The Toronto Maple Leafs returned from the Olympic break on Wednesday night and it showed. They dropped a 4-2 decision to the Tampa Bay Lightning in a game that felt more one sided than the final score indicates. The Maple Leafs found the net late in the third period, but for most of the night they were a step behind the Lightning. Which was very anticlimactic after fans assumed Auston Matthews would be playing on another level after winning gold at the Olympics. Unfortunately, he wasn’t very noticeable, along with the rest of the team for the better part of 45 minutes.
Despite the loss, there is still hope that this team can turn it around and push into the playoffs. However, before we get into that. Let’s look at a few takeaways from last night’s game.
Olympic Rust & Missed Chances
The biggest takeaway was the lack of execution after the three week layoff. Craig Berube did not hide his frustration, pointing out that the Maple Leafs had three separate 2 on 1 chances in the first period and failed to register a single shot on goal. Against a veteran team like Tampa Bay, that is the difference between controlling a game and chasing it.
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The first period somehow ended 0-0, and credit goes to the video staff for that. Jordan Bean and Sam Kim successfully challenged two separate offside plays that wiped away Lightning goals. Without those reviews, the Maple Leafs would have been playing from behind almost immediately. It was a huge effort behind the scenes, even if the group on the ice could not build off it. If those two goals counted, it not only would have had them playing from behind early, but also could have led to a an embarrassing blow out loss. Instead, they lost 4-2 after pushing hard in the last five minutes of the game.
Lightning Took Over Game in Second
The second period is where things slipped. Tampa Bay tilted the ice early and never really let it level out. They outshot the Maple Leafs and capitalized on defensive breakdowns. Brayden Point and Gage Goncalves scored 51 seconds apart to make it 2-0, and that cushion held. Point finished with two goals and an assist, while Nikita Kucherov picked up his 700th career assist on the second goal. Toronto pushed late in the third. John Tavares ended Andrei Vasilevskiy’s shutout bid with a power play goal. That cut the lead to 3-1, but just seconds later, Point scored to give Tampa a 4-1 lead.
Matthew Knies added another to make it closer than it felt. Even with the net empty and down by two with 90 seconds left, they failed to record another shot and spent most of that time passing it around trying t find the perfect play. Instead of just firing pucks on net and trying to bang home rebounds or tips. They kept it to the outside and eventually a missed shot on net sent the puck all the way around the boards and down the ice.
What’s Next for the Maple Leafs
There is no time to sit with this one. The Maple Leafs are back at it tonight against the Florida Panthers and will need a far cleaner effort over 60 minutes to avoid a pointless swing through Florida. With the trade deadline just 12 days away, every point carries weight in the Atlantic Division race especially with many fans thinking that their decision on the team’s future could be decided within the first three games. So, that makes the game against the Panthers and the Ottawa Senators even more important, as they try and save their season.
