Game 72 – SJS 4, TOR 1 – An even worse start for Toronto

In the last few weeks, the Leafs have clearly established an identity. Unfortunately, that identity is one of a team that isn’t ready to play at the start of the game.

It was another abysmal first period against San Jose. The Leafs generated just two chances in the twenty minutes, while the Sharks had seventeen, including thirteen at even strength. As with their game against Vancouver, the Leafs were lucky to escape the period down by only one. The Leafs were better at even strength in the second, but gave up a power-play goal, and a goal in the last five seconds of the period that broke open the game. The third period was a lot quieter, as the Sharks were able to shut things down and secure the win.

Bernier :"it's like a Junior team facing a pro team out there."

— Hugh Burrill (@hughwburrill) March 20, 2015

Status	Overall			Even Strength			ES Close
Team	TOR	SJS	%	TOR	SJS	%	TOR	SJS	%
1	2	17	10.5%	2	13	13.3%	2	13	13.3%
2	7	6	53.8%	4	4	50.0%	1	1	50.0%
3	3	6	33.3%	3	4	42.9%	0	0	-
Total	12	29	29.3%	9	21	30.0%	3	14	17.6%

That first period was really terrible, with the Leafs getting just 13% of chances at ES, as the Sharks had 19 of the first 21 chances of the game. The Leafs managed to stay even in chances over the last forty minutes, but were out-scored 3-1 in that stretch.

