Last night, the Toronto Maple Leafs lost their third-straight road hockey game. This time they were beaten by the Los Angeles Kings by a score of 4-2. It was not a pretty game for the team.
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However, there’s no time to wallow. Tonight the Maple Leafs shuffle into Anaheim to play the Ducks. Can they stop the bleeding? Then, is it too early to ask: “What if they can’t?”
Item One: Maple Leafs Are Not a Confident Team
The Maple Leafs simply look as if they lack confidence – in every aspect of the game. Perhaps the only players who are playing well include second-line center John Tavares, aging defenseman Mark Giordano, and newcomer goalie Ilya Samsonov. Even Auston Matthews looks like something is bothering him.
(Photo by Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images)
If we knew that Matthews was 100 percent, which I’m betting he isn’t, this would be a time for him to take over and carry the team on his back. I’ve heard nothing about an injury, but he just doesn’t seem to be on his game like he is when things are going well. I hope I’m wrong.
The Maple Leafs are struggling to make the most simple plays. They appear hesitant in all three zones on the ice. It doesn’t seem to matter whether it’s on the offence or the defence. It’s as if nothing is working correctly.
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Rasmus Sandin is a case in point. For most of the game, he played well. However, Kevin Fiala stripped him of the puck early in the third period, went in on a breakaway, and beat Samsonov. That goal effectively put the game out of reach. Sandin then looked shaky and committed another turnover late in the game that almost turned into a goal.
Item Two: Ilya Samsonov Didn’t Getting Much Help from His Teammates
Samsonov made 25 saves in a 4-2 loss to the Kings on Saturday. He made some great saves; and, even two goals came when his stick was knocked out of his hands. The loss was not on his poor play.
Samsonov was also under siege because the team took so many penalties and simply could not kill them off. Samsonov might have been the best player on the ice, but it won’t show up in the box score.
After the game, the young Russian goalie admitted to the media: ”We lost confidence a little bit the last three games. We need to (get it) back.”
Samsonov, who seems to have an inner philosopher, added: “Hard to say (why), but whenever you’ve lost three games in a row, for sure your confidence will be lowered. You don’t have more smiles.”
Samsonov couldn’t stop everything.
Item Three: John Tavares Continues to Play Well
John Tavares is in a four-game scoring streak where he’s put up five points. He scored the game’s first goal on a power play when a William Nylander shot rebounded to him off the backboard.
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Tavares’ power-play goal gives him 10 points (four goals and six assists) in nine games. That leads the Maple Leafs. He’s registered at least a point in nine of the 10 games he’s played. When the season began, it seemed as if he had heard the mumbling of fans and had set out to quiet it. To my mind, he has. Tavares is delivering value to this team game after game.
Item Four: Pierre Engvall Struggled, But Scored
There was a time in last night’s game when Maple Leafs’ head coach Sheldon Keefe gave Pierre Engvall another chance. Engvall made the most of it. That said, Engvall isn’t playing up to the level he scored last season.
In the third period, Engvall had a chance to lead a breakout. But, instead of making the simpler and safer pass off the sideboards, he made a riskier pass across the ice. It was intercepted and turned the other way.
Given Keefe’s admission that his team had been passing to the wrong people, it might have been expected that Engvall would have found his rear on the bench. Instead, Keefe put him back into the play. The result was that Engvall scored his first goal of the season.
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It was Engvall’s first point of the season in the eight games he’s played. He has not provided the secondary scoring his team needs. However, if that goal could spur Engvall’s game, that would be a huge benefit for the team.
Item Four: Filip Kral Makes NHL Debut
Young Czechia defenseman Filip Král made his NHL debut against the Kings. He ended by skating 16 shifts and was thrown out on the Maple Leafs’ penalty kill.
Partnering mostly with Giordano, his analytics for the game were excellent. At five-on-five, Kral looked good and probably deserves another chance to show what he can do on the ice. He’s played three seasons and 71 games with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.
It was good to see him get a chance. It was a deal in Czechia, as shown by the Tweets coming out of his home country.
What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?
I’m looking for Mitch Marner to start breaking out. Last night, his on-ice leadership was apparent. He was moving players around during the team’s power play and he seems to be more demonstrative by giving directions.
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Marner did register an assist on Tavares’ power-play goal and now has totalled eight points (scoring two goals and adding six assists) in nine games. However, he’s struggling like his teammates. It will be interesting to see how the first line responds to three straight losses.
