The Toronto Maple Leafs misplaced 5-1 at house to the St. Louis Blues on Thursday Night time. What had been the nice, unhealthy, and ugly elements of the Maple Leafs loss to the Blues?
The Ugly (Poor Begin, Prime Line Struggles, Energy Play Woes)
I’m beginning with the ugly as a result of this sport began ugly. After giving up six objectives within the earlier sport, I anticipated the Maple Leafs to return out with some bounce and take management of this sport early. As an alternative, they gave up two objectives on 5 photographs within the first 10 minutes and adjusted. That’s eight objectives in simply over 70 minutes of hockey given up by the group that gave up ten objectives of their first six video games. From then on, the Maple Leafs had been compelled to play catch-up hockey and couldn’t do it.
The second ugly is the highest line. For the second sport in a row, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and Matthew Knies had been all minus three in plus-minus. Meaning they had been minus six within the final two video games. Chris Tanev was additionally minus three in every of the earlier two video games.
Ugly #3 was the facility play, which went zero for 4 within the sport. Halfway via the second interval, they confirmed a graphic evaluating the facility play with final season’s general rating. In 2023-24, they had been fourth in shot makes an attempt, second in slot performs, and fourth in anticipated objectives with the person benefit. This season, they’re twenty second in shot makes an attempt, twenty third in slot performs, and seventeenth in anticipated objectives on the PP.
The Dangerous (Beginning Woll, Defensive Errors)
I’ll begin with what I feel was a nasty determination by Craig Berube. That was to start out Joseph Woll at house in an vital early season sport. I’m not saying this sport was vital as a result of it was Berube’s previous group. It was vital as a result of in the event that they gained, the Maple Leafs would have elevated their file to 5-3 and been in second place within the Atlantic Division, one level behind the Florida Panthers with a sport in hand. As an alternative, they’re at .500, with a 4-4 file, tied with Ottawa, Tampa, and Detroit, and all three of these groups have video games in hand over the Maple Leafs.
Woll has not performed a aggressive sport of hockey in 175 days. It is smart he would have some rust and may take a sport or two to get going. In the meantime, Anthony Stolarz claimed the primary spot within the early going this season and performed nice hockey. With Dennis Hildeby getting the final begin, it will have been Stolarz’s sport to start out if Toronto had not activated Woll and despatched Hildeby to the AHL. On prime of that, the Maple Leafs trust taking part in in entrance of Stolarz. Berube would have been higher off holding off on activating Woll for in the future, giving Stolarz the beginning on this sport, after which beginning Woll on the highway in Boston.
It’s doable that, with this sport in opposition to a Central Division group and the Boston sport in opposition to a divisional rival, Berube felt the Bruins’ sport was extra vital to win.
Maple Leafs Errors Led to Three Objectives
Berube lamented post-game about too many errors and never being bodily to shut performs out defensively.
Purpose One
Analyzing the primary three objectives, on the primary aim, Tanev chased Jordan Kyrou from the nook behind the Toronto aim to the left of Woll again behind the web, all the best way out to the purpose, again right down to the nook to the left of Woll, after which again out to the purpose earlier than Kyrou dished the puck off to Philip Broberg on the level. The play would have ended if Tanev had simply taken the physique someplace alongside that route.
Berube talked about Woll being screened on Broberg’s shot. Pavel Buchnevich and Matthews had been screening Woll. Matthews tried to dam the shot however failed. I don’t know what Berube’s defensive system is for zone protection. Nonetheless, the opposite defenseman, Morgan Rielly, adopted Alex Texier across the zone whereas Matthews was parked out entrance with Buchnevich. To me, that’s backward. Rielly ought to have taken care of the down-low protection in entrance of the web, and Matthews ought to have taken care of the excessive protection. Both manner, nobody boxed out Buchnevich, which might have allowed Woll to see the shot.
Purpose Two
On the second aim, the Blues had been on the facility play. All 4 Maple Leafs defenders had been within the nook battling for the puck with 4 St. Louis gamers, leaving Dylan Holloway alone in entrance of the aim. Berube acknowledged {that a} ahead was out of place for that aim. Kampf was pinned alongside the boards, and Matthews was a stride or two off the play, so I’ll assume the participant out of place was Matthews.
Purpose Three
Berube known as the third aim a lazy play. Beneath stress, Jake McCabe tried to relay the puck from the deep nook to the left of Woll to Matthews only a few toes in entrance of him on that aim. Beneath stress from Kyrou, Matthews bobbled the puck, and it went again into the nook. Toronto by no means gained management of the puck after that. Kyrou discovered Texier left alone in entrance of the web, and Texier beat Woll’s blocker facet.
Following the aim, the digicam caught Berube showing to chew out Matthews. I do not know what level Berube was making or precisely the place he thought the laziness was within the play. It regarded like McCabe put Matthews in a tricky spot along with his brief cross to Matthews in entrance of the web. The extra clever play would have been for McCabe to return behind the web.
The Good (Photographs, Pairing Changes)
Whereas there’s not a lot to report on within the sport, Toronto did play significantly better on this sport than they did in opposition to Columbus. They doubled the shot makes an attempt (85-43) and outshot the Blues 41-27. Based on NaturalStatTrick.com, the Excessive-Hazard Scoring Possibilities within the sport had been 12-7 Toronto, and the Maple Leafs had 64% of the Anticipated Objectives.
Berube switched his top-four defensemen alignment to start out the second interval. He moved Oliver Ekman-Larsson over to play alongside Rielly and put McCabe and Tanev collectively. The Rielly, Ekman-Larsson pair paid a dividend simply six minutes in when OEL one-timed a cross from Rielly previous Jordan Binnington to make the rating 2-1 Blues on the time. Sadly, St. Louis would get that aim again simply 1:38 later.
What’s Subsequent for the Maple Leafs?
I’m not making an attempt to make excuses, however this can be a grueling a part of the season for the Maple Leafs. The St. Louis sport capped off a three-game, four-night stretch with journey between video games and a four-game, six-night stretch. They aren’t accomplished but. They journey to Boston and Winnipeg to play the Bruins on Saturday and the Jets on Monday. Beginning with the Rangers sport on the nineteenth and ending with the Jets sport on the twenty eighth, the Maple Leafs can have performed six video games in ten days.
The most important factor I see with the highest line’s play, particularly Matthews and Marner, is that they appear drained. The identical is true with Nylander. Lots has been made about Berube’s demanding practices. I ponder if a mix of the taxing practices and the exhausting schedule is carrying these gamers down. After the Winnipeg sport, the schedule does soften up. If fatigue is an element, hopefully, they will achieve a little bit relaxation over the subsequent week or so.
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