52 shots on goal.
A feat the Maple Leafs haven’t accomplished since 2010.
The Leafs lost this game on special teams. Their PK was a hot mess, and they gave up a back-breaking shorthanded goal that Jonathan Bernier needed to stop from who else but his Achilles heel, Max Pacioretty.
That accounts for three goals and is the difference in this game. At 5v5, the Leafs did more than enough tonight to get a result of some sort. Score effects be damned, the Leafs carried the even-strength edge in each period.
People say special teams are the most coachable areas of a team, and there is no excuse for how out of sorts the penalty kill is at the moment. The complete inability to account for the biggest threat on the Habs powerplay was mystifying to say the least. Subban could’ve set up a picnic in the slot on the 1-0 goal, and it was a shooting gallery for him for much of the evening. That isn’t good enough from any NHL team anywhere. Way too easy for him.
(The same problem happened with the overload on one side leaving Subban wide open a few minutes earlier here):
https://youtu.be/B_jBg5g9tdU?t=1m27s
All that said, it’s on the powerplay where there was telling signs of the talent deficit the Leafs are dealing with: They had a chance to get themselves right back in the game if they could’ve converted on a powerplay with nine minutes left. Because the top line with Kadri and JvR drew the call, and Bozak is hurt, Jim Hiller sent the following over the boards for the first 1:15 of the powerplay: Brad Boyes, who the Leafs signed to a PTO in September; AHLer Byron Froese, playing in his first ever NHL game; Mark Arcobello, signed to a one-year flyer by the Leafs, his fifth team in the last calendar year.
Yeah. A few more difference makers on the Habs roster, unfortunately – possession and shots aside.
But, hey, this is where the talk of the three Ps – patience, pain, process – comes into play. There’s a pretty special player down on the Marlies capable of running a powerplay, and he could do it today. All in good time, Leafs fans.
Also telling of the lack of quality depth on the current Leaf roster – how much the Jake Gardiner injury hurt the depth of the defence. Mike Babcock reunited Hunwick and Dion while Harrington and Rielly played together with the thinking being, in his own words, “this way I can get two good pairings.” That couldn’t have rung truer as the third pair of Marincin-Polak bordered on catastrophe, badly overwhelmed in a game that was played at a breakneck pace at times. I’m pretty eager to see if Frank Corrado can get adjusted to the systems and into an NHL game soon, because neither Marincin or Polak is getting it done.
Notes
– This game followed the opposite trajectory from Bernier’s usual fare: He was really excellent early, and faded as the game went on, especially needing a stop on the Pacioretty goal. Getting worrisome, although the Leafs could’ve done a much better job in front of their own net tonight. 22 saves on 27 shots is a tough night at the rink.
– Roman Polak might be working his way toward a scratch real soon, as he’s really chasing the game at the moment. He was the worst possession player on the team despite 100% offensive zone starts at even strength. Babcock was scared of using the pairing at 5v5 and rightfully so. It didn’t prevent the damage from taking place: On the 2-0 goal, it’s one thing for Polak to jam a puck into shin pads at the offensive blueline leading to an odd man rush the other way; it’s another to chase the guy Morgan Rielly had clearly picked up instead of locating the trailer who – you guessed it – was wide open to bang in the rebound.
– Martin Marincin, meanwhile, played only 10 minutes and change at even strength, and this… this was inexplicable.
https://youtu.be/B_jBg5g9tdU?t=4m35s
– I thought the sequence that led to the Leo Komarov goal was the Leafs’ best of the season. In need of an answer after the 2-0 goal, it was relentless pressure for well over a minute, first by Kadri, Boyes and Matthias followed by Kadri, JvR, and Komarov. A nice walk along the blueline by Rielly, a good shot-for-tip by Harrington, a nice tip by JvR, and a buried rebound from Leo Komarov… a great, dirty goal, the type you need against a world-class goalie. Awesome to see hard work on the cycle rewarded for once.
– Pissed-off Naz is the best Naz. Physical and determined, and great on the dot (64%), he deserved a point tonight.
– Morgan Rielly, eh? Team-leading 25 minutes, and mostly all excellent.
– Didn’t like the hit by Weise on Dion, and liked even less Weise’s embellishment rewarded by the refs with a powerplay and powergoal after Dion’s routine crosscheck in front. Dion probably should be taking a number instead and all that, especially late in a period with the PK struggling, but… come on. The two sides were going at it hammer and tongue, Weise gets away with a questionable hit, and that gets called.
– Pretty obvious Mike Babcock handles callups differently than Randy Carlyle. He made sure to get Froese involved, giving him both PK and PP shifts early. All told, he clocked about 13 minutes with over two minutes apiece on both sides of special teams.
– Your new team goals and points leader, with four goals and five points in seven games shooting 26.7%: Leo Komarov. LEO!
Shot Location Chart
All Situations Possession Chart
Maple Leafs vs. Canadiens Game Sheet
| NO. | PLAYER | POS | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | S | FO% | PP TOI | SH TOI | TOI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | M. Hunwick | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | - | 0:29 | 4:32 | 21:46 |
| 3 | D. Phaneuf | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | - | 4:35 | 0:06 | 22:54 |
| 15 | P. Parenteau | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 2 | 1 | 0% | 4:34 | 0:00 | 14:31 |
| 16 | N. Spaling | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 54% | 0:14 | 2:14 | 15:46 |
| 19 | J. Lupul | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | - | 4:38 | 0:00 | 16:00 |
| 21 | J. van Riemsdyk | L | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | - | 4:38 | 0:00 | 20:28 |
| 23 | S. Matthias | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | - | 0:09 | 0:55 | 11:09 |
| 26 | D. Winnik | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | - | 0:29 | 3:01 | 17:51 |
| 28 | B. Boyes | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | - | 2:48 | 0:00 | 12:09 |
| 33 | M. Arcobello | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 50% | 2:43 | 0:00 | 11:23 |
| 36 | S. Harrington | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | 0:05 | 0:00 | 15:00 |
| 40 | M. Grabner | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 2 | - | 0:00 | 3:29 | 11:13 |
| 43 | N. Kadri | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 65% | 4:23 | 0:00 | 21:02 |
| 44 | M. Rielly | D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | - | 2:16 | 3:20 | 25:00 |
| 46 | R. Polak | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 0 | - | 0:00 | 3:10 | 16:09 |
| 47 | L. Komarov | C | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0% | 2:28 | 0:51 | 19:14 |
| 52 | M. Marincin | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | - | 0:09 | 1:52 | 12:08 |
| 56 | B. Froese | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 | 0 | 2 | 45% | 2:17 | 2:30 | 12:50 |
Mike Babcock Post Game
