The Toronto Maple Leafs lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets last night in what must have been the season's most instructive loss.
The Toronto Maple Leafs didn't play bad at all, but they sure didn't win. Most of the time this season, the Leafs have been bailed out by extremely good goaltending that makes their team look better than they are.
Last night against Columbus it was the opposite: the Leafs played well, and their goalie was terrible. You simply are not going to lose many games where you almost double your opponents 5v5 scoring chances and get 3 power-plays while taking zero penalties.
Though it was a loss, there were several positives: Ryan Reaves had his first fight of the season *(and I'm pretty sure, his second breakaway), Nylander had his usual two or three breakaways, Auston Matthews could easily have had four goals, and Nick Robertson nearly made the highlight reals with a beautiful spin-o-rama pass (unfortunately, it was to Domi).
Though the Leafs deserved a better result, I feel like they learned a few things tonight that could help them going forward. (Stats naturalstattrick.com).
What the Maple Leafs Learned, or Should Have Learned, Last Night
Dennis Hildeby isn't currently an NHL goalie. This guy lets in too many bad goals and is a clear number-four on the depth chart. With Matt Murray dominating the AHL, this is hopefully the last time we see Hildeby this year. He has a bright future, but he isn't ready.
Rielly-McCabe is a stupid pairing. I realize the need to get Rielly better, but McCabe/Tanev is rock-solid and shouldn't be messed with. The change resulted in OEL leading the Leafs in 5v5 ice-time, which, no thanks. On a night were the Leafs had 62% of the scoring chances, their top pairing lost their minutes. OEL is most effective on the 3rd pairing, not the 1st pairing. Berube should know better by know.
Centre Depth a Major Problem. Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner and Matthew Knies had great games. They were dominant when on the ice, and the reason the Leafs should have won this game. But depth is a major issue when they don't score, and last night was no exception.
Fraser Minten is a questionable NHL player at this point. Probably not ready for a regular role on a championship team. Let's be honest.
And the main lesson from last night? Stop wasting offensive zone faceoffs on the worst players. The Leafs gave Max Domi 9 offensive zone faceoffs (the most on the night) last night vs 1 each in the neutral and dzones. Timmins and Benoit started 8 times in the Ozone for the Leafs.
If the Leafs could have given Auston Matthews 9 extra Ozone faceoffs last night, maybe they actually win the game.