A great children’s book titled “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” was written by Judith Viorst and illustrated by Ray Cruz. Last night, the Maple Leafs might have just played out the book’s sequel on the ice.
In a high-scoring game at Scotiabank Arena, the New Jersey Devils beat the Toronto Maple Leafs by a score of 6-3. Despite what might have been the Maple Leafs’ best first-period performance of the season, where they outshot the Devils 25-10, they found themselves trailing 2-1.
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Blame that partly on New Jersey’s goalie Jake Allen, who stood tall with 42 saves during the game. He consistently frustrated Toronto’s offensive efforts. Also, give the rest of the Devils’ offence credit. Nico Hischier led the Devils by scoring a goal and adding two assists. Jack Hughes added two goals, including an empty-netter. And, Timo Meier scored a goal and added an assist.
For the Blue & White, Auston Matthews scored his NHL-leading 59th goal. William Nylander scored his 40th of the season and has hit that milestone two seasons in a row. Finally, Tyler Bertuzzi scored the game’s first goal on an amazing pass by Max Domi.
But those highlights were too few and too far between to carry a sloppy Maple Leafs group that couldn’t overcome their defensive lapses and costly mistakes.
Item One: Three Reasons the Maple Leafs Lost the Game
There are three key reasons why the Maple Leafs fell short in their game last night. First, the team made far too many defensive errors. In short, they struggled. They allowed the Devils to capitalize on their mistakes and convert far too many scoring chances. The Maple Leafs’ defensive breakdowns, particularly in the second period, led to easy goals for New Jersey. Those easy goals pumped the Devils’ confidence and gave them the momentum to control the game.
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Second, the Maple Leafs’ goaltending was not up to the challenges. With regular goaltender Ilya Samsonov sidelined due to an undisclosed injury, Joseph Woll defended the net for the Maple Leafs. While he made 19 saves, he faced substantial pressure from the Devils’ offensive onslaught. In the end, he was unable to keep the Devils from scoring. There were some he’d like to have back.
Third, the Maple Leafs lacked discipline and composure throughout the game. The team’s performance was marred by undisciplined play and a lack of composure. After the game, head coach Sheldon Keefe called out his team – even captain John Tavares – for setting bad examples for the youngsters. Usually, Tavares is an icon of control; but, not last night. From the top to the bottom of the lineup, the Maple Leafs struggled to maintain focus and discipline throughout the game. They gave up costly turnovers and took costly penalties that allowed the Devils to capitalize and skate away with the win.
Item Two: Joseph Woll Struggles Against the Devils
In Tuesday’s matchup against the Devils, Woll struggled between the pipes for the Maple Leafs. He gave up five goals on only 24 shots in a 6-3 loss. Despite coming off a strong performance just days earlier, where he posted a .943 save percentage, he couldn’t replicate his success against the Devils.
The Maple Leafs’ goaltending situation has bounced around like a superball. There have been a few high bounces but a ton of unpredictable trajectories. It’s difficult to figure out the Maple Leafs’ goalie situation as the team approaches the playoffs. They are capable of being great; yet, they could also put up a game like they did last night. Two things are clear. First, the goalies are who they are and they will carry the team through the postseason – or not. Second, right now it’s up in the air who the postseason starter might be. The team’s remaining games could tell the tale.
What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?
After the game, Keefe criticized his team for their immature play. He was especially unhappy about how easily the Devils capitalized on his team’s errors.
He noted, “Instead of having a strong (second) period and building on it and continuing to do the things that we had done well, I thought we just overdid it. Really immature all the way through our game.”
He added, “It was immature from our most experienced players and our leaders, and then our players who are immature – our inexperienced guys – made lots of mistakes.”
It was, by and large, a poor game for the home team. Yet, despite the loss, the Maple Leafs remain in the playoff race. Looking ahead, they’ll need to address their defensive issues and maintain discipline to secure crucial victories in the season’s remaining games.
