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Pressure on core group mounts after consecutive losses; Leafs vs. Canes

October 25, 2021, 11:35 AM ET [920 Comments]
Mike Augello
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The Toronto Maple Leafs faced quite a big hurdle entering the 2021-22 regular season, not only trying to get past the gut-wrenching loss to the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but having to do it without key contributors like Zach Hyman and Frederik Andersen.

It would be an understatement to say things have not started well for the Blue and White. Hyman has five goals in five games for the Oilers while first line replacement Nick Ritchie is pointless in six games. Andersen is leading the NHL with four victories and a .944 save percentage with Carolina while replacement Petr Mrazek is injured and a few weeks away from returning to the lineup.

Toronto has lost three in a row against New York, the surprising San Jose Sharks and an embarrassing 7-1 defeat at the hands of the short-handed Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. The Leafs were tied after 20 minutes before allowing six unanswered goals to a Pens squad playing without Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust, Jeff Carter and Kris Letang…..and the most disturbing aspect of the loss was that the game was not even close.

“I have a lot of thoughts obviously. Not many good ones.” Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “I thought that after the first little segment in the first period we found our game and I thought we were going really well. I thought we started the second period, the first couple of shifts, really well. Offense in our zone, we were moving around a little bit, we had some chances, and then had a turnover in the offensive zone and didn’t have structure coming back. Ends up in our net and before we’re gathered it’s in our net again and it’s 3-1. It got away on us. It got away on us there and then obviously there’s a lot of things to not be happy about from that point on.”

While it seemed nearly every goal that Pittsburgh scored on Jack Campbell before he was pulled deflected off a skate, stick or his own teammate, the fact that has to be of overall concern to Keefe and GM Kyle Dubas is that 38 year old Jason Spezza is the Leafs leading scorer and that the club’s core group has been virtually invisible through the first half dozen games.

William Nylander is off to a good start (five points in six games), but the trio of Auston Matthews, John Tavares and Mitch Marner collectively has scored one goal in 15 games played. In spite of an energetic eight-shot effort in his season debut, Matthews could not convert on numerous chances against Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin and is pointless.

Tavares finally broke through with his first of the season in the third period against the Sharks, but has not been the driving offensive force that we have seen in previous seasons. Marner may be feeling the pressure or is putting pressure on himself in response to the criticism of his poor playoff performance and the calls from some corners for him to be traded.

For whatever problems that some have had with Marner and his six-year contract, the 24-year-old is one of the best playmaking wingers in hockey and that ability has not shown through thus far. Put those struggles together with the continuing issues with the Leafs power play (3 for 19 - 15% - 24th in the NHL) and you have a club purported to be an offensive juggernaut averaging two goals per game.



In a season where there was more of an emphasis put on the core group to produce with the uncertainty of their supporting cast being able to contribute, the slow start of Matthews, Tavares and Marner has crippled the Leafs and the only way for them to pull out of the early-season doldrums is for them to get on track.

The challenge will not be easy on Monday, as the Leafs continue their first US road trip in 19 months in Raleigh against the unbeaten Canes. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour has not indicated whether he will go with Andersen (who has started the first four games) or backup Antti Raanta. Toronto brought in Michael Hutchinson in the third on Saturday and it is expected that Campbell will make his fifth start of the season.

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