Club	St	P	Time	TSc	Osc	Note	Toronto						San Jose
SJS	ES	1	19:48	0	0	Karlsson deflects Dillon shot	23	20	21	3	51	45	8	19	68	4	41	31
SJS	ES	1	19:37	0	0	Karlsson deflects Mueller shot	23	20	21	3	51	45	8	19	68	4	41	31
SJS	ES	1	17:45	0	0	Tarasov deflects Smith shot wide	15	22	53	3	51	45	71	89	21	4	41	31
SJS	ES	1	17:36	0	0	Thornton from faceoff	23	20	21	2	44	45	8	19	68	4	41	31
SJS	ES	1	16:11	0	0	Marleau deflects Irwin shot wide	42	81	18	33	57	45	12	48	50	52	88	31
SJS	SH	1	15:24	0	0	Thornton drives	22	47	2	3	45	-	8	12	19	39	88	31
TOR	ES	1	15:17	0	0	Rielly from faceoff	23	21	2	44	45	-	8	57	4	41	31	-
SJS	ES	1	14:21	0	0	Thornton drives	19	20	3	51	45	-	8	19	44	88	31	-
SJS	ES	1	14:15	0	0	Pavelski wide from loose puck	19	20	3	51	45	-	8	19	44	88	31	-
SJS	ES	1	12:58	0	0	GOAL! Hertl from Tierney	47	81	21	2	57	45	48	50	71	4	41	31
SJS	SH	1	12:15	0	1	Marleau from Burns	42	20	3	57	45	-	8	12	19	39	88	31
SJS	ES	1	09:18	0	1	Mueller wide from Pavelski	42	81	18	44	51	45	8	19	68	4	41	31
SJS	ES	1	09:11	0	1	Karlsson from Thornton	42	81	18	44	51	45	8	19	68	4	41	31
TOR	ES	1	08:51	0	1	Van Riemsdyk drives	23	20	21	2	44	45	12	48	50	52	88	31
SJS	ES	1	07:08	0	1	Thornton from loose puck	42	81	18	2	44	45	8	19	68	44	61	31
SJS	SH	1	06:25	0	1	Thornton deflects Marleau shot wide	23	47	3	57	45	-	8	12	19	39	88	31
SJS	SH	1	05:11	0	1	Tierney from Vlasic	23	47	3	57	45	-	48	50	68	44	61	31
SJS	ES	1	03:38	0	1	Nieto wraparound	42	81	21	44	51	45	39	57	83	44	61	31
SJS	ES	1	03:34	0	1	Nieto from rebound	42	81	21	44	51	45	39	57	83	44	61	31
SJS	SH	2	18:04	0	1	Marleau wide from Burns	42	47	2	33	45	-	8	12	19	39	88	31
SJS	SH	2	17:54	0	1	GOAL! Couture from Thornton	42	47	2	33	45	-	8	12	19	39	88	31
TOR	ES	2	17:03	0	2	Van Riemsdyk from Kessel	42	81	21	51	57	45	12	50	57	4	52	31
TOR	PP	2	14:48	0	2	Kessel from Van Riemsdyk	42	81	21	3	44	45	8	12	44	61	31	-
TOR	PP	2	13:50	0	2	Phaneuf wide from Rielly	42	81	21	3	44	45	19	21	41	88	31	-
TOR	PP	2	13:39	0	2	Bozak from Kessel	42	81	21	3	44	45	8	83	44	61	31	-
TOR	ES	2	10:44	1	2	Booth wraparound wide	23	19	20	2	44	45	39	57	83	44	61	31
SJS	ES	2	09:41	1	2	GOAL! Karlsson from Thornton	42	81	21	3	51	45	8	19	68	52	88	31
TOR	ES	2	08:42	1	3	MacWilliam from Panik	47	18	67	33	57	45	71	89	21	4	41	31
TOR	ES	2	05:54	1	3	Van Riemsdyk drives wide	42	81	21	2	44	45	12	48	50	44	61	31
SJS	ES	2	05:46	1	3	Marleau wide from Tierney	42	81	21	2	44	45	12	48	50	44	61	31
SJS	ES	2	03:04	1	3	Wingels from Couture	42	81	21	3	51	45	39	57	83	4	41	31
SJS	ES	2	00:06	1	3	GOAL! Wingels deflects Nieto shot	42	81	21	2	44	45	39	57	83	52	88	31
TOR	ES	3	18:06	1	4	Panik wide from loose puck	47	18	67	51	57	45	12	48	50	52	88	31
SJS	SH	3	15:49	1	4	Hertl wraparound	42	20	2	33	45	-	48	50	71	44	61	31
SJS	SH	3	15:15	1	4	Tierney from rebound of Vlasic shot	22	20	33	57	45	-	48	50	71	44	61	31
SJS	ES	3	12:06	1	4	Pavelski deflects Burns shot	23	19	20	3	57	45	8	19	68	52	88	31
TOR	ES	3	09:05	1	4	Kozun drives	47	18	67	3	51	45	8	12	50	4	41	31
SJS	ES	3	07:02	1	4	Vlasic from Braun	42	81	21	2	44	45	39	57	83	44	61	31
SJS	ES	3	06:25	1	4	Pavleski deflects Burns shot	47	18	67	3	51	45	8	19	68	52	88	31
SJS	ES	3	06:01	1	4	Tarasov drives	15	22	53	33	57	45	71	89	21	4	41	31
TOR	ES	3	04:18	1	4	Kessel deflects Gardiner shot	42	81	21	3	51	45	39	57	68	44	61	31

Player-by-Player data:

Player	Overall				Even Strength				ES Close
	For	Against	Diff	TOI	For	Against	Diff	TOI	For	Against	Diff
Brewer	4	10	-6	19:05	4	6	-2	15:51	3	3	0
Phaneuf	5	13	-8	22:31	2	9	-7	16:37	0	6	-6
Lindstrom	0	2	-2	08:36	0	2	-2	08:36	0	1	-1
Panik	3	5	-2	14:21	3	5	-2	13:56	0	4	-4
Lupul	1	3	-2	13:42	1	3	-2	13:18	1	2	-1
Booth	2	9	-7	17:39	2	6	-4	13:54	2	5	-3
Van Riemsdyk	8	11	-3	15:40	5	11	-6	13:30	2	7	-5
Sill	0	4	-4	11:42	0	2	-2	09:19	0	1	-1
Smith	3	6	-3	17:44	3	4	-1	14:32	3	3	0
Erixon	1	6	-5	18:17	1	2	-1	14:30	0	1	-1
Bozak	6	15	-9	18:16	3	11	-8	13:58	0	7	-7
Rielly	7	9	-2	18:13	4	9	-5	16:08	3	6	-3
Komarov	3	7	-4	15:32	3	2	1	11:47	0	1	-1
Gardiner	4	12	-8	19:38	4	12	-8	19:09	0	10	-10
Carrick	0	2	-2	09:06	0	2	-2	09:06	0	1	-1
MacWilliam	3	8	-5	22:16	3	4	-1	17:47	0	2	-2
Kozun	3	1	2	12:07	3	1	2	12:07	0	0	0
Kessel	6	12	-6	15:47	3	12	-9	13:47	0	8	-8
Bernier	12	29	-17	60:00	9	21	-12	50:01	3	14	-11

