After suffering a 4-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 16, the Toronto Maple Leafs looked to bounce back against the team that knocked them out last postseason – the Florida Panthers. Unfortunately, things did not go the way that they had hoped, as they fell to the Panthers by a 3-1 final score. It was a very close game until Sam Reinhart’s empty-net goal in the final second of the game. However, the Maple Leafs failed to get a single point in this one, and let’s go over three takeaways from the contest right now.
Samsonov’s Best Start of the Season
Heading into this contest against the Panthers, Samsonov won his first two starts, but he compiled a .839 save percentage (SV%) in them. Thus, he was far from consistent in his first two appearances, but in this one against the Panthers, he was much more in form. Although he got saddled with the loss, the Russian netminder ultimately kept the Maple Leafs in the game, saving 21 out of 23 shots on the night. As noted above, the Panthers’ third goal was an empty-netter by Reinhart.
Besides only allowing two goals, Samsonov made some excellent saves that could have easily increased the Panthers’ final goal total. However, Samsonov showed great poise in this one for much of the contest, even if the Maple Leafs’ defence was not the strongest in this one (which we will also discuss).
Sometimes, it can take a goalie a little bit of time to get fully warmed up for the season, and that is what we very well could be seeing from Samsonov. This solid appearance may be an indicator that the 2015 first-round pick’s play is set to improve, but, unfortunately, he got a loss for his efforts in this one.
Team Defence & Positioning Need to Improve
Although this was a close game, the Maple Leafs’ defence made some notable mistakes, which was also the case against the Blackhawks. Poor man coverage and positioning led to the Panthers’ two first goals, and that ultimately burned the Maple Leafs in the end.
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On the Panthers’ first goal, all five Maple Leafs skaters focused on three Florida players behind the net. From there, John Klingberg shot the puck up the boards, but it landed right on Kevin Stenlund’s stick, where he immediately fired it home. Klingberg’s brutal turnover and the Maple Leafs’ poor positioning allowed Stenlund the opportunity to score this goal.
As for the second goal, poor positioning by the Maple Leafs helped lead to Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s tally. The veteran defenseman had plenty of time and space with the puck, as Tyler Bertuzzi was very far away from him while defending. This, of course, led to OEL’s first goal as a Panther.
Although this was not the worst defence from the Maple Leafs this season, these errors played a big role in this loss. This is something that they desperately need to improve as the year rolls on.
Minten Barely Used
Fraser Minten was the Maple Leafs’ feel-good story of the preseason. After an impressive preseason, the 19-year-old surprisingly made the team and raised his value as a prospect in their system because of it. However, the transition to regular-season play has been difficult and for the fourth straight game, he was held of the scoresheet. More notably, however, he only had 8:47 of time on ice.
This lack of playing time could be an indicator that Minten’s time with the NHL club this season is coming to an end. If this ends up being the case, it is not the end of the world, as he would get big minutes if returned to the Western Hockey League (WHL). This, in turn, would be beneficial for his development.
Overall, this was a tough loss for the Maple Leafs, but all they can do now is move forward. Their next matchup is on Oct. 21 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. These two clubs have become rivals in recent years, so this is a must-watch game.