Maple Leafs Are Running Out of Time to Stop This Slide

The Toronto Maple Leafs probably couldn’t wait to get out of the rink Sunday night. To say things are not going well is an understatement. After losing 4-2 to Montreal the night before, they were hoping to get back on track at home against New Jersey. Instead, they came away with a 4-0 loss, their third straight defeat. And they did it against their former coach, Sheldon Keefe, no less.

To be fair, the Devils are a tough team to play right now. They’re 13-5-0 and have won nine of their last 10 games. Timo Meier scored twice, Nico Hischier added a goal and an assist, and former Maple Leaf Connor Brown put the finishing touch on things with an empty-netter. Newcomer goalie Connor Hellebuyck stopped all 23 shots he faced for the shutout.

Anthony Stolarz stopped 25 of 28 shots for Toronto. He had a pretty good reason to be disappointed, but he wasn’t the problem. The Maple Leafs simply didn’t give him much help at the other end.

The Maple Leafs Are Running Out of Healthy Bodies

And that’s becoming a bigger problem by the day. Morgan Rielly was already out of the lineup, Chris Tanev sat out for maintenance, and Jack Roslovic couldn’t go after trying to get himself ready for the game. Then Colton Sissons left in the second period and didn’t return.

That’s a lot of players missing from a team that’s already struggling to find its game. Coach John Hiller acknowledged that the Leafs had used up a lot of energy in Saturday’s game against Montreal. Coming back the next night, particularly with several important players unavailable, was going to be a tough assignment.

He wasn’t looking for excuses. His point was pretty simple: the games keep coming, and the players who are available have to find a way.

Matthews Wants More From Everyone

Auston Matthews wasn’t looking for excuses either. After the game, he said players need to look in the mirror and ask a little more of themselves. He also hoped the difficult stretch might bring the group closer together. That’s about as tough as I’ve heard Matthews talk publicly.

I think that’s an important part of this. Some younger players are getting opportunities they probably wouldn’t have had otherwise. That’s exciting, but it’s also asking a lot of them. The veterans have to do their part, too.

There are other concerns. Toronto managed just 23 shots, lost the faceoff battle badly, and couldn’t get a power-play opportunity. The penalty kill gave up another goal, too. The Maple Leafs have now lost five of their last six games in regulation, and there’s not much time to turn things around.

This Week Gets No Easier for the Maple Leafs

Colorado comes to Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday, Minnesota follows on Thursday, and Edmonton arrives Saturday. That’s quite a week ahead. The Maple Leafs need to find answers, get a few players healthy, and start giving their goaltenders more support. Leafs fans have seen enough losing for a while.

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