GAME CENTRE
COYOTES 4, MAPLE LEAFS 2
Slump gets worse as Johnsson exits with concussion
“So here we are.” Those were Mike Babcock’s words on Sunday morning when he was trying to sum up all that was wrong with William Nylander, playing so poorly that he had to be moved to the fourth line. After Toronto’s 4-2 loss Sunday to the Arizona Coyotes, those words — and that sentiment — aptly describe the doldrums the Maple Leafs find themselves in.
“I thought we played hard,” Babcock said post-game. “I thought we had the puck a lot. I didn’t think we had a lot of puck luck.”
So, where are they? Booed off the ice and holding on — but only barely — to the second seed in the Atlantic Division, with a 3-7-0 record in their last 10 games. It’s not that they weren’t working on Sunday night. They just weren’t clicking. Passes that were crisp and tape-to-tape in the first 30 games of the season are now just a little off. Shots that used to find the net are instead finding the netting over the glass.
Other teams — like the Coyotes on Sunday, and Panthers on Friday – find the Leafs’ power play predictable and are getting in the way of passes, removing any threat of a Leaf one-timer.
Johnsson hurt: Andreas Johnsson left the game in the second period and was diagnosed with a concussion. He was hit hard into the boards by Niklas Hjalmarsson. As a result, Nylander saw ice time in Johnsson’s spot on the left wing with Auston Matthews and Connor Brown. Nylander had been on the fourth line, to the consternation of his fans.
For the Leafs: Travis Dermott scored. He was paired with Nikita Zaitsev, after Jake Gardi- ner was scratched with back spasms. It was a terrific goal to open the scoring and came with Nylander — yes, on the fourth line — having a good shift. Nylander and Frederik Gauthier picked up assists on the play … John Tavares scored early in the second, a set play off a draw won by Zach Hyman. Marner tipped it to Tavares for the one-timer that tied the game 2-2. It was Tavares’s 30th goal of the season.
For the Coyotes: Mario Kempe scored to tie the game 1-1 early in the second on a break- away, a goal that withstood a Leaf challenge that the play had been offside. The Leafs took a minor for delay of game as a result … Clayton Keller scored on a wicked shot with less than five minutes to go in the second period to give Arizona a 2-1 lead. At his best, Keller has Mitch Marner-like shots and moves and a Matthews-like shot … Vinnie Hinostroza’s second effort paid off at 13:16 of the third, beating Frederik Andersen for a 3-2 Arizona lead … Lawson Crouse scored into the empty net.
Nylander watch: His hair was cut, his beard was shaved. It was as if Lou Lamoriello was back in charge, and Nylander played like he did when Lamoriello was in charge — moving the puck up ice in limited ice time. On his recent sub-par play, Nylander said: “It affects you. You want to perform. That’s why you’re here. When you’re not (producing), it bothers you. Once you get out of it, you’ll feel better.” Matthews watch: The Leafs’ star centre hasn’t registered a point in three games and has not scored a goal in seven. He has just one goal since Dec. 22, a span of 13 games. “It’s pretty important to work through that stuff. It’s not going good for some of us. As a team we haven’t played as consistently as we wanted to since the new year.” Up next: The Washington Capitals come to town on Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. start.