"When Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and John Tavares alone combine to double the other team's total in high-danger chances, the Maple Leafs are supposed to win the hockey game. Instead, the Leafs ' only goal came from Scott Laughton, and they ultimately lost 5-1, a scoreline that flattered the Stars. Despite breakaways for Matthews and Nylander, and multiple other quality looks for the Leafs' top players, the Leafs left the opening 40 minutes scoreless."
"They trailed 1-0 despite allowing just four shots against in each of the first two periods and receiving four power plays to Dallas' two. Nights when a team loses the goaltending and puck-luck battles despite out-playing the opponent are a part of life in the NHL for every team, and so are schedule losses. This was a 3-in-4 for both teams, but the Leafs were in a back-to-back with their third-string goalie in the net, and Dallas was rested at home with their starter in goal."
"Still, if you're the Leafs, the lesson tonight is that they need to stack the odds in their favour like this much more often - with the sharper puck play and improved pace on display in the opening 40 minutes, while owning the five-on-five shots/shot attempts/chances - if they're ever going to achieve a sustained turnaround in results this season."
Auston Matthews, William Nylander and John Tavares out-produced Dallas in high-danger chances, but the Maple Leafs lost 5-1 with Scott Laughton scoring the lone goal. The Leafs generated breakaways and numerous top-line opportunities yet remained scoreless through 40 minutes, trailing 1-0 despite allowing only four shots in each of the first two periods and enjoying four power plays. The team led high-danger chances 3:1 and hits 24-11, but faced a back-to-back with a third-string goalie while Dallas was rested. The final period saw Toronto outshot and out-chanced while chasing the game.
Read at Maple Leafs Hotstove
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]