TAKEAWAYS: Each Maple Leaf on the hook for brutal loss to Senators

Article content material

The Maple Leafs have been horrible in a 3-0 loss in opposition to the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday evening at Scotiabank Area.

Article content material

There’s no sense beating across the bush, so let’s get to our takeaways from a recreation that dropped the Leafs to 9-6-2.

POP-GUN OFFENCE

The Leafs miss captain Auston Matthews. Any approach you chop it, regardless of their good file with out him, their means to win ought to rise when Matthews is within the lineup.

As Matthews sat out for a fourth recreation in a row with an upper-body harm, the Leafs once more didn’t have something to indicate on the scoreboard at five-on-five.

Toronto has scored one aim at five-on-five in its previous 5 video games, and that was provided not by a ahead, however by defenceman Conor Timmins within the win in opposition to Montreal on Saturday.

Towards the Senators, the Leafs have been disjointed from the minute the puck was dropped to start the sport. With the best way that Ottawa compelled the Leafs into errors within the defensive zone, there was little probability Toronto was going to have the ability to regroup.

Article content material

Article content material

In flip, Linus Ullmark had a comparatively straightforward evening within the Sens internet.

At five-on-five, Ottawa outshot Toronto 36-16 and had 60 shot makes an attempt whereas limiting the house staff to twenty-eight.

It’s inexcusable that the Leafs haven’t been capable of patch collectively any manufacturing at five-on-five. If it’s not a priority, it must be consuming away on the teaching employees a bit.

The personnel is there. Earlier than Tuesday, as joyful as coach Craig Berube was with the defensive construction, it was not resulting in objectives on the different finish. And on Tuesday, the Leafs didn’t even have that construction to again them up.

“We didn’t have the puck, so it’s fairly powerful to get rating any objectives,” Berube stated after the sport. “They’d the puck the entire recreation, just about, till the third interval.

Article content material

“We’ve to generate extra makes an attempt with folks on the internet. Stepping into, we have been fairly pleased with our recreation.

“We need to rating extra five-on-five, for certain. However on the similar time, we will’t sabotage the sport like we did immediately within the recreation, give them a 3-on-1 (within the opening minute) they usually rating. That’s not going to work.”

The Leafs have been shut out twice this season after they’d scored in each recreation since Nov. 20, 2021. And it was the primary time in 120 dwelling video games that the Leafs didn’t rating a aim.

FLUSH THIS

As straightforward as it’s to say you flush the sport and transfer on, that shouldn’t have been the perspective of the Leafs as they travelled to Washington to face the Capitals on Wednesday evening.

Positive, they’d little alternative. Turning their consideration to making an attempt to cease Alex Ovechkin was paramount.

Article content material

Nonetheless, the flight to D.C., we’d surmise, would have been quiet.

In spite of everything, the Leafs had no excuses on Tuesday after having loads of time to arrange following their most up-to-date recreation on Saturday.

A strong apply on Monday adopted an off-day on Sunday.

“We must be disillusioned,” centre John Tavares stated. “We are able to say we will wash this one, however I feel it’s disappointing (with) the best way we’ve been taking part in over the previous week. (We had) a very good probability to hold it over after a pair days, a very good work day yesterday and (taking part in) a divisional opponent. It’s good for us that we get to get proper again at it and get our recreation again on observe.”

Nothing Berube did obtained the Leafs out of their slumber, whether or not it was mixing up his ahead strains or getting animated on the bench.

Article content material

“I’m looking for one thing, however general, there wasn’t a lot, in any respect,” Berube stated.

The Leafs additionally had poor outings in opposition to St. Louis and Columbus in October. Was this as dangerous because it has been?

“Fairly shut,” Berube stated. “It wasn’t good. The opposite video games we misplaced, there have been completely different conditions … tonight, we didn’t have management of the sport in any respect.”

CAST OF CHARACTERS

The veteran defence pair of Morgan Rielly and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, on the eve of his 1,000th recreation within the Nationwide Hockey League, had an evening to neglect.

The 2 have been on the ice for 18 Senators photographs on aim in 13-plus minutes of five-on-five play, and neither performed with anyplace close to the form of poise we’ve come to anticipate.

Singling them out could be unfair to the remainder of the group, as nobody had something to brag about. Solely Tavares completed above 50% in possession, and 10 Leafs have been at lower than 30%.

Article content material

Mitch Marner’s eight-game scoring streak ended with thud, whereas Max Domi’s pointless streak has hit 11 video games. Bobby McMann, who was speculated to take a step ahead this season, has not scored a aim in 13 video games. Nick Robertson stays at one aim, now in 15 video games.

William Nylander performed after lacking apply on Monday for upkeep, saying that his physique was worn down. However he added he felt higher through the recreation, and but made no distinction.

In brief, the lopsided loss fell on the shoulders of each Leaf.

“They have been sooner than us and outworked us,” defenceman Chris Tanev stated. “You’re not going to win taking part in like that.

“It’s on us, clearly (we have been) not able to play. Proper from the primary shift of the of the sport, they out-competed us.”

Goalie Anthony Stolarz, who has been sharp, didn’t let himself off the hook. Reality is, the ultimate rating would have been uglier if not for Stolarz.

“I assume we’re all human,” Stolarz stated. “It’s an 82-game season, and also you’re not going to play an ideal 82 video games, myself included. That third (Sens aim by Michael Amadio) is one which I’m going to need again … momentum swing there. They get one, get one other one (in a span of 43 seconds). I take credit score on that one.”

tkoshan@postmedia.com

X: @koshtorontosun

Article content material