"At a time when they needed to knuckle down defensively while facing a gauntlet of strong opponents without William Nylander, the Leafs ' play with the puck took an absolute nose dive during this 0-4-1 homestand. They've given up goals within a few minutes of taking the lead (twice in the first period tonight). They've given up back-breaking goals at the end of periods. They've given up awful tone-setting goals at the beginning of periods. These are the hallmarks of a bad hockey team."
"Matthew Knies loses Rasmus Dahlin. Brandon Carlo doesn't make the right read to shift over, and he doesn't take away the pass, either. Morgan Rielly bizarrely attempts to jump over Carlo to close on Dahlin, taking himself out of it. It's a Keystone Cops routine befitting a preseason or early October hockey game, not the 53rd game of the regular season in what was considered a must-win divisional matchup."
The Maple Leafs surrendered six goals plus an empty-netter and an overturned goal while mustering only 13 shots through 40 minutes. Playing without William Nylander, puck management and defensive play collapsed across a 0-4-1 homestand. The team repeatedly conceded goals minutes after taking leads, at period ends, and at period beginnings, and gave up dangerous odd-man rushes through turnovers. Specific breakdowns included missed assignments on a Buffalo backdoor tap-in, with Matthew Knies losing Rasmus Dahlin, Brandon Carlo failing to shift and remove a pass, and Morgan Rielly jumping over Carlo. The performance suggests the season has likely shifted toward rebuilding unless a pre-Olympics road-trip sweep reverses course.
Read at Maple Leafs Hotstove
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