Leafs stumble along in fits and poor starts
The losses have piled up with opponents getting first goals
This is not the time for the Maple Leafs to sputter. But it appears that sputtering is just what the Leafs have started to do.
A team that was once the highest-scoring team in the first period has surrendered the first goal in six of its last eight games, and has been outshot 12-6 in the first period in those games. No surprise then that the Leafs are 2-4-2 in those eight games.
“Whoever scores the first goal wins the majority of the time,” centre Nazem Kadri said. “We understand how important that is.”
The Leafs are 20-5-5 when scoring first, the ninth-highest win total in the league. They are 5-13-6 when their opponents score first.
“We have to focus on our starts,” defenceman Morgan Rielly said. “We’ve been starting a bit slower than we’d like. We need to make sure we give ourselves a chance.
“We’re not hitting the panic button by any means. We’ve got a lot of games com- ing up. We’ve got a chance to make up some ground. We have to try to take advantage of the games in hand we have left. We have to make sure we put some points in the can.”
It’s not just slow starts. The Leafs have frittered away points, be it by some poor defence, unlucky goaltending, lack of scoring, or lack of focus. Since putting themselves in the playoff conversation six weeks ago, they have been unable to put any meaningful space between themselves and the teams pursuing them. Even Detroit, last in the Eastern Conference, is just seven points from a playoff spot.
“It’s getting to the point of desperation, especially for the teams that have an eye on the playoffs,” Kadri said. “Whether you’re in or not, we’re going to see teams’ best hockey. We have to be ready for that.”
The Maple Leafs start the week holding a playoff spot by the slimmest of margins — tied with the Philadelphia Flyers on points (61), but holding the second wild-card on the strength of having two games in hand. Making things more uncomfortable still, the New York Islanders arrive Tuesday for a tilt at the Air Canada Centre, one point behind the Leafs and with both teams level in games played.
“It seems like, over the past few weeks, these are the teams we’re jockeying with,” winger James van Riemsdyk said. “It makes these games that much more important.”
Much like the Leafs’ strong December brought them into contention, the Islanders’ 10-3-2 record in their last 15 makes them one of the NHL’s hottest teams under new coach Doug Weight. They were last in the East when Weight took over.
“I never thought they weren’t a good team. They have an elite centre (John Tavares) and good players, and they seem to have gotten it going,” Leafs head coach Mike Babcock said. “If we want to continue to be in a good spot, we have to get better.
“We’ve not been as good night in, night out as we’re capable of being, so let’s find a way to get a little better.”
The Leafs lost 6-5 in overtime to the Islanders when they met last week, which has contributed to Toronto’s current swoon. The Islanders won 5-1in October in the only other meeting between the two teams.
Frederik Andersen is expected to start against the Islanders. The Leafs head to Columbus on Wednesday, where former Blue Jacket Curtis McElhinney will get that start. They then have two days off before another home-and-away set on consecutive nights —against Ottawa on Saturday, in Carolina on Sunday.
“We had a good thing going for a while,” Rielly said. “We have to get back to that. We’re not worried where we are at all.”
One reason the Leafs might have lost their way was a lack of serious practice time, given a compressed schedule and a lot of road games. They have been lucky to get one full practice a week the last month, but will probably get two more in this week. Babcock ran a spirited practice on Monday, with some new puckpossession and chasing drills, skating challenges and breakout plays.
“It’s nice to have a practice where you can have a tempo going, so we can get our work level back to a rate that allows you to be successful,” Babcock said. “We’re through twothirds of the season, and we’re in a good spot right now. But the league gets better and better.
“April 12 is when the real season starts. You want to have an opportunity to be in that. You’ve got to earn the right for that to happen. There are lots of points up for grabs. The two most important ones are tomorrow night.”