Jumat, 15 Desember 2023

Maple Leafs vs. Blue Jackets observations: Auston Matthews can’t salvage brutal start - The Athletic

The Toronto Maple Leafs are not a normal hockey team.

After plenty of fans had already left the building in frustration, a miraculous five-goal comeback in the third period earned Toronto a point against the Blue Jackets. Auston Matthews scored twice in the final 75 seconds to tie it, but Kent Johnson spoiled the party by scoring the overtime winner. The Leafs were absolutely atrocious through 40 minutes, but finally showed what they’re capable of in the final frame.

Columbus scored twice in the first period, and Ilya Samsonov didn’t have much of a chance on either goal. If it wasn’t for his strong play, the Blue Jackets could have easily led by three or four. The Leafs were completely asleep. The second period was not any better. Justin Danforth extended Columbus’ lead to three about eight minutes in, as Samsonov failed to cover the angle. Yegor Chinakhov scored off the rush less than three minutes later, and Johnny Gaudreau added a power-play tally not long after. You could hear a pin drop at Scotiabank Arena.

Toronto finally showed up in the third, scoring two goals in the first four minutes. Jake McCabe cut the deficit to two goals with a handful of minutes left, and Matthews played the hero late. It was a fun game in the end, but Sheldon Keefe can’t possibly be happy with his team’s effort in the 6-5 loss.

Three stars

1. Auston Matthews

His line was the only one that at least somewhat showed up in the first, and he hit the post in the second. He then set up William Nylander to open the scoring for the Leafs in the third. Just when everyone thought that the game was all but over, Matthews cut the lead to one with 75 seconds left:

Was he finished there? Of course not.

2. William Nylander

Nylander opened the scoring for the Leafs in the first minute of the third:

He had a good chance to win the game in overtime, but did manage to pick up another point on one of Matthews’ third-period goals. He wasn’t stellar, but he was still good enough to earn a star.

3. Bobby McMann

There weren’t many clear choices, so I’ll give the nod to McMann, who picked up an assist in the third. The Leafs owned 72 percent of the game’s five-on-five expected goals when he was on the ice, and it felt like he was one of the only players who showed up early on. He could get more of an opportunity this week, as Ryan Reaves left the game due to injury.

A terrible effort followed by a miraculous comeback

Max Domi deserved an assist on Columbus’ first goal, as he made a perfect pass to Kent Johnson, who immediately found Patrik Laine. Morgan Rielly deserved an assist on Columbus’ second goal, but in his defence, Noah Gregor was halfway to Thunder Bay rather than in his position in the defensive zone. Conor Timmins and Jake McCabe struggled ahead of the third goal against, and T.J. Brodie got beat off the rush on the fourth goal. William Lagesson took two penalties, including the one that led to Gaudreau’s goal.

The Matthews line generated some half-decent scoring chances, but the rest of the team generated little to nothing in the first. Only three Leafs forwards had a shot on goal after 20 minutes: Matthews, Gregor and McMann. The third line wasn’t on for a single shot on goal, and John Tavares’ line was completely caved in. This felt like the David Ayres game, where just about anyone could have played in net for the opposing team.

What makes the Leafs so perplexing is that they clearly showed what they were capable of in the third. Nylander, Mitch Marner and Matthews all scored, and nearly the entire period was spent in the Blue Jackets end. Did everyone think that the game started at 9 p.m.?

Keefe leaves Samsonov in for the third

Samsonov entered the game with an .884 save percentage, and he hasn’t looked confident all season. While he actually played fairly well in the first, Keefe had plenty of reasons to pull his goaltender after 40 minutes. He chose to stick with him for the third, but the majority of the frame was spent in Columbus’ end. Perhaps Martin Jones will get the nod on Saturday night against Pittsburgh.

You can be the judge:

The Leafs are nowhere close to the elite teams thus far

On one hand, the Leafs have now picked up at least a point in eight straight games. On the other hand, they still have just eight regulation wins through 27 games. Elite teams win by multiple goals on a regular basis, and elite teams have no problem taking care of business at home against a short-handed Blue Jackets roster.

Toronto entered play ranked 20th in the league in five-on-five expected goals percentage. The Leafs have been outscored at five-on-five, and they’ve never been a team that’s generated many power-play opportunities. Their fourth line has some of the worst results in the league, and on defence, they look like a team that gave $4.15 million to John Klingberg this offseason.

Fortunately, the Leafs don’t have to return the points that they’ve banked by sending game after game to overtime. Mark Giordano and Timothy Liljegren will be back eventually, and they seem bound to trade for a defenceman or two. It’s relatively easy for a team to upgrade its fourth line, and players like Marner should be able to turn things around at some point. In some ways, we can consider this game to be a bit of a one-off, and Leafs fans can appreciate a historic comeback. However, getting blown out against Columbus through 40 minutes just isn’t acceptable.

Game score

Final grade: C-

The Blue Jackets entered play with the worst record in the Eastern Conference in points percentage. The underlying metrics weren’t any more favourable, as they were also ranked last in the East in five-on-five expected goals percentage. With Damon Severson, Boone Jenner and Jack Roslovic out of the lineup, and Laine hurt by the halfway point, you’d expect the Leafs to dominate at home. Instead, the Blue Jackets looked like the 2010 Canadian Olympic team.

The Leafs improved their grade from an F to a C- thanks to an absolutely incredible third period performance, but they simply can’t dig themselves into that type of hole.

What’s next for the Leafs?

Staying at home to play Kyle Dubas’ Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday at 7 p.m. on “Hockey Night in Canada.”

(Photo: John E. Sokolowski / USA Today)

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2023-12-15 16:21:59Z
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