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The Toronto Maple Leafs are fortunate that there is more than three weeks to go before the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs because if they play the way they did in a 6-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, they are in store for an early exit from the postseason no matter who they play in the first round.
The Leafs don’t have a great deal to play for (although Tampa is only four points behind them for third place in the Atlantic) and they were without two key cogs of their core group in Mitch Marner and Morgan Rielly, but the club was frustrated by Devils goalie Jake Allen after Tyler Bertuzzi scored the opening goal just 64 seconds into the game, as the former Hab stopped 24 Toronto shots.
A long range goal from Luke Hughes and Nico Hischier’s conversion on a two-on-one put the Leafs down 2-1 after 20 minutes and set Toronto on a course of undisciplined mistakes for the remainder of the game.
“I thought it was immature from our most experienced players and our leaders. Our players who are immature — who are inexperienced guys — made lots of mistakes today. In the first period, Bobby McMann gives up a 2-on-1 and doesn’t do his job there,” Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said after the game. “Our third and fourth lines gave up goals in the second period. Top to bottom, in the second period, it is not good enough. You are playing against a team that is among the most dangerous teams in the NHL offensively. They want to play the game like that in terms of countering and getting behind you. Jack Hughes got two breakaways. You are not winning the game if that is going to be the case. I hated lots about our game tonight. Hopefully, the players hate it just as much or more than I do.”
Auston Matthews and William Nylander also scored, and Joseph Woll made 19 saves for Toronto, who have lost two straight after playing impressively against Edmonton on Saturday.
Tampa Bay can move to within two points of the Leafs with a win over Boston on Wednesday. The Bruins moved two points ahead of the Panthers with a 4-3 comeback victory over Florida in Sunrise on Tuesday. With the standings in both the Metro and Atlantic and for the President’s Trophy so close, it is possible that Toronto could face any one of Florida, Boston, the NY Rangers, or Carolina in the first round.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
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