Another postseason, another chance for the Toronto Maple Leafs to prove to the fan base that they’re ready for playing consistently and with intensity. Two games into their matchup against the Boston Bruins, it’s been anything but consistent for a team where the opponent has had their number and are in their heads constantly.
The Maple Leafs didn’t execute as well as many had hoped for in Game 1, as their stretch of play heading in wasn’t that great either. The lack of execution caught up to them as the mistakes were magnified to open the series. Though, they did show some fight and the ability to claw their way back into the game as it showed in Game 2. However, those simple mistakes can’t happen as it’s the reason why they’ve been down early.
The Maple Leafs secured a crucial road win and are now heading home for Game 3, but the poor decision making and lack of attention to detail at times remains a concern from here on out as they need to tighten up in that area. They knew what was expected coming in and they need to remain focused from here on out.
Attention to Detail Needs to Be Better
There have been a number of instances in a short amount of time where the team’s positioning awareness and lack of intensity have resulted in a goal against. The first one is the most obvious one and the one that struck a chord with many as a lot was unfolding on the David Pastrnak’s goal late in the first period in Game 2.
First thing’s first, everyone chases the puck right after the faceoff. Both Simon Benoit and Jake McCabe– defenders mind you– get way out of position as they’re right at their own blueline with Benoit trying to contain Pastrnak. As a result, Pastrnak’s able to quickly get rid of the puck and quickly find himself in the open slot to be made available for a play. With no defenders in front of the net, John Tavares becomes a defenseman and Mitch Marner, who isn’t quick to locate Pastrnak is late to get back and into the lane to break up the play. As a result, Pastrnak scores to give them a 2-1 lead.
While many will be quick to point the finger at Marner as he was late, he wasn’t entirely to blame. It was a complete breakdown on everyone’s part, but there is no excuse for your defenders to be that high up in the defensive zone. In the process, both Benoit and Matthew Knies are covering Pastrnak, but as soon as he drops the puck back, both players easily give up on him. Benoit should’ve stayed with Pastrnak and not chase the puck with Knies as it was unnecessary.
The Maple Leafs were extremely careless in Game 1, handing the Bruins power play, after power play. While I could’ve used the bad pinch by Ryan Reaves that led to John Beecher’s goal, this passive play from Benoit still stands out. Benoit isn’t aggressive when trying to disrupt the play on Jake DeBrusk, giving him all the time in the world to inch closer to the net and shoot to make it 3-0.
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Those kind of reads and breakdowns are why the Maple Leafs get into the position that they’re in and struggle to get out of it at times. It was that way in the regular season and it showed early on in the first two games of this series. But, it isn’t all doom and gloom as their resiliency showed.
Maple Leafs Need to Be Smarter Going Forward
From Game 1 to Game 2, it was clearly a much better effort from the Maple Leafs in terms of bouncing back when things looked tough. The mistakes piled on in Game 1 and while there were still poor decisions, penalties and heart stopping moments in Game 2, the Maple Leafs held their own.
When things looked dicey, they managed to bounce back in a positive way. They were down twice in Game 2 and while it looked like the team would bend, they didn’t break and that is huge for them going forward in this series. Max Domi bounced back with a goal 14 seconds after Morgan Geekie gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead, Tavares scored the game-tying goal on the power play and Auston Matthews’ dominant game, scoring a sensational game-winning goal. They managed to regroup, continued to apply pressure and build some momentum to get the victory.
“I loved our resolve tonight,” Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said according to Sportsnet’s Luke Fox. “That goal into the period there obviously gives them life and momentum going into the second. And the game has potential now to be, in the back of your mind, similar to the one the other night.”
The Maple Leafs showed that they can bounce back and put forth the effort. If they can limit the amount of poor positioning and defensive miscues within their own zone, they definitely have what it takes to come out on top against their divisional rival. More importantly, they can’t be taking bad penalties like they have in the first two games as the Bruins have shown to be dangerous, going 3-for-7 (42.9%) already in the series. If they do get into penalty trouble, they can’t get over aggressive as the Bruins’ movement and set up has shown to be extremely effective.
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The Maple Leafs have been the better team at five-on-five against the Bruins in the postseason, which wasn’t really the case in the regular season. They have the advantage in scoring chances for (68.24%) and high danger chances for (65.79%). If they can clean up on the penalty kill then they would have a major edge in the department by being in position and cheating on the Bruins set up.
The Maple Leafs would’ve been in a hole if they went down 2-0 in their series with the Bruins heading home. If they didn’t find that urgency to battle back in Game 2, it would’ve been a completely different story. This was a must win game for them in order to stay alive and now they have some life again. While their play was questionable at times, they came out on top, which is what matters. They can’t let the bad habits take control like it did in Game 1, as now they have some momentum going home.
If they can build off their Game 2 win, then it’s advantage Maple Leafs.
Statistics from Natural Stat Trick and NHL.
