The Toronto Maple Leafs ended their previous four-game losing streak with their thrilling comeback win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Nov. 6 and looked to build off it versus the Ottawa Senators on Nov. 8. That, however, did not occur, as the Maple Leafs fell to the Senators by a 6-3 final score. The majority of this game was close, but the Maple Leafs’ wheels completely fell off at the end of it, which led to the loss. Let’s discuss three notable takeaways from the game now.
Nylander Builds On Franchise Record
William Nylander continued his reign as Mr. Consistent against the Senators, as he had a goal and an assist in this contest. With this, he extended his team-record season-opening point streak to 13 games, where he has seven goals and 18 points over that span. This is simply excellent stuff from the pending unrestricted free agent (UFA), and he is not showing any signs of slowing down.
Nylander kept his point streak alive very early in this one, as he potted a power-play goal under six minutes into the contest. It was a beautiful goal, too, as the star forward fired a beautiful wrist shot and beat Joonas Korpisalo top shelf. As for his assist, his initial shot was blocked, but Tyler Bertuzzi picked up in front and beat Korpisalo for a much-needed goal. Although this was not the best assist of all time, Nylander was rewarded for his offensive pressure.
Overall, it was another strong night for Nylander, and he was one of the club’s top players, along with captain John Tavares. Besides putting up a two-point night, Nylander also created several chances, as he and Bertuzzi led all Maple Leafs players with five shots.
Maple Leafs Get Production Outside of Core Four
For much of this season, the Core Four has carried the Maple Leafs’ offence. Secondary scoring has been a major issue, but against the Senators, things changed on that front. Although Nylander, Tavares, and Matthews all got on the scoresheet, the Maple Leafs also received contributions from a few other of their forwards. That is an encouraging sign.
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As noted above, Bertuzzi finally broke the ice by scoring. He had been held off the scoresheet for five straight games, so this was great to see from the gritty winger. Recent call-up Nick Robertson also scored an outstanding goal in this one after receiving a remarkable saucer pass from Max Domi. With that, Calle Jarnkrok picked up the secondary assist.
While the Maple Leafs got the loss against the Senators, it was good to see Bertuzzi, Robertson, Domi, and Jarnkrok all get a point in this one.
Maple Leafs’ Nightmare Finish & Klingberg’s Brutal Play
As mentioned above, this game between the Maple Leafs and Senators provided solid back-and-forth action between the division rivals. After Robertson’s goal forced a 3-3 tie halfway through the third, the Maple Leafs lost this game in the blink of an eye. Dominik Kubalik, Tim Stutzle, and Claude Giroux each scored a goal in a three-minute span, and it ultimately sunk the Maple Leafs. With this collapse, the boobirds came out in Toronto.
The Maple Leafs were sloppy at the end of the game. The defence, who had several bad moments, did not make the necessary plays to keep this game close. With that, goaltender Joseph Woll had a rough few minutes during it, but especially after he turned the puck over on Giroux’s goal.
John Klingberg especially had a brutal game in this one, as he was on the ice for four of the Senators’ goals and was benched after the Ottawa’s fifth goal. With that, his decision-making and positioning were noticeably poor. Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe was asked after the game if he was concerned about Klingberg, and he said yes. Given his poor defence in this game and early-season struggles, it is understandable.
Nevertheless, with this defeat, the Maple Leafs have fallen to a 6-5-2 record and have lost five out of their last six games. They will now look to turn this ship around against a desperate Calgary Flames (4-7-1) team on Nov. 10.