There was a lot of buzz leading up to Oct. 16’s contest between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks. It was understandable, as it was Blackhawks’ future superstar Connor Bedard’s first game in Toronto, and many were excited to see him go up against Auston Matthews. With that, the Maple Leafs were looking to win their third straight game of the season. However, that did not come to fruition, as they fell to the Blackhawks by a 4-1 final score. Here are three main takeaways from the contest now.
Shaky Maple Leafs Defence
Perhaps the biggest storyline of this contest from the Maple Leafs’ side was their shaky defence. That has truthfully been the case for all three of their games this season, but unlike in their previous two, their offence was unable to bail them out. Blackhawks goaltender Arvid Soderblom was magnificent, saving 34 out of 35 shots, while stars like Matthews and Mitch Marner were held off the scoresheet.
Back to the defence, they were the main reason why this game was lost. The Blackhawks’ first goal by Mackenzie Entwistle is a prime example of this. Defenceman Jake McCabe and John Klingberg both did not cover Entwistle in front, and he scored because of it. On the Blackhawks’ third goal, McCabe and Timothy Liljegren both focused on Andreas Athanasiou carrying the puck into the zone. This allowed Tyler Johnson to become wide open, and the veteran forward took advantage of his opportunity by burying it past Woll.
In a low-scoring game like this one, those two big mistakes were quite costly for the Maple Leafs. As a result, it is hard to look past them, but the Maple Leafs defencemen will now look to bounce back from here.
Maple Leafs Continue to Play With Bite
Another notable aspect of this game was that both the Maple Leafs and Blackhawks were playing with some real bite. Although these two clubs are in different conferences, a real rivalry seemed to be brewing in this one. There were hits, scrums, and, of course, a fight. It was the third game in a row where a Maple Leaf dropped the gloves.
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Noah Gregor was the fighter for the Maple Leafs in this one, as he dropped the mitts with Blackhawks defenceman Connor Murphy. Gregor handled himself fairly well going up against the much bigger 6-foot-4 Murphy, and he provided the Maple Leafs with a spark in the process.
Ryan Reaves was also noticeable in this aspect against the Blackhawks, as he constantly was mixing it up. He also notably got into a chirping battle with agitator Corey Perry. This is something that we should expect to see from the Maple Leafs’ enforcer for the remainder of the season.
Tavares & Nylander Stay Hot
Scoring may have been low for the Maple Leafs in this one, but two of their top stars stayed hot. John Tavares scored the Maple Leafs’ lone goal with an outstanding snipe, while William Nylander set him up with a beautiful pass that created the opportunity.
This marked the third game in a row where both Tavares and Nylander got on the scoresheet. Over those contests, Tavares has one goal and six points, while Nylander has three goals and three assists. This is exactly the kind of start that the Maple Leafs were hoping for from these two. If they keep this kind of play up moving forward, they both could be in for big years.
Alas, this was not the best game for the Maple Leafs, and the score shows this. If anything, this game showed that the Blackhawks are already showing signs of improvement with Bedard and Taylor Hall on their roster. The Maple Leafs will be hoping for a better team effort on Oct. 19 when they take on the team that knocked them out last season – the Florida Panthers. This is a must-watch contest, and we will need to see if the Maple Leafs get back in the win column from here.