After three straight losses to the Nashville Predators, Los Angeles Kings, and Boston Bruins, the Toronto Maple Leafs looked to finally get back into the win column against the Buffalo Sabres on Nov. 4. That, unfortunately, did not happen, as the Maple Leafs fell to the Sabres by a 6-4 final score. With this loss, the Maple Leafs now have a 5-4-2 record, and that is certainly not as good as they expected heading into the season. Let’s discuss three notable takeaways from this Atlantic Division matchup now.
Big Nights for Matthews & Marner
Let’s start off this takeaways piece with some positives. After each scoring a goal against the Bruins, it appears that Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner have pushed through their cold streaks. The Matthews/Marner duo was excellent, at least in turns of offence, against the Sabres. Matthews potted his third hat trick of the season, while Marner had a goal to go along with three helpers.
Besides their offense, these two were extremely noticeable throughout the contest in other ways. Matthews was a man on a mission, as he had a team-leading six shots on goal and created an array of scoring chances. As for Marner, his passing was excellent, and he was especially dangerous while with the puck. In the end, these two just looked far more engaged during this game, and that is something that the Maple Leafs need to continue to see moving forward.
Without these two’s contributions, this could have been a far different game for the Maple Leafs. The hope will now be that Matthews and Marner will continue to produce at rates like this. When looking at their past seasons, it is clear that they have the potential to. It’s now just a matter of staying consistent and avoiding the rough stretches that they have had early this season.
Nylander Extends Season-Opening Point Streak
While this game was a tough loss for the Maple Leafs, William Nylander is continuing to be the model of consistency with his offence. The star winger posted a helper against the Sabres, extending his team-record season-opening point streak to an immensely impressive 11 games. With this assist, he now has six goals and 15 points over that span.
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Nylander was also quite active in the offensive zone in this contest, as he had five shots on goal. It is a shame that none of them found the back of the net, especially when seeing how this game turned out, but it is clear that he was still a threat during this contest.
This now 11-game season-opening point streak is only going to help Nylander’s case to land a very big contract, whether it is an extension with the Maple Leafs or in free agency. The star forward is continuing to show that he is among the NHL’s most elite players, and we will need to wait and see if he extends his point streak to 12 games from here.
Defence Struggles & Lack of Energy
Offence was not an issue for the Maple Leafs in this one. Instead, the Maple Leafs’ defence had some notable struggles in this contest, as the final score suggests. This was especially so during the second and third periods, as they were heavily outmatched, and several costly mistakes were made in the process.
Another notable aspect of this loss was the Sabres were simply the hungrier team. They won far more puck battles, looked quicker, and of course, generated on their scoring opportunities. The subpar energy that the Maple Leafs displayed has been a common theme in their losses this season, and they will need to find a way to change it moving forward, or they could be in some serious trouble. A four-game losing streak from a team with Stanley Cup aspirations is naturally concerning.
Goaltender Joseph Woll may have allowed five goals on 40 shots, but his stat line does not paint the full picture. The rookie goaltender made several high-danger saves and did not have much help in front of defensively. It could have been a lot worse.
Nevertheless, this was another iffy performance from the Maple Leafs, and it would have been far worse if their stars did not contribute