The Toronto Maple Leafs were back at it last night against the Washington Capitals. And it is safe to say that may have been one of the worst games that they have played all season. That is saying something because they have had a lot of bad games, but this one looked like the team quit on themselves during the third period. In the end, the Maple Leafs lost 4-0 at the hands of the Capitals.
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It was very disappointing, especially after how the team rallied against the Chicago Blackhawks to come back and win that game. Last night, there was really no urgency or effort. Which not only made it tough to watch, it also made the fan base even more angry about how this season has gone. This was just the first time that the Maple Leafs have been shut out in 70 games.
Let’s get into some takeaways from the embarrassing loss last night.
Maple Leafs Lacked Passion, Need to Take Accountability
It may sound cliché, but the Maple Leafs lacked passion last night. This is not new, unfortunately, as it has been a trend all season. However, with 50 games remaining, they need to find that passion and start playing with it. Or, collectively, they need to decide that they are selling off and using this season as a year to retool and come back stronger. It is clear that something needs to happen because this team looks lost and disinterested. It also appears that they have completely blocked out Craig Berube, but it cannot all fall on the coach.
Eventually, the team needs to take accountability, something that has not truly happened since the start of the Auston Matthews era back in 2016. If they can take accountability and then come out and take both games this weekend, they will win back a ton of fans. But if they simply say the Capitals outplayed them and then drop both games this weekend, it will not be long before the fan base starts calling for firings and trades.
Powerless Power Play
The Maple Leafs earned five power plays last night, and to absolutely no one’s surprise, they went 0-for-5. With all the skill that they have, the power play should be an area where they can take over a game. Instead, it either kills momentum or results in a goal against. This has to change, and fast. When a team gets a man advantage, it should be exactly that, an advantage. For Toronto, it feels like they would have more success if they could decline it rather than take it. It has been atrocious this season and has been a big reason why they have struggled so far.
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It is hard to say what needs to happen, but the most obvious thing would be to shoot the puck. This is something they have struggled with. Which, much like most things this season, does not make sense considering they have both Matthews and William Nylander on the top unit. Both players love to shoot the puck, but for some reason, they are not, and that is a problem. Instead, they turn to the long-range shot, which only works if Oliver Ekman-Larsson is manning the blue line. Or they try the play along the side of the net with Matthew Knies and John Tavares, which barely ever works. If they want to get the power play going, they need to get penalty killers moving east and west. That will open up lanes for shots or passes that can lead to scoring chances.
Simply put, they need to find a way to put the power back into the power play and get more shots on net. Or they are not going to move up the standings anytime soon. And it would not be crazy to think that this weekend’s back-to-back against the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars could not only determine their season, but also the future of Berube.
