The Toronto Maple Leafs squandered a chance to gain on the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night. They also, once again, failed to hold a two-goal lead. As a result, they lost to a team they should have beaten by a score of 4-2.
Despite holding a two-goal lead in the first period, the Ottawa Senators mounted a comeback, scoring four consecutive goals. The team initially gave goalie Martin Jones some early support. However, the Senators managed to claw their way back, helped by a few defensive lapses by the Blue & White.
The Senators’ Parker Kelly was left open to score on a 2-on-1 rush to narrow the gap in the second period. Drake Batherson then scored two goals in a row. On the first, he tied the game 2-2 off a rebound at 14:25 – also in the second period. He then sealed the win early in the third period, banking a shot off Jones’ back and in from behind the goal line. While Jones could have been tighter to his post, the goal had a similar vibe to the New York Rangers game on Dec. 19 – luck wasn’t on Jones’ side.
Related: 3 Takeaways From Maple Leafs’ 4-2 Loss to Senators
In this edition of Maple Leafs News & Rumors, I’ll take a look at some of the individual players on the team and their contributions to the game. For readers who wish to read a take-away piece, see my THW colleague Michael DeRosa’s post above.
Item One: Matthew Knies Breaks Scoring Drought
After going four games without scoring, Matthew Knies found the back of the net for his eighth goal of the season. The young Knies has had a bit of an ebb and flow to his performance. This goal was a result of a great Auston Matthews shot, which deflected off the top of Knies’ skate while he screened the Senators goalie at the time. It opened the scoring at 5:41 of the first period.
Funny, I read today that Knies has shown tremendous presence and potential on the ice but has encountered scoring challenges. In short, the site said he’s been inconsistent and was having a tough time navigating the competitive nature of professional hockey. Perhaps that’s true. It was just his second goal and fourth point in the last 12 games.
However, I had to do the math. If Knies maintains his current pace of eight goals and six assists for 14 points in 30 games, his statistics for a full 82-game season look pretty okay for a rookie. For goals: (8 goals / 30 games) * 82 games = approximately 21.87 goals. For assists: (6 assists / 30 games) * 82 games = approximately 16.4 assists.
Therefore, his projected stat line for an 82-game season would be about 22 goals and 16 assists for roughly 38 points. That’s not so shabby.
Item Two: Martin Jones Suffers Another Tough Loss
In Wednesday’s game against the Senators, Jones made 27 saves but couldn’t make them when it mattered. After a strong start, with a 3-0 record and only four goals allowed, Jones hasn’t played nearly as well in recent games. He’s put up a record of 1-2-0 with 12 goals allowed in his past four games.
Related: Maple Leafs Can Expect a Breakout From Bertuzzi This Season
For Jones, the goals had a defensive breakdown sort of look to them. The team might have played better, and, in the end, they gave their goalie little chance on the first two goals. Although he might have positioned his body better on the third one, it was a fluke. All in all, it was a tough night for the Maple Leafs goaltender.
Item Three: The Maple Leafs Third Line of Domi, Jarnkrok, and Robertson Is Playing Well
Today, I read several readers’ comments about the team’s play. One reader dumped on Nick Robertson, who I’ve been writing positively about recently. Fair enough, the reader disagreed with me and, by proxy, the team’s third line. However, that’s not what the advanced analytics show from last night.
Instead, both the second and third lines played well in the loss. Statistically, they controlled the game when they were on the ice, and given bad luck or whatever the hockey gods had in store, both lines worked hard but missed some opportunities. The second line was especially snakebit, with Tyler Bertuzzi scoring only one of a possible four goals. It might have been Bertuzzi’s best game as a Maple Leaf.
Also, the Max Domi, Calle Jarnkrok, and Robertson line dominated at five-on-five. Their advanced analytics accounted for an impressive 94% of high-danger scoring chances and 93% of expected goals. Jarnkrok was around the net all night and created several scoring chances, including on setups from Domi. Meanwhile, the John Tavares, William Nylander, and Bertuzzi line carried the play with 84% of High-danger scoring chances and 70% of expected goals.
Related: Nick Robertson’s Rise: Third-Line Success to Maple Leafs’ Future
Jarnkrok had a strong shift toward the end of the second period. He won a crucial race and puck battle against Jake Sanderson in the Senators’ zone that could have turned into a game-changing goal. Sadly, instead, it was a near-miss.
What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?
The Maple Leafs are in for a busy stretch of games. First, they meet the Columbus Blue Jackets for the third time in just 16 days. They have split their last two games, with Columbus winning 6-5 in Toronto, and the Maple Leafs taking a 4-1 victory on the road. Expect goalie Ilya Samsonov to man the crease as the Maple Leafs seek a pivotal win against the Blue Jackets on Friday.
Finally, the team ends the calendar year with a Saturday night game at home against the Carolina Hurricanes. Expect Jones to be in the net as the Maple Leafs try to finish 2023 on a positive note.