The top line was terrible, one of its worst games of the season. Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak were not on for a single ES Close chance, and were the two worst forwards in defending chances. Kessel was on the ice for twelve Sharks chances, and was a -9, while Bozak wasn’t much better, a -8. James Van Riemsdyk didn’t start the game with that line, but was put on it in the second, and was terrible in that period too, finishing a -6, and a -5 at ES Close.

Horachek on Leafs leaders: "Not good. You have to be driven by your best players … we can't get a work ethic that is acceptable."

— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) March 20, 2015

Richard Panik, who started on that line, wasn’t good either, a -4. The only forwards who had decent nights were Brandon Kozun, who was a team high +2 in 12 ES minutes, and Leo Komarov, who also ended up in the positive. Trevor Smith had a strong start to the game, one of the only forwards to be even at ES Close.

Jake Gardiner was the worst skater on the team at ES Close, as he was a -10, and, like the top line, not on for a single Leaf chance until the Sharks had a two goal lead. This came despite the most offensive zone starts on the back end. Dion Phaneuf also struggled, a -6 at ES Close, as his pairing with Gardiner had issues. Eric Brewer was one of the few defenders who had a solid game in chances, even at ES, although he did give the puck away to lead to the back-breaker fourth goal. Andrew MacWilliam and Tim Erixon were both decent, ending up in the negative at ES, but only narrowly, while Morgan Rielly had some defensive struggles, on for a lot of Shark chances, equal with Phaneuf.

Cumulative numbers this season:

Overall	Pos	#	Even Strength				ES Close
			For	Against	%	TOI	For	Against	%
Sill	F	12	17	21	44.7%	06:51	8	7	53.3%
Kadri	F	66	322	342	48.5%	14:51	192	189	50.4%
Polak	D	56	286	346	45.3%	17:54	174	188	48.1%
Komarov	F	53	173	172	50.1%	12:02	88	100	46.8%
Rielly	D	71	386	438	46.8%	16:49	210	239	46.8%
Bernier	G	51	679	802	45.8%	44:41	417	485	46.2%
Panik	F	66	182	203	47.3%	10:13	100	117	46.1%
Gardiner	D	69	353	397	47.1%	17:52	192	226	45.9%
Phaneuf	D	60	328	399	45.1%	17:04	190	229	45.3%
Lupul	F	45	186	240	43.7%	13:21	100	121	45.2%
Kessel	F	72	372	435	46.1%	14:54	209	263	44.3%
Smith	F	48	114	131	46.5%	09:02	64	83	43.5%
Bozak	F	72	350	418	45.6%	14:41	185	243	43.2%
Holland	F	59	165	234	41.4%	11:36	87	120	42.0%
Van Riemsdyk	F	72	332	442	42.9%	14:41	192	267	41.8%
Reimer	G	29	365	452	44.7%	42:31	164	230	41.6%
Booth	F	49	116	164	41.4%	10:07	62	106	36.9%
Robidas	D	52	192	267	41.8%	14:44	93	163	36.3%
Carrick	F	11	12	25	32.4%	06:36	11	20	35.5%
Kozun	F	17	21	44	32.3%	07:13	9	21	30.0%

Sam Carrick enters the table after his 11th game. Like Sill, his sample size is pretty small, but his numbers have been pretty poor. Still, it’s unwise to draw many conclusions from someone who’s played so sparingly.