The Toronto Maple Leafs continued their current skid by losing to the Boston Bruins in a 4-3 overtime decision Saturday night. And Leafs fans who are paying close attention have every right to be concerned about the direction and performance of this group.
OT WIN FOR THE BRUINS! đ»
Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak go to work to secure the @Energizer overtime win! pic.twitter.com/1vuHwtAQr5
— NHL (@NHL) October 27, 2024
Once again, the Leafsâ power play was the pits, going 0-for-3 and dropping on the season to 29th overall at just 10 percent efficiency. Toronto assistant coach Marc Savard needs to come up with a solution for the power play, and quickly, as this element of Torontoâs game is completely unacceptable.
Also unacceptable â the overall urgency in Torontoâs game. The Buds had just five shots on net in the first period, and only six shots on net in the third frame. Does that sound competitive to you? It shouldnât. The overall effort from Leafs players against Boston brings to mind coach Craig Berubeâs comments after Thursdayâs loss to St. Louis, telling media his team was playing âa little cuteâ and playing âlazy hockeyâ. He was absolutely right, and that was evident yet again Saturday. Through 10 percent of the season, the Buds have disappointed as often as they’ve thrived, and that’s all on them.
Related: Berube Accuses Maple Leafs’ Stars Of Playing ‘Too Cutesy’ and ‘Lazy Hockey’
The Leafs canât expect goalies Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll to steal game after game for them. There needs to be a group effort to be more consistent and less lackadaisical, and it starts from captain Auston Matthews and assistant captain Mitch Marner and extends down through the rest of the lineup.
From a positive point of view, Toronto is finally getting some decent production on offense from their defense corps. Morgan Rielly scored his second goal of the year Saturday, and first-year Leaf Chris Tanev got his first regular-season point with the team. Led by veteran Oliver Ekman-Larsson (one goal, five points), the Leafsâ defense is more well-rounded than it was last season. And while it was encouraging to see Matthews post a goal and two points and to see Marner generating three assists in a single game for the second time this season, Toronto management has to be worried that theyâre not getting the proper balance of solid play at both ends of the ice.
The Leafs must be better in a hurry, as their next stretch of 10 games â including showdowns against Winnipeg, Seattle, St. Louis, Minnesota. Boston, Detroit, Montreal, Ottawa, Washington and Edmonton â doesnât have a single ‘gimme’ game in it. If Toronto isnât careful, they could soon fall deep down the Atlantic Division standings and be forced to chase a wild-card Stanley Cup playoff berth the rest of the way this season. And thatâs hugely frustrating, as they have more than enough talent to be on the winning side of the ledger much more often than not, and theyâre relatively healthy compared to some of their opponents.
Leafs Nation is already exhausted by the Jekyll-and-Hyde performance to begin this season. More of the same will be met with a chorus of boos the next time theyâre playing at home, and rightfully so. Toronto has demonstrated theyâre one of the more inconsistent teams in the league, and until that changes, they deserve to be called on the carpet by fans, media and coaches alike. Thereâs no excuse for what weâre seeing from them as of late, and theyâre now even more under the microscope as management tries to figure out what ails them.
For the most part, itâs usually true that things in Toronto arenât as good or as bad as they sometimes seem. But the Leafsâ current stretch of stumbling is indeed concerning, and they need to atone for it in a hurry. If they canât do that, Leafs brass should be looking into notable roster alterations. Nothing less than a streak of wins will undo the damage thatâs already been done in Toronto, and Berube, GM Brad Treliving and Budsâ players will either be part of the solution or be part of the problem.
News Summary:
- Toronto Maple Leafs Must Fix Inconsistencies After Another Disappointing Loss
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