LEAFS CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE AT HOME
Injury shelves Matthews for at least 4 weeks
Sounded like a fairly simple request from Mike Babcock to the Maple Leafs on Monday morning.
Taking into account the absence of the injured Auston Matthews — and that no member of the Toronto Marlies was summoned to play against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Arena — Babcock got the message out.
“I have never met one guy in hockey who says ‘Coach, can I play less?’ ” Babcock said. “They always want more opportunity. Someone always thinks they are getting the short end of the stick.
“No one is getting the short end of the stick. We only have 12 forwards. They all get their chance. Show me.”
Hey Coach, can your players get back to you on that, perhaps on Thursday night when the Dallas Stars visit?
The Leafs had nothing going for the majority of the evening versus the Flames, losing 3-1.
There was some hope for the Leafs, who fell to 3-4-0 at home, heading out of the second intermission as neither team had scored.
That was scuttled quickly, as the Flames scored two goals in a span of 55 seconds before seven minutes had elapsed.
Sean Monahan scored on a power play at 5:39 as Zach Hyman served an interference penalty, putting a rebound past Frederik Andersen. At 6:34, the Flames ate up a Leafs turnover and conspired to score with Elias Lindholm beating Andersen from the slot on a one-timer.
Nazem Kadri, with his third goal in three games after going the first nine games without scoring, got a power-play goal with under four minutes remaining on a pass from Mitch Marner.
Michael Frolik scored into an empty net.
The Leafs were outshot 34-25 and recorded just four shots on goal in the first period, equalling their lowest output of any period in 2018-19, and had 15 through 40 minutes. None were of the kind that had fans in awe of a Mike Smith save. The Flames goalie had it relatively easy for much of the game.
Andersen, the best Leaf on the ice, stopped all 24 shots he saw through the first two periods.
The Leafs, who were 117-2 in the games Matthews missed last season, were slow off the hop and truth be told, the Flames didn’t collectively have to break much of a sweat to win puck battles.
There’s no question that with the depth the Leafs have, they are capable of a heck of a lot more. That kind of thing will eat at Babcock.
Zach Hyman was his usual robust self, but remains stuck on zero goals.
Patrick Marleau has one goal. Connor Brown has one. Tyler Ennis has one. Frederik Gauthier has none.
Babcock had John Tavares between Hyman and Kasperi Kapanen, and Kadri (playing in his 500th NHL game) between Marleau and Marner on the top two lines.
Marner had some magic going, and finally was rewarded when he set up Kadri after taking a pass from Morgan Rielly.
Andreas Johnsson is among the Leafs who will get a nice shot with Matthews ailing.
Even if Matthews was healthy, the same could be said of Johnsson: He needs to get his game going, unable so far to build off his postseason run for the Marlies, when he as named the most valuable player in the American Hockey League playoffs.
Johnsson barely was noticeable against Calgary.
“We have discussed that and talked about it and went through it and he has to get his confidence back,” Babcock said. “The American League and the NHL are two totally different things, but he is a young guy who is getting better, was a dominant player at the end of year last year, he has to come in and do the same thing here now.
“He gets a good opportunity, what does he do with it?”
MATTHEWS SHOULDERS IT
Matthews has been down this road before, and you have to wonder whether it’s going to become a well-trod path for the young Leafs superstar.
The 21-year-old has had shoulder trouble in the past — it’s the left one this time — and Matthews will be out for a minimum of four weeks and placed on injured reserve after he was hurt against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday.
Matthews suffered a right shoulder separation last season, causing him to miss 10 games, and he said the issue now is “similar” to what he experienced last February/ March. He also had some shoulder trouble before his professional career.
No surgery is required, Matthews said, and though some subscribe to theory that shoulder injuries can become more common the more they occur, what concerns Matthews most now is the mental test that awaits.
Three injuries caused him to miss 20 games last season, this after he won the Calder Trophy in 2016-17 when he played in all 82 games.
“It’s a challenge, I think, just because you want to be out there so bad,” Matthews said on Monday morning. “It sucks. I think watching the game is probably the worst part.
“Just being around your teammates, being a part of something (but not being able to play), I think that is the hardest thing. We have such an unbelievable group of guys and everyone makes you feel a part of it regardless if you’re injured or scratched, so that part will be fine.”
POINT SHOTS
More and more NHL scouts are circling the Leafs as the calendar creeps closer to Dec. 1, the deadline to sign William Nylander so he is eligible to play this season. Twenty teams had scouts accredited for the game, a higher number than usual.