the worst periods of hockey this team has played since the third period of Game Seven against the Boston Bruins in 2013.
The New Jersey Devils didn't just dominate the Toronto Maple Leafs last night, a new word had to first be invented before what they did to them could even be discussed.
Keefed Verb. In a game of hockey, a performance so good it shouldn't be possible, only for it to be ruined by the opposing team's goalie.
Sheldon Keefe, ex Coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, would already have himself a Stanley Cup or two if his team's didn't consistently get Keefed. (stats naturalstattrick.com).
The Maple Leafs Played So Badly, It Was Embarrassing to Win
I think that last night was the kind of game you don't really want to win because you're getting rewarded for bad habits and bad plays, which can cost you more points than you gain down the road.
What I mean is that sometimes you play so poorly that you learn a lesson. Whatever lesson the Leafs could have learned was lost when Auston Matthews buried the puck in overtime, giving the Leafs one of their most improbable wins, maybe ever.
It's hard to find anyone who played well last night. Matthews had four or five breakaways, which would normally be good, but most of them were short-handed and few of them required the goalie to do much more than stand there.
Other than Matthews, the only guy who showed up was Anthony Stolraz, who, if not for Connor Hellebuyck and the fact that he has to split games with Joseph Woll, would be the current Vezina Trophy frontrunner. He's been that good.
Overall, the New Jersey Devils doubled the Leafs scoring chances and dangerous scoring chances. Worst of all was that Craig Berube was completely and utterly embarassed by the guy he replaced.
This game should serve as a wake-up call to the Leafs about the lines they use, about the players they put in their lineup, their lack of depth at centre ice, and their incredibly bad blue-line.
The reason the Leafs were so putrid last night shouldn't be a shock to anyone who looked at their lineup before the game. The Leafs tried to beat one of the NHL's best teams with Phillipe Myers and Oliver Ekman-Larsson in their top-four. They also dressed Simon Benoit and Conor Timmins, meaning that they faced a top team with 4 x AHL defnseman in their lineup.
Good luck with that going forward!