Leafs’ offence continues to sputter
TORONTO• It could get really rough for the Toronto Maple Leafs offensively.
It was Dec. 3 when Leafs forward Shawn Matthias last played with regular linemates Tyler Bozak and P. A. Parenteau.
The line had been grouped together for over a month at that point and represented the combination that had the least amount of fluctuation, having played together for 18 games prior to Wednesday.
Matthias was the player who went to the net, allowing for Bozak and Parenteau to generate offensively. That is, until the scoring began to wan.
“You’re not always going to like where you are,” said Matthias prior to Wednesday’s game. “But being a good pro and a good teammate means you are going to accept things and you are going to accept what you are given.”
Having scored 18 goals last season, Matthias has not been producing at the same level. But he has done things away from the puck that put him in head coach Mike Babcock’s good books.
By circumstance, the month of November was the most productive for Matthias, registering five points, while Bozak recorded 12 points and Parenteau recorded eight.
So why did they change it up? The Leafs were coming off a 1- 0 loss to the Minnesota Wild in early December. The team had scored just two goals over their last three games. The lack of offence resulted in a slight shuffling of the lines, which saw James van Riemsdyk get moved into Matthias’ place.
The move turned out to be the right one, with van Riemsdyk vaulting to the top of the team’s scoring lead with 29 points in 40 games.
On Monday, the Leafs announced they would be without the services of van Riemsdyk for the next six to eight weeks with a non- displaced fracture in his foot. In their first game without their top scorer, the Leafs generated a lot of shots on goal, but many of them were not solid opportunities.
“It’s important, we need some offence,” said Babcock prior to the game. “James ( van Riemsdyk) is a guy who scores and helps people score. It’s going to be more of a challenge.”
The Columbus Blue Jackets came in fatigued, having dropped a 5-2 decision to the New York Islanders Tuesday night. Still, the Leafs couldn’t generate enough offence to defeat the last-place team in the NHL, losing 3-1.”
The Leafs power play continues to struggle. They have scored just twice in their last 27 opportunities over the last eight games with the extra man. In their last three games, the Leafs have only scored two goals.
Toronto fired 42 shots on Blue Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo. Meanwhile, Leafs goaltender James Reimer is still in search of his first win since Nov. 20. He made 19 saves in the loss.