Last night, the Toronto Maple Leafs hosted the Dallas Stars, and they didn’t get the result they were hoping for. They came into the game as losers of two in a row and coming off what might have been their worst effort of the season against the Vancouver Canucks. The hope was that the team would be able to turn it around and keep their seven-game winning streak alive against the Stars, which started Feb. of 2020. Unfortunately, they lost 4-1 in another terrible effort after the first period. With that, let’s take a look at some takeaways from the game last night (Jan. 14).
Too Many Line Combinations
The Maple Leafs have struggled with line combinations over the last few games, and that showed last night. Head coach Craig Berube started Steven Lorentz on his top line alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Within five minutes, that line found success, and Matthews scored. However, after the first period, almost every line for Toronto fell flat and generated little. Berube decided it was time to throw it all in the blender, but it still didn’t generate anything.
Related: Duchene & Stankoven Shine as the Stars Beat the Maple Leafs 4-1
Marner and Matthews had Lorentz, Matthew Knies, Max Domi, Bobby McMann, William Nylander, and even a shift with John Tavares through the last two periods. While shuffling lines can sometimes spark a team, it didn’t work this time. When the team is being outplayed, the coaching staff should have returned to combinations that had worked in the past. Instead, they kept tinkering, which seemed to disrupt the team’s flow even more.
Power Play Has to Be Better
It’s time to make a big change on the power play. Whether that means firing Marc Savard or adjusting the mix of players, something needs to change. This team is too talented to be just 2-for-13 on recent power-play opportunities. On paper, their top unit is arguably the best in the league. However, when it’s time to perform, they get too fancy and make too many passes. They need to return to basics: two players (Knies and Tavares) in front for a double screen, Marner at the point directing traffic, and Nylander and Matthews on either half-wall, getting shots to the net. The more pucks you throw on goal, the better your chances of one getting through.
It’s also time for Morgan Rielly to come off the power play. He struggles to hold the line and often takes low-percentage shots. If the team isn’t going to stick with the five-forward unit, they should consider giving Oliver Ekman-Larsson a chance to quarterback the power play. He has had success in the past in that role and could bring a fresh perspective. Savard might need to change up the personnel. Splitting up the top unit and allowing players like Domi and McMann to get chances on the first unit could make a difference. At this point, something has to change—this power play shouldn’t be this bad.
Matthews is Back
As mentioned earlier, Matthews found the back of the net last night for his 15th goal of the season. It was a vintage Matthews goal, beating Jake Oettinger short side over the shoulder. This begs the question: is Matthews back? The answer seems to be yes.
Matthews rips one from the dot! ???? pic.twitter.com/lI7xaRhn1C
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 15, 2025
He not only scored but has also shown improved shot velocity—up by five to six MPH—something that was lacking earlier this season. Matthews appears to be shooting the puck more as well. Last night, he had two shots on goal and more attempts overall. He looks comfortable again, and that could mean a scoring streak is on the horizon. If he gets hot, he could score 15 goals in the next 10 games. The Maple Leafs need to take advantage of his resurgence to get the team back on track.
Looking Ahead for the Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs will now look to end their three-game losing streak against their former head coach, Sheldon Keefe, and the New Jersey Devils. They host the Devils on Thursday, Jan. 16, in Keefe’s first game back in Toronto.
