It’s a rare feat to get outshot 37-15 while starting with the puck 72% of the time off the faceoffs, but the Maple Leafs managed to do it against the Kings on Thursday night.
It can’t be overlooked that the Leafs didn’t have their 1C or best defenseman against a fully healthy Kings team. But it also can’t be ignored that there is an overarching, systemic trend here in the Leafs‘ possession play (or lack thereof).
There is an intelligent way to play simple north-south hockey, and there is a mindless way that ensures you frequently hand the puck over to the opposition. The Leafs are mostly doing the latter; they make too many no-hope-for-a-puck-recovery dump-ins, and they too often throw pucks away blindly instead of attempting real breakouts. It’s become deeply ingrained, and they’re doing it so reflexively right now to the point where it’s highly disconcerting. They need to mix some new layers into their breakouts to help them feel the puck more and start to gain the confidence to make more plays, but it remains to be seen if the coaching staff is doing anything but beating the players over the heads with the same old message.
Unlike some of their other losses this season, this defeat had little to do with defensive play or cheap goals against. The Leafs were working hard to check back and stay above the puck, maintaining their F3, giving up little off the rush, and were reasonably engaged in their battles. They also got decent goaltending from Dennis Hildeby. Combined with a few great plays by Bobby McMann (and Matthew Knies) and nice finishing by John Tavares, it earned them a much-needed point. But ultimately, the loss had everything to do with the attrition of not possessing the puck enough.
Post-Game Notes
– This type of stuff has become extremely frustrating to watch:
– Why have the Leafs taken to misleading the media (ineffectively) about interactions on the bench? Auston Matthews claimed a timeout against the Blue Jackets was only about a possible goal challenge, and Craig Berube promptly admitted in his own presser that he wanted to give a wake-up call to the team. On Thursday night, Berube claimed he was checking on Nylander for a possible injury concern after the 2-2 goal by LA, but everything about his body language and a very easy lip reading said the exact opposite.
A coach is under no obligation to provide details about his interactions with players on the bench, but when HD cameras are trained on them, a fib isn’t fooling anyone. It’s so easy to dodge the question without coming off as if you’re hiding something:
Reporter: What was the message to Nylander after the second Kings goal?
Coach: Nothing out of the ordinary. I’m always trying to motivate my players.
Done!
– Matthew Knies has had a mixed start overall (like the rest of the team), but his assist rate is really noteworthy. After another two-assist game, he is up to 17 helpers in 18 games. He averaged .28 assists per game in his previous two seasons.
They were two secondary assists in this game, but they weren’t nothing touches; he made nice plays on contested pucks in tight, trafficked areas and found a teammate in space. The second play was particularly nice to find Nylander up top. Knies’ hands are really, really good in those small-area plays.
– Speaking of assists, Oliver Ekman-Larsson just reached his 10th of the season in his 18th game with the one on the first Tavares goal. He hasn’t eclipsed 25 in a season since before Covid.
There was a lot of justified concern about whether the Leafs would have enough creators after the changes this past offseason, but they’re getting a nice uplift from those two, plus Morgan Rielly has 12 assists in 17 games (not that it tells the story of his start).
– Dakota Joshua just finished his third straight game without a shot on goal, and he hasn’t registered a shot in five of his last seven. It’s not all his fault; it’s hard for a player of Joshua’s ilk to impact a game when the team is possessing the puck in the offensive zone this little; it’s not like he is a threat in transition or off the rush, or could pull off a moment like McMann did on the 1-0 goal.
Clearly, there are systemic issues at play that aren’t just down to his or his line’s individual play. A new player who has a contract (with some term) like Joshua’s is one whom you want to give plenty of time to acclimate, too. But we’ve seen Robertson sit, Jarnkrok sit after a productive early start, Cowan leave the lineup despite a really good game in Philly with Tavares, and so on. It’s not just about production; we’ve also had endless debates already this season about the team’s response to liberties taken from the other team, and there has not been a peep out of the 6’4, 220lb Joshua.
– Picture a player entering his mid-30s, relinquishing the captaincy, taking a $7 million pay cut, and actually getting better along the way. Doesn’t seem real? It’s remarkable what John Tavares has done so far this season. What a pro.
Tavares has 23 points in 18 games this season, and he’s up to 49 goals in his last 93 games since he handed off the captaincy.
– It’s pretty unfair that Dennis Hildeby is winless through four games, and he’s had to really work to put up the .904 he’s posted. The Leafs have put him in extremely tough positions since he was recalled, between the Stolarz pulls, the team parting like the Red Sea so the Hurricanes could practice their shootout attempts on him mid-game/generally embarrassing themselves that night, and then the volume he faced in this one. Joseph Woll appears to be on his way back for the weekend, and Anthony Stolarz isn’t expected to be out much longer, but Hildeby deserves a pat on the back for standing in there and playing well in adverse circumstances.
Game Flow: 5v5 Shot Attempts
Heat Map: 5v5 Shot Attempts
