For the sake of full transparency, tonight’s article was meant to focus on Joseph Woll‘s performance in his season debut.
By the end of the first period, it was evident to everybody watching that Woll was not the main story of the night.
Wollful performance
It was by no means a clean game from the 26-year-old from Missouri. You’d probably like him to make a save on the Philip Broberg point shot. The Texier goal likely could’ve been avoided without his grenade-like pass to McCabe in the corner. To cap it all off he got beat clean glove side by Jake Neighbours in the final frame to officially sink the Leafs Titanic-esque performance.
While Woll can hide behind the excuse of early-season rust after sitting on the shelf for a few weeks rehabbing a lower-body injury, the other 18 players that hit the ice tonight in blue and white don’t.
Just a few days ago, the fanbase was still riding high off of what was the Leaf’s best performance to date under head coach Craig Berube. It was a feisty, hardnosed game with a suffocating forecheck that frustrated the Lightning to no end. But tonight was much different.
Slow starts are back
From the get-go tonight, a Leafs team that had seemingly shaken off the label of “slow starters” under their new head coach came out lifeless. One game after Berube criticized his team for being soft on entries and defending the neutral zone, it was once again a freeway for the Blues.
The Leafs never established that patented Berube-style forecheck, they lost far too many battles along the boards and when they had the puck, they never generated any kind of traffic to disturb Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington. The entire team seemed to lack an intensity, an attention to detail that we’d hoped was behind them in this new season.
A comedy of errors
On the first goal of the night, it was All-Star Mitch Marner who abandoned his coverage on Broberg to double-team the puck carrier, which allowed the Swedish defenceman time and space to wire his second goal of the season past Woll.
On the Dylan Holloway powerplay marker, marquee free agent Chris Tanev got sucked into a scrum on the penalty kill with McCabe and Marner, and captain Auston Matthews failed to recognize the need to drop down to cover for his defenceman which left Holloway wide-alone in the slot.
The lapses in defensive coverages highlighted an abysmal night for Toronto 5v5. It could’ve been worse too, Woll made three massive saves, twice on Brayden Schenn including a breakaway. It was disheartening and deflating to watch.
Frozen four go 0/4
Toronto’s power play failed to click again tonight, going zero for four on their opportunities. While gaining entries and getting sustained offensive zone time was not as big of a headache as earlier in the season, the lack of movement on the powerplay and the unwillingness to mix up the unit was frustrating.
As Chris Johnston summed up, the Leafs have converted at a 10.7% clip on the power play dating back to Feb. 27. When four players are making over $10ZM on said powerplay unit, that’s not good enough. It’s at a point where it’s no longer a cold stretch for this power play unit, it’s an ice age.
It’s time to bid adieu
Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner have played alongside each other for almost their entire careers. They’ve played on the power play together, they’ve been stapled on the same line 5v5, and now Berube has them paired up on the penalty kill.
This team badly needs a shake-up after two woeful performances against the rebuilding Blue Jackets and Robert Thomas-less Blues. Auston Matthews played some of the best hockey of his career alongside Max Domi and Tyler Bertuzzi last season. John Tavares needs a rejuvenation after a slow start to the season.
It’s time to split them up. For good this time.
Brad Marchand and the Bruins
Brad Marchand quoted accountability for everyone earlier this week when asked about his head coach Jim Montgomery giving it to him after his turnover cost the Bruins the game against Utah.
“It’s unfortunate how coaches are scrutinized over things like that. There’s a lack of accountability nowadays because people can’t handle the heat. You make a mistake like that, you deserve to hear about it,” the Bruins captain said.
As the Leafs head to TD Garden to face off against Marchand’s Bruins, maybe that’s a lesson this team’s star players need to remember. It starts with them. This team will only go as far as they can take them. They weren’t good enough tonight. Frankly, outside of a few sparks from Matthew Knies and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, no one was.
