On Wednesday, the Toronto Maple Leafs face a tough opponent. The Dallas Stars come to town with an impressive 30-13-6 record and currently sit in second place in the Central Division. The Stars boast a strong defensive structure with the kind of potent offensive threat that could present a huge challenge for the Maple Leafs’ struggling offence and error-prone defence.
If the Maple Leafs are going to win tonight’s contest, they will have to elevate their game. They’ll have to score more and prevent the opposition from scoring. Perhaps that’s a silly thing to say because it’s true for all NHL teams – score more than the opposition, and you’ll win the game. However, it does point to the team’s particular dilemma.
Toronto is NOT scoring goals with the same regularity as they have in the past. At the same time, they are prone to back-breaking gaffs that lead to losses. Simple as it is, those two things are the keys to beating the Stars and keeping a winning form throughout the remainder of the season.
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In some ways, the game tonight will serve as a litmus test for Toronto’s ability to compete with the best as they approach the season’s final stretch.
Item One: What to Watch for in Maple Leafs and Stars Match
One key thing to watch for will be the team’s defensive consistency. Their recent loss to the New York Islanders highlighted defensive lapses that proved costly in the closing minutes. After that game, head coach Sheldon Keefe emphasized the importance of defensive execution, consistency, and particularly preventing critical goals. Can the team pull it together?
Fans should watch for improvements in the Maple Leafs’ defensive play, including better clearing attempts and tighter coverage in front of the net – taking a lesson from the Edmonton Oilers who turned their season and their team around and are on a 16-game winning streak. Early on, they played like the Maple Leafs – top-heavy offensively but playing poor team defence.
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That changed, and the Oilers now win tight games and are committed to team defence. They are working hard up and down the lineup to make that happen, and they have. The Maple Leafs need a similar never-quit attitude throughout the lineup.
Item Two: Coach Keefe Defends His Team’s Talent Level
Yesterday, Keefe defended his team’s talent level: “We’ve got a good team here. We’ve got good players. As a coaching staff, we need to do a better job with them, work with them, help them, and recognize our role in getting the team to play to its potential. I would say about 50 percent of the games, we’ve been really good. That’s not enough. That’s not enough in the NHL.”
Interestingly, what Keefe seems to be saying is a bit of a backhand sweep at his team’s competitive level.
First, he recognizes his team’s potential. He believes he has a talented roster who can perform at a high level. He thinks the team has enough skilled players to win.
Second, he took ownership of the coaching staff’s role in maximizing that potential. He believes the coaches must do a better job of working with the players, helping them, and recognizing their responsibilities in enabling the team’s success.
Finally, he demanded consistency. Despite recognizing the team’s talent and the coaching staff’s responsibilities, Keefe was critical of their inconsistency. By stating that they’ve only been “really good” in about half of their games, he’s holding them to a higher performance standard and emphasizing the need for a greater sense of urgency to improve their play.
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Overall, Keefe’s comments can be perceived as critical, particularly in terms of their consistency. The comments also reflect the need for a team-wide commitment to improvement to match their potential.
Item Three: The Need for More Secondary Scoring
The Maple Leafs face a significant challenge in finding scoring from beyond their top offensive stars, Auston Matthews and William Nylander. Players like Matthew Knies and Tyler Bertuzzi, key pieces in the top six, have struggled to provide secondary scoring. Both have combined for 14 goals this season. Even veterans such as John Tavares and Max Domi are facing challenges in finding consistent offence. These failings have put added pressure on Toronto’s top line to produce consistently.
Despite Matthews, Mitch Marner, and Nylander contributing to over half of the team’s total offence, the Maple Leafs are grappling with prolonged scoring droughts from several players. Bertuzzi was a promising one-year acquisition (I don’t believe anyone would have thought he would be re-signed). However, he has endured a 15-game goal drought. Domi is also struggling to replicate the success he’s had in previous seasons with other teams.
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Players like Knies, Noah Gregor, and others are in significant scoring slumps. How to get the secondary scorers going is an issue that is haunting the team.
What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?
With David Kampf out with an injury, the bottom six will change for tonight’s game. The third line will have Gregor on the left wing, Domi at center, and Nick Robertson on the right wing. The fourth line has Bobby McMann on the left wing, Pontus Holmberg at center, and Ryan Reaves on the right wing.
Interestingly, Reaves has picked up his game since returning to the lineup. He’s been more involved than in his games before his injury. Fans have to hope that continues.
