The game couldn’t have started better for the Toronto Maple Leafs last night; yet, the Colorado Avalanche came back from a 3-0 first-period deficit to win the game going away. The final score was 5-3 Avalanche.
Related: Was Lou Lamoriello as Good as Maple Leafs Fans Remember?
Despite a strong start from the Max Domi line, the Maple Leafs couldn’t sustain their momentum throughout the game. That simple failure led to the bottom falling out of Toronto’s game. Mental mistakes translated into on-ice issues, and the team simply seemed unable to build anything fruitful that could translate into a score.
Item One: A Few Reasons the Maple Leafs Lost Last Night’s Game
Simply said, the Maple Leafs lost to the Avalanche because they couldn’t maintain their early lead. The Maple Leafs struggled to handle the puck and generate offense, particularly against Colorado’s top players. Nathan MacKinnon‘s late goal off a rush sealed the win for the Avalanche.
After the game, head coach Sheldon Keefe expressed his frustrating disappointment in the team’s performance. He noted the team’s defensive lapses, penalty issues, and the inability to match the play of Colorado’s best players. Nothing he tried to do seemed to work. His radical lineup changes, basically sitting John Tavares and Tyler Bertuzzi in the third period, failed. He loaded up the team’s first line by adding William Nylander to Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner’s line to counteract the high-caliber play of MacKinnon’s line. It didn’t work.
During the game, several little issues added up to the Maple Leafs loss. Some of these problems faced by the Maple Leafs included defensive lapses that made it seem as if the Maple Leafs quit playing. Too many defensive breakdowns led to Avalanche opportunities.
The Maple Leafs struggled so badly with puck possession that it seemed as if the Avalanche controlled the puck for most of the last two periods of the game. Colorado generated offense from their cycle, which put the Maple Leafs on their heels – defending too much. And Colorado’s top players dominated play. The top Avalanche players, especially MacKinnon’s line, were too tough for the Maple Leafs to handle.
Colorado’s top players were driving the game. The Maple Leafs special team’s play could not hold the Avalanche in check. As a result, the Avalanche’s power play provided an advantage.
Related: Tim Horton: A Legacy of Hockey, Donuts, & Coffee
In short, the Maple Leafs’ lineup lacked sharpness. That was capped off by a late-game mistake, and MacKinnon capitalized on it. It was one of those frustrating losses that comes every once in a while. The Maple Leafs have to hope it was a one-and-done thing.
Item Two: Tavares Gets Reduced Time in the Third Period
As noted, during last night’s 5-3 loss to Colorado, Tavares had his time on the ice reduced. While he played just over 15 minutes in the entire game, he only had three shifts in the third period. Bertuzzi had only one shift in the third period. That decline in playing time came after Tavares took a penalty on his first shift of the third period, and his next shift led to Andrew Cogliano’s game-tying goal at 7:35 of the third period.
Coach Keefe expressed his dissatisfaction with the play of the Tavares, Tyler Bertuzzi, and William Nylander line. As a result, both Tavares and Bertuzzi were benched for much of the third period. Tavares is currently in a three-game point drought, with his last multi-point game dating back to December. In his last 13 games, Tavares has only six points, half of which came from power-play situations.
Related: 3 Maple Leafs Players Voted Into 2024 NHL All-Star Game
Fans who have been critical of Keefe’s tough-love approach – but only to his depth players – have to have noted that he’s willing to do the same with his top-six forward units as well. I’m certain that Keefe’s decision to limit Tavares’ playing time will be seen as a statement to the entire team that they need to amp up their performance, particularly at even strength.
What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?
After the game last night, Keefe was asked about tonight’s goalie. While he said he had decided who it would be, he failed to announce that decision to the media. It would seem that Jones might not get the start.
Last night, Jones made 28 saves but allowed four goals. He also gave up four goals against the New York Islanders on Thursday night. The truth is that Jones didn’t get much help from his team. As noted earlier in this post, they made a lot of little mistakes in front of him. In addition, none of Matthews, Marner, Nylander, or Tavares put a point on the scoresheet.
Jones has been solid in the net; however, he might not be the kind of elite goalie who can carry a team that’s struggling to produce offensively. Only a few goalies can pull that off.