No one thought the Maple Leafs would be fresh after a whirlwind stop at home between extended road trips, but it was a surprise how they stunk for the most part on Wednesday night in Las Vegas.
With some of their worst defensive play and lack of finish seen the past three games, let’s just say they didn’t convince their boss, general manager Brad Treliving, not to pursue a trade of some kind before Friday’s deadline.
“(Vegas) is the standard of the league and I didn’t think we came out really ready to start,” captain Auston Matthews told reporters at T-Mobile Arena. “Maybe we were hoping for an easy game. They’re a good team, they don’t make it easy on you.”
Our takeaways on the 5-2 loss, marked by five unanswered Vegas goals to start the contest:
HELP WANTED
Treliving hinted last weekend that he wouldn’t do anything too dramatic trade-wise before the deadline, but deals by two of his Atlantic Division rivals were among the significant transaction that followed while the Leafs slipped the past few games.
“You look at our division, it’s obviously pretty tight,” Matthews said before the Golden Knghts matchup, during which Toronto lost its game in hand on Florida and is now tied for first. “We know management is going to do the best they can. All we can do is trust in them.
“Of course, you’d love to see a (trade) boost with the way we have played this year and the position we’re in right now. We feel really confident in our group. But this time of year, you see teams adding and you want to add as well. I’m sure management is doing a lot of thinking right now.”
The past two losses, with four Toronto goals in total, will rekindle talk that the Leafs should import some secondary scoring and/or defence. Watching second-line winger Pontus Holmberg flail away at a couple of loose pucks on Wednesday highlighted that need and the loss of Chris Tanev to injury for four games has exposed some holes on the blueline.
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GET UP AND GOALS
Matthews notched his 100th career power-play goal to become the third Leaf ever in triple figures. But that was just his first with the man advantage since Jan. 16, a change of fortune that’s been hard for the defending Rocket Richard Trophy winner to handle, even if assists have helped build his current 11-game points streak.
“Scoring has been my thing, but I like to think I’m a complete player,” said Matthews, who was stopped on a short-handed breakaway. “It’s been good just to produce. (Linemate Matthew) Knies is a big force in front of the net, sometimes you just have to get it to him.
“I’d like to score more and not hit so many posts, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. You just have to keep shooting.”
WOLL REINFORCEMENT
Craig Berube gave Joseph Woll a supportive pat on the back as they passed on the bench after the coach had just stuck a rare hook in the young netminder, who gave up three goals on seven Vegas shots.
That’s eight goals against in four periods since Woll has had to start sharing the net again with Anthony Stolarz after the latter’s knee surgery.
“Just a little ‘wakeup call’ for the team,” Berube said post-game, after TV cameras showed him shouting that phrase to his downtrodden players following the fifth Vegas goal.
“If you asked him (Woll), he’d probably want the first two back, but the Jack Eichel shot was a ripper, top shelf.”
Mitch Marner, Toronto’s other scorer Wednesday, also came to Woll’s defence.
“Not Joe’s fault, we didn’t help him enough out there (Berube counted five odd-man rushes in the first period alone). We left our goalies out to dry.”
On Tomas Hertl’s opening goal, the Leafs lost sight of a high floating puck following a blocked shot and both the defence and forwards were out of position, with Max Domi unable to catch trailer Hertl.
NO MORE MR. KNIES GUY
While no one thought Knies was the kind to carry an old-school grudge, turns out he’s waited three months to deal with Zach Whitecloud. After the Vegas defenceman caught him with a high hit and took him from the lineup for a couple of games with a head injury, the two were in the opening faceoff and teammates stepped aside as Knies skated right at Whitecloud and dropped the gloves.
“It’s maturity by him,” Matthews said. “Not to (praise) guys for engaging in that, but he’s a big boy so it was good to see.
“We were hoping to get a little more energy from our bench and life (as a result of Knies’ boldness), but that wasn’t the case.”
LOST GAMBLE
Not even the ironclad ‘coach’s-challenge’ strategy would go the Leafs’ way on Wednesday. After the fifth Knights’ goal by Tanner Pearson, Stolarz protested that he had the puck under his glove and it was jabbed free.
After discussions with his video crew, Berube initiated the challenge, knowing the assistants have a 9-0 record of favourable outcomes on such challenges since last season. But following a long look, the war room and the officials upheld the goal. Berube likely was motivated by the blowout as much as anything, using the timeout to berate his club.
“It was a 50-50,” he said of going upstairs. “I thought the puck was underneath him, but I thought it gives us a better chance (to come back).”
Toronto did kill off the ensuing penalty.
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