Despite outperforming the New Jersey Devils last night, the Toronto Maple Leafs were defeated, 6.5 to 5. Which errors did the team make?
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Share this on Reddit, Old Prof.April 12, 2024
On Thursday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs took on the New Jersey Devils in an attempt to continue their recent winning streak against the same opponent. The Maple Leafs lost 6-5, which was surprising given that they dominated huge stretches of the game.
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The majority of the play against the Devils was made by the Maple Leafs.
The Maple Leafs once again demonstrated their supremacy in producing high-danger scoring opportunities and managing play in yesterday night’s game. Throughout the entire game, they had a sizable advantage in high-danger opportunities. Naturalstattrick.com data amply demonstrated this. But crucial individual mistakes that directly resulted in goals for the Devils were the team’s undoing. The effect of the Maple Leafs’ defensive zone turnovers was demonstrated by New Jersey’s two goals without an assist.
This type of game is necessary to serve as a reminder to the team of the need of minimising defensive mistakes and remaining composed under duress, particularly in pivotal situations. If the team hopes to win any playoff series, it cannot occur during the postseason.
The Maple Leafs dominated much of the game and displayed their potent offence, but they were unable to stop costly turnovers. All of these errors added up to the defeat. The Maple Leafs will need to focus on correcting these individual mistakes and upholding defensive discipline in order to get ready for the postseason.
They’ve Been Failed by the Maple Leafs Special Teams
In this game, the Maple Leafs’ special teams were a complete mess. The squad actually lost the battle on the penalty kill as well as the power play. With three power-play goals, the Devils took advantage of their opportunities, while the Maple Leafs were unable to score when they had the man-advantage. Goalie Ilya Samsonov also had a difficult game, surrendering six goals on just 20 shots. He would have preferred to have at least two of them returned.
Member of the Maple Leafs Ilya Samsonov
In particular, the Maple Leafs’ defensive zone blunders resulted in the opening two goals for the Devils. Nolan Foote scored after a dangerous pass from Mark Giordano, while Erik Haula’s goal was directly caused by TJ Brodie’s fumble behind the net. Expensive penalties, including as one that resulted from a fight started by Max Domi and an unintentional trip by Auston Matthews, also aided in the Devils’ power-play goals.
Joel Edmundson’s defensive mistake on the game-winning goal gave Jesper Bratt the opportunity to get past him and score, giving the Devils the victory.
Errors the Maple Leafs Must Correct Prior to the Playoffs
These errors exposed significant deficiencies in the Maple Leafs’ decision-making and defensive discipline, which ultimately led to their defeat. Despite their strong offensive play, their generally dominant performance was marred by errors.
With three regular season games remaining, the Maple Leafs are unable to move up in the standings. In the playoffs, they’ll probably face the Florida Panthers first. The squad needs to concentrate on improving its performance, dealing with the problems this defeat brought to light, and securing the goalie position. The Maple Leafs want to go all the way to the Stanley Cup, so they’re getting ready for postseason hockey. On that quest, this is a game best avoided.
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[I would like to express my gratitude to Stan Smith for his insightful analysis of this piece.]